Critical Zone Observatory Data Discovery• Each CZO maintains its own data management system(s)

using the data formats it prefers• The three CZO’s have a common metadata management

system, expressed in tables, where each table record describes a particular data series or dataset, including its URL address

• CZO Metadata tables are published and accessed through the internet using Web Feature Services (WFS) defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium

• Metadata table records are linked to geographic features, also published as Web Feature Services to show data location on a base map

CZO Metadata Catalog Server

Sierra NevadaMetadata Server

Boulder CreekMetadata Server

Shale HillsMetadata Server

Metadata Catalog Services already exist for point observations time series at the Waters Network Testbed projects

A metadata catalog server is a device (e.g. ArcGIS Server, Minnesota Map Server), which can publish

CZO metadata in OGC web services format

CZO Data Types

1. Regular Time Series – data measured with automated sensors at a fixed location at regular intervals

2. Irregular Time Series – manually collected field samples from a fixed location at irregular intervals

3. GIS coverages and photos4. One-Time Collections – rock and soil samples

collected once at known position and depth5. Other Data – LIDAR, land surveys, channel cross-

sections, tree surveys, geophysics, snow surveys

Point Observations Time Series

Net Radiation (W/m2)

PI: Chris Duffy, Sue Brantley, Pat Reed, Henry Lin, ….

Shale Hills CZO Point ObservationsSusquehanna – Upper Juniata River Basin

URL Network SiteCode VarCode BeginDate EndDate Name

http//… ShaleHills RTHNet 516 5/1/2006 Net Radiation

http//… ShaleHills RTHNet 517 10/29/2005 Precipitation

http//… ShaleHills RTHNet2 516 5/1/2006 Net Radiation

Metadata table for Point Observations Time Series

Click on the URL retrieves the data file

Metadata for selected data series at observation point H1

Observations Catalog for Waters Network Testbed Project in Corpus Christi Bayhttp://129.116.104.172/ArcGIS/services/CCBAY_MySelect/GeoDataServer/WFSServer

displayed over the US Hydrology Base Map from http://downloads2.esri.com/resources/arcgisdesktop/maps/us_hydrology.mxd

WSDL address and parameters to obtain observations data using GetValues

5

The same metadata structure supports data access through WaterML

Data Access from the CZEN Portal

http://www.czen.org/Data

Sierra NevadaMetadata Server

Boulder CreekMetadata Server

Shale HillsMetadata Server

Metadata is transmitted in Geographic Markup Language

Behind the CZEN portal is a Master Metadata Catalog that is compiled from the CZO metadata services. The Master Catalog supports seamless data searches across the CZO network

HIS Desktop (to be developed in 2009)Harvesting data from web services

Observations

Models

Climate

GIS

Remote Sensing

HIS Desktop can be rebranded to become CZO Desktop if necessary

Data Access from CZO Desktop

Sierra NevadaMetadata Server

Boulder CreekMetadata Server

Shale HillsMetadata Server

Each CZO metadata catalog service and thus the CZO data is directly accessible to anyone using CZO Desktop