NIWA National Science Centre for Environmental Information http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/ei

Jochen Schmidt, Chief Scientist

Federated Information InfrastructureProblems and Solutions

What is interoperability?

VocabulariesRegisters

Community Services

Many use(r)s / portals Many providers

STAN

DARD

S !!!

Communication enabled through

Standards

What is Interoperability?

• “Portals” are NOT the solution.• “Data Warehouses” are NOT the solution.

• “The Plumbing”, how Databases and Applications “talk to each other” – and most importantly:Standardization of the plumbing!

• Synonyms: – “Common Data Infrastructure”– “Common APIs”– “Standard Web Services”

Information sharing currently

Data collection by many (field teams)

Data ArchiveNIWA

Data ArchiveAuckland Council

Data ArchiveWellington Council

Data UserScientist

Data UserCouncil

Data UserJoe Public

Science UserR, Matlab, …

Data Archive…

Resources wasted innegotiation of• Data availability• Data format• Meta data

$$$

The 80:(80:20) Rule

In the process to using a data set, 80% of the cost is associated with discovering and negotiating access to it.

Of the remaining 20%, 80% is taken in understanding, trusting and manipulating the data set into a useful form

Meaning only 4% of the total cost is associated with actually using the data set.

Discover and Access

Understand

Use

$$$Towards a National Environmental Information Re-Use System

Discover Access Transfer Understand\Trust

Transform

Interoperability through open standards

Data CollectionStandards

Data ManagementStandards

Data collection by many (field teams)(to consistent standards!)

Data ArchiveNIWA

Data ArchiveAuckland Council

Data ArchiveWellington Council

Services Stack(Set of Standard Web Services)

Data UserScientist

Data UserCouncil

Data UserJoe Public

App/Portalei.niwa.co.nz

App/PortalNIWA QMAP

App/PortalLAWNZ

Multiple UsesInteroperability

Data DeliveryStandards

Science UserR, Matlab, …

Training / QualificationStandards

Data ends up in a set of authoritative Archivesto national standards

Data ArchiveLAWNZ

National Qualification and Training

National Standards

Data is made available through standard web services

Data can be queried through standard web services

Information Sharing in a federated environment

NIWA SIMS Stations displayed as part of World Water Online Interface

World Water Online Catalogue displayed as part of NIWA Quantum Map

MANY PROVIDERS – MANY USERS – MANY WAYS TO GET TO THE DATA

Interoperability in action

• Sampling points from FBIS• Stations from SIMS• Background and Rivers from LINZ• Sportfields from Wellington CouncilALL delivered through standard web services!

Interoperability in action

Delivered through open standards in real time:• LCDB3 from Landcare Research• City Assets from Regional Councils• Observation points from NIWA

Federated bio observations data systemWhat do we need in management?

Use of (in all ‘linked’ systems):• Consistent geospatial / temporal context• Consistent meta data (ANZLIC, ISO)• Consistent taxa data (NZOR)• Consistent observations vocabularies (Darwin Core?)

(units vocabulary, parameter vocabulary)

_____________________________These are harder…• Consistent environmental feature vocabulary?

(e.g. river names, lake names, …)

• Consistent (institutional?) methods vocabulary?(use (national) standards as reference?)

Federated bio observations data systemWhat do we need in delivery?

Use of (in all ‘linked’ systems):• Services published through standard registry service incl.

metadata!(OGC Catalogue Service for the Web CSW).

• Data Discovery enabled through standard web services (OGC Web Services WxS).

• Data Access enabled through standard web services (which?).• National / Institutional Vocabulary Services (taxa, methods, …)

published.• Services linked through bindings as part of standard.