GEOINFORMATICS: COORDINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE EARTH SCIENCES

Geoinformatics is the application of information technology to earth science. Geoinformatics aims to allow seamless interconnection of databases and to incorporate: acquisition and long-term maintenance of analog and digital legacy data; efficient information and data retrieval mechanisms (via data mining and web services); dynamic on-the-fly data compilation and presentation; accessibility to and application of visualization, analysis, and modeling capabilities; online workspace, software, and tutorials; GIS; integration with online scientific journals and digital libraries; distributed network of digital geo-libraries; access to real time data collection and dissemination; user-defined automatic notification and quality control filtering; and application to field techniques. Geo-portals and search engines that are as readily available as today’s web browsers will gather data about any geographic location, above, on, or below ground, covering any geologic time, and at any scale or detail.

The emerging concepts on cooperation in the community comprises three broad areas and attributes:

STRUCTURE · Inclusive but accessible and loose-knit

· Coordinate not manage, but is accountable

· Provide service

· Promote building cyberinfrastructure

· Enable community funding rather than compete for funds

COMMUNICATION · Set up communications forum

· Cooperate with other domains and the IT sector

· Enable community engagement

· Carry the message to NSF, Congress, et al

· Facilitate links: academia-government-industry

STANDARDS · Encourage innovation, democratization

· Foster discussion of standards

· Address cyber-security

· Represent needs of individuals, centers, institutions, consortia, coalitions, societies, government, industry

Additional community needs are to address making data accessible, learning how to better do integrative research, data assessment, quality, and accessibility.