[ESIP-all] Newsletter

Brian Rogan brogan at esipfed.org
Tue Oct 20 20:47:14 EDT 2009


Dear ESIP community,
Please find below the inaugural issue of the ESIP News, our bimonthly
newsletter.  We hope that this can be a vehicle to spread the good works of
the federation.   I have also attached it as an HTML and word document and
it can be found online.  We will also archive them over time.
Please feel free to contribute and to offer suggestions as to how to improve
this publication.  this is especially true if you can help to make this
gmail document more navigable and suggestions for areas we have not
covered.  It would also help if you feel this should be found only online at
the site, sent by email or both.   Thank you for your interest.

Sincerely,


 Brian Rogan
Director of Communication and Partnership
Foundation for Earth Science
15 Beecher Place
Newton, MA 02459
617 467 4348 phone
508 397 7119 cell



*

*ESIP NEWS

*Newsletter of the ESIP Federation*

* *

*Issue No. 1 Contents*

* *

>From the President<http://mail.google.com/a/esipfed.org/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=lRH7ajoXwnE.en.&am=!t-TmIKZsnsqpJfniszz2UpPczx-ArHnj92IKEYH8RRsB#President>
**

*From the Front
Office<http://mail.google.com/a/esipfed.org/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=lRH7ajoXwnE.en.&am=!t-TmIKZsnsqpJfniszz2UpPczx-ArHnj92IKEYH8RRsB#Office>
*

*Award Notices and
Deadlines<http://mail.google.com/a/esipfed.org/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=lRH7ajoXwnE.en.&am=!t-TmIKZsnsqpJfniszz2UpPczx-ArHnj92IKEYH8RRsB#Award>
*

*ESIP Classifieds<http://mail.google.com/a/esipfed.org/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=lRH7ajoXwnE.en.&am=!t-TmIKZsnsqpJfniszz2UpPczx-ArHnj92IKEYH8RRsB#Classifieds>
*

*Around the Federation<http://mail.google.com/a/esipfed.org/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=lRH7ajoXwnE.en.&am=!t-TmIKZsnsqpJfniszz2UpPczx-ArHnj92IKEYH8RRsB#Grant>
*

Grant Opportunities<http://mail.google.com/a/esipfed.org/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=lRH7ajoXwnE.en.&am=!t-TmIKZsnsqpJfniszz2UpPczx-ArHnj92IKEYH8RRsB#Grant>

*ESIP Member Calendar<http://mail.google.com/a/esipfed.org/?ui=2&view=js&name=js&ver=lRH7ajoXwnE.en.&am=!t-TmIKZsnsqpJfniszz2UpPczx-ArHnj92IKEYH8RRsB#Calendar>
*

*
**From the President*

Welcome to our inaugural newsletter devoted to the ESIP community. The focus
of this newsletter is on the work we all do, highlighting new developments
and noteworthy events involving our members. Also look for a calendar of
upcoming meetings, announcements of grant opportunities, and other
information pertinent to the Federation.



I hope you'll take the time to read through this issue, and be inspired to
contribute short reviews of the work you're doing to future issues. The
newsletter goes out not only to ESIP members but also to other interested
parties who want to stay informed about our good work.



Sincerely,

James Frew, ESIP President



*From the Front Office*

Welcome to our first issue of the ESIP News, the newsletter of the
Federation.  The purpose of this newsletter is to keep the membership and
the greater community informed of the work that is being done by our
partners and to keep the members informed of news of interest.  We are
always to happy to post your latest news, grant solicitations of interest,
collaborative opportunities, important meetings or any other news of
interest to the community.



It is our plan to publish the newsletter bi-monthly with the deadline for
contributions being the beginning of the month.  The next issue will be
published in December and the submission deadline will be December 1st.



Please spread the word about your good work by contributing a short piece
that highlights what you do.  Send any items to the Director of Partnership
and Communication, Brian Rogan at brogan at esipfed.org.



Website Changes

As part of our upgrade to the ESIP website, we have migrated our content
from its original static, code-driven design to a content management system,
specifically Drupal.  In visiting the site, it will look just as it has for
the last few years except that there are some notable changes that are
beginning to happen:



·        Under the Events tab is a new, dynamic calendar that lists all of
the telecons, including call in numbers, upcoming important meetings and
other important events.  I will be happy to add any item that needs to
posted if you send it to me at brogan at esipfed.org.



·        We are beginning to connect a new database to the site which will
allow you to manage your subscriptions and listserv information.  More on
this as it becomes available.



·        We will also begin to migrate information on Committees, Clusters
and Working Groups from the Wiki to a location on the website.



These changes are designed to make Federation information more timely and
accessible.  Any ideas are welcome to make this process work more
effectively.



*Award Notices and Deadlines*

*Earlier this year, the ESIP Federation established an award to honor Martha
Maiden's leadership in nurturing the ESIP Federation from its infancy into
the mature organization it has become.  This award is given to recognize
outstanding service to the Earth science  information community and honors
individuals who have demonstrated leadership, dedication and a collaborative
spirit on behalf of the community.  This award is named for Martha E.
Maiden, NASA Program Executive for Earth Data Systems.*

*Nominations for the 2010 award are being accepted through October 31.
Details for submitting a nomination can be found here*

*<http://wiki.esipfed.org/index.php/Martha_Maiden_Award> .*

* *

* *

*ESIP Classifieds*

*Earth Resources Technology, Inc. (ERT)*

*Satellite Oceanographer – **Silver Spring**, **MD*

*Position Description*

Will support the development, ingest, archival, access/usage and sustained
quality of satellite-based observational data products. Will support
generation and reprocessing of space-based Climate Data Records (CDRs),
which as a goal, assures scientific stewardship for Sea Surface Temperature
(SST) products and other ocean products such as ocean color, ocean surface
topography, and marine winds. Specific duties will be to:

·     Integrate related *in situ* data and match-up databases into CDR
product generation systems; develop and implement processes, methods, tools,
and systems to improve CDR product generation and the completeness and
quality of the data and  of the metadata.

·     Support the integration of the CDR products in NODC web portals,
databases, and other data management systems including content management
and updates.

·     Work with data consumer s and providers to understand community
requirements for data and data systems and work to optimize usage of the
data amd efficiency in archive operations; ensure that user requirements and
recommendations are factored into next generation CDRs.

·     Document and describe product and product generation systems on web
sites, in user manuals, and in other related forms.



*Required Skills*

5 years knowledge, understanding, and experience with the generation of
satellite-based SST products such as AVHRR Pathfinder SST, MODIS SST (Terra
and Aqua), and products from the international Group for High Resolution SST
(GHRSST). Need an understanding of the oceanographic phenomena related to
satellite CDR product generation and match-up database implementation and
experience designing and implementing workflow processes to manage the
production of large volume satellite datasets.

Knowledge of metadata including ISO19115 and FGDC standards w/remote sensing
extensions; familiarity with netCDF-3 and 4, and HDF-4 and 5 formats, and
the Climate and Forecast (CF) attribute conventions; and experience in time
series analyses and other statistical analyses. Computer skills should
include UNIX/Linux environment; Workflow management, C/C++, MATLAB, Java.

Good communication skills and demonstrated team effectiveness required.

*Education*

MS in Physical Oceanography, Marine/Ocean Science, Remote Sensing,
Atmospheric Science, Engineering (fluid dynamics), Physics or Mathematics,
or related discipline.

* *

*Science Data Engineer – **Silver Spring**, **MD*

*Position Description*

Support information systems development of specialized science data access
utilities and their integration into operational systems to enable efficient
and open access to the National Oceanographic Data Center’s archived
oceanographic data streams and metdata. Communities served include
scientists, managers, decision-makers, educators and the public. This
includes development of tools to automate/streamline processes and
performance of the following functions:

·     Configure and optimize interoperable data servers and web services

o    Implement OGC Web Mapping and Web Coverage Services)

o    Setup and configure OPeN DAP and OGC servers, including OPeNDAP’s Hyrax
and the THREDDS Data Server

·     Support migration of files from one format to another (HDF, netCDF and
others)

·     Translate metadata to standard-compliant formats such as FGDC and ISO
19115 using XSLT

·     Support the integration of geophysical products in NODC web portals,
databases and other data management systems

·     Support integration of software and systems and the related databases
which support ingest, product generation and access of data.

·     Support the implementation of processes, methods, tools, and systems
to improve both product generation/archival/access and the completeness and
quality of the data and of the metadata.

*Required Skills*

4 years in software analysis, software engineering, code development, and
integration supporting geophysical research, and the science data systems
for product generation, archiving and accessing. Experience working with
geophysical data. Knowledge of and experience implementing OGC Web Mapping
and Web Coverage Services and setup and configuration of OPeN DAP and OGC
servers, including OPeNDAP’s Hyrax and the THREDDS Data Server. Experience
with file format migrations (HDF, netCDF, and others) and metadata
extractions to/from FGDC and ISO 19115 compliant standards using XSLT.
Computer skills must include Linux shell scripting, PERL, python, relational
database queries (SQL) and management. Climate and Forecast (CF) file-level
metadata attribute conventions familiarity useful.  Knowledge of other
current mechanisms for finding and serving geophysical data and associated
metadata such as: Search and Retrieval via URL (SRU), Catalog Services for
the Web (CSW), and/or Sensor Observation Service (SOS).

*Education*

MS or higher in Physical Sciences (Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography,
Remote Sensing), Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, or
related discipline.

*Submit resume to ERT’s Career Opportunities Web Page at: **
http://tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/searchResults.jsp?org=ERT&cws=1*<http://tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/searchResults.jsp?org=ERT&cws=1>


*ERT is an equal opportunity employer.*



*.*

*Around the Federation*



*The Earth Data Discovery Consortium ESIP *is hosting the:



*Remotely-Sensed Earth-Data Visualization Tool and Technology **Summit*

Santa Barbara, October 27, 2009



Major topics include:

*Are these tools capable of supporting the greater level of interactivity
that users are becoming accustomed to? *

*Is it time to move to more ubiquitous data visualization capabilities? *

*Is there a “data PDF” on the horizon?*

*What are the tools the should/will emerge over the next five years? *

*What are the solutions to common data and service access problems? *

*Are there ways to share technologies that can accelerate tool development?*



The Summit will bring a dozen top earth data tool makers into an intense,
one-day conversation about the future for tools and technologies. This
conversation and descriptions of the makers’ tools will be collected into a
book, Earth Data Visualization Tools and Technologies: State of the art and
future trends, which will be published by the Earth System Research Press in
early 2010. The Summit will also publish its conversations and content on
the Summit site(http://nmri.org/tags/summit).

*ESIP Education Committee Holds Teacher Workshops in Conjunction with ESIP
Summer Meeting *



This past summer, for the first time, the ESIP Education Committee invited
science teachers to the summer meeting at University of California, Santa
Barbara to learn about ESIP Federation efforts to study and steward our
planet. With support from NOAA, participating G6-12 educators attended the
ESIP plenary followed by an afternoon and second full day of workshop
sessions that featured hands-on computer activities demonstrating ways that
data and tools can be used in science classrooms. Sessions were led by ESIP
members from NOAA, CIMSS, NASA, TERC and other ESIP organizations.



A total of twenty-nine attendees registered for the teacher track session of
the conference which featured sixteen different events for educators and
eleven full-length sessions that highlighted hands-on data activities. By
all accounts the debut workshop was a resounding success. Seventeen teachers
rated the ESIP workshop experience as “excellent”, the rest checked the next
best box of “very good”. For more information, please visit
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/teacherworkshop/esip/2009agenda.htm to view the
final agenda or download session presentations and the compiled workshop
evaluations.



*StormCenter Awarded Two NASA Grants to Enhance Decision Making*

* *

            StormCenter Communications was awarded two Grants to improve
decision making and collaboration between the Department of Homeland
Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), NOAA’s National
Weather Service (NWS) and the State of Texas Governor’s Division of
Emergency management (GDEM).  StormCenter is working to improve
visualization and collaboration between FEMA Region VI and the NWS Southern
Region Headquarters for enhanced decision making during developing hazards
such as hurricanes and wildfires threatening the Gulf Coast. StormCenter
will then expand the level of collaboration directly to the State of
Texasas a model to enhance decision making along the Gulf
of Mexico.



This capability will serve as a potential role model for the Gulf of Mexico
Alliance (GOMA) formed after 2005 by the Governor’s of the Gulf states.



            The Envirocast® Vision™ TouchTable (EVTT) is at the forefront of
that process allowing real-time collaboration and up to the minute images
that visualize relevant information in a real-time collaborative
environment.  StormCenter is working with NASA, NWS, and FEMA to access and
display NASA research results along with real-time weather and emergency
management information to enable FEMA to respond quickly to pending threats
by engaging the NWS in its new role as interpreters of weather and climate
information in order to better serve federal and state agencies.



This project is a four-year effort and is funded through the NASA Applied
Sciences Program. Dave Jones, founder, president and CEO of StormCenter
Communications, Inc. says, “The EVTT is a real advancement that is proven in
the military and intelligence world by Northrop Grumman Corporation. We are
applying that same level of success to the civil sector by integrating
weather, climate change and hazard information along with key GIS data to
form a complete decision support system, employing a GEOSS approach to data
integration and decision making. You can even send the information you
generate on the EVTT to hand held devices such as an iPhone to someone in
the field within seconds to respond to a rapidly developing event.” To learn
more connect to:
http://www.stormcenter.com/home/index.html#/products-services/evtt



*StormCenter’s at the Heart of Communicating Climate Change in Greenland*

* *

            StormCenter has been selected to lead the communications effort
for a new NSF funded project that addresses how Greenland may hold the keys
to our past climate records.  As a part of this effort, StormCenter
Communications partnered with Climate Central, a non-profit climate
communications organization and sent a producer and camera crew along with
Climate Central’s Dr. Heidi Cullen, climate expert and media correspondent,
to Greenland to find out more about the NEEM drilling project and
interviewed key scientists that are working to uncover climate mysteries
surrounding the climate conditions around a period in history when the
global temperatures were 5 degrees warmer than they are today.



The North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling - NEEM - is an international ice
core research project aimed at retrieving an ice core from North-West
Greenland (camp position 77.45°N 51.06°W) reaching back through the previous
interglacial, the Eemian. The Eemian period may reveal the conditions we can
expect to experience if our global temperatures rise to those levels
experienced about 115,000 years ago when this interglacial period ended.  Dr.
Jim White, Director of the University of Colorado’s Institute for Arctic and
Alpine Research (INSTAAR) is the principal investigator.



Dr. White is a leading scientist who studies Paleoclimate signals that give
the world a better understanding of what the climate was like thousands and
millions of years ago by extracting gasses that have been trapped in deep
ice recovered from the NEEM site.



The ice sheet on Greenland is experiencing change. Glaciers on its edges are
sliding into the Atlantic at an accelerating rate and pools of water form on
the surface of the ice as the summer melt lengthens then drive deep holes
(Moulins) through which the water reaches the bottom of the ice layer. Piece
by piece, evidence has accumulated to show that the ice sheet is shrinking
and the sea levels are rising.  If Greenland were to lose all of its ice,
the seas would rise about 21.5 feet!   StormCenter has been engaged by Dr.
Jim White to tell the story of why it is so important to study Greenland ice
and how society will be impacted should sea levels rise faster than current
estimates.  StormCenter is producing stories and will distribute video for
this amazing journey to news media and through the Internet to hand-held
devices, websites and of course through StormCenter’s StudioEarth™.



StormCenter recently had stories about NEEM aired on The Weather Channel®
and The News hour with Jim Lehrer as a result of our work under this effort.
To learn more about NEEM and what StormCenter  is doing connect to:
http://www.stormcenter.com/home/index.html#/our-current-projects/greenland-project





*StormCenter has Moved to the Campus of UMBC*

            StormCenter Communications has a new home at UMBC’s Research and
Technology Park (bwtech at UMBC), the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
This move provides us with the ability to showcase decision support and
communication technologies that can be employed to enhance decision making
and understanding of climate change, extreme weather and its impact on
society. Our new facilities include a state of the art studio (StudioEarth)
where we are developing innovative Video Teleconferencing capabilities for
agencies, schools, science centers, museums and conferences where scientists
can go LIVE from the studio directly into the university or classroom
setting to discuss climate change and other critical science issues and
research. The technology demonstration showcase highlights the Envirocast®
Vision™ TouchTable and a series of spherical displays. We look forward to
working with ESIP Federation partners to see how this technology can
highlight additional data and support the education and product services
committees to increase outreach and awareness. For more information and
directions connect to:
http://www.stormcenter.com/home/index.html#/contact/directions





*Climate Literacy Network *

The Climate Literacy Network (CLN) is a diverse group of approximately 40
stakeholders interested in the implementation and adoption of the principles
of climate literacy throughout society. Organized and maintained by *TERC*,
an ESIP member, this nationally-representative group meets virtually once
per week to share information on climate science and climate literacy. CLN’s
activities include a sharp focus on educational contexts (formal and
informal),but also include important discussions on policy decisions, impact
in community groups, and ordinary citizens.

 The keystone accomplishment of the CLN is forming and making
available *Climate
Literacy: Essential Principles of Climate Science*. is a document summarizes
the most important principles and concepts of teaching climate* *science and
is focused on providing a framework to* *science teachers, individuals, and
communities interested* *in learning the basics of climate science. It has
now* *received approval of the U.S. Global Change Research* *Program/Climate
Change Science Program, which* *includes 13 federal agencies.

The network recently met in Washington, DC to hold it’s first meeting to
increase stakeholders and boost awareness of the interconnectedness of the
problems involving climate change.













*Grant Opportunities*<http://us1.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/templates/export-template?id=55273#Grant_Opportunities%23Grant_Opportunities>


Discovery Research K-12



NSF Grant number: 09-602



Due Date for Applications: Jan 07, 2010

Expected Total Number of Awards: 70



Estimated Total Program Funding: $55,000,000

URL: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf09602



Overview:

The Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12) program seeks to enable significant
advances in preK-12 student and teacher learning of the STEM disciplines
through development, study, and implementation of resources, models, and
technologies for use by students, teachers, and policymakers. Projects
funded under this solicitation begin with a research question or a
hypothesis about how to improve preK-12 STEM learning and teaching. Projects
create or adapt and study innovative resources, models, or technologies and
determine how and why implementation affects STEM learning. DR K-12 invites
proposals that meet a variety of educational needs, from those that address
immediate and pressing challenges facing preK-12 STEM education to those
that anticipate opportunities for the future. DR K-12 especially encourages
proposals that challenge existing assumptions about learning and teaching
within or across STEM fields, envision needs of learners in 10-15 years, and
consider new and innovative ways to educate students and teachers.



FY 2010 National Environmental Information Exchange Network Grant Program



Grant number: EPA-OEI-10-01



Due Date for Applications: Nov 20, 2009    Please refer to the full
announcement, including Section IV, for additional information on submission
methods and due dates



Expected Total Number of Awards: 50



Estimated Total Program Funding: $10,000,000

Award Ceiling: $200,000

Award Floor:

URL:
http://epa.gov/exchangenetwork/grants/FY%202010%20SolicitationNotice%20-%20FINAL%2007282009.pdf



Overview:

Some awards may involve or relate to geospatial information. EPA, states,
territories, and tribes are working together to develop the National
Environmental Information Exchange Network, a secure, Internet- and
standards-based way to support electronic data reporting, sharing, and
integration of both regulatory and non-regulatory environmental data.
States, tribes and territories exchanging data with each other or with EPA,
should make the Exchange Network and the Agency's connection to it, the
Central Data Exchange (CDX), the standard way they exchange data and should
phase out any legacy methods they have been using. More information on the
Exchange Network is available at www.exchangenetwork.net.



*ESIP Calendar*



AGU Meeting – San Francisco, CA December 16-20

ESIP Winter Meeting – Washington, DC January 5-7, 2010

AMS Meeting – Atlanta, GA   January 17-21. 2010
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