CUAHSI Observations Data Model

[Rudolf Husar]

oops .. sorry

Hi Ben, David, All,

Thank you for bringing the hydrology data modeling effort to our
attention. I can offer a few thoughts on this data model harmonization
issue.

- In dealing with air quality point monitoring data, both practice and
theory has shown that the relational data model proposed by CUAHSI is a
robust way of encoding monitoring data. In fact virtually all AQ monitoring
data are being managed through Relational DMS, in SQL servers. A typical
(actual) AQ data schema is in slide
2<http://capita.wustl.edu/capita/capitareports/070103OGC_WCS_SQL/AQ_Pt_OGC.ppt>.


- The relational model is suitable to encode and to respond to typical
OGC queries for data (WCS), station description (WFS), sensor description
(SOS) etc. Some ideas on this are noted in slide
3<http://capita.wustl.edu/capita/capitareports/070103OGC_WCS_SQL/AQ_Pt_OGC.ppt>
.

- For web service-based data access, it should not matter how the data are
encoded and managed, as long as they respond to the service query.

- In this view, a key in harmonizing between the two (or five) data models
is in the service return payload format. netCDF?, XLS, CSV, whatever is
appropriate for the particular client (community).

-  So, connecting the pipes is a matter of using different data format
adopters. For the GALEON experiments, for example, we have formatted the
monitoring data as a 1 dim netCDF-CF data structure.

We are very much looking forward comparing notes on this topic and also
experimenting with implementation in GALEON 2.


Thanks, Rudy

Rudolf B. Husar, Professor and Director
Center for Air Pollution Impact and Trend Analysis (CAPITA),
Washington University,
1 Brookings Drive, Box 1124
St. Louis, MO 63130
314 935 6099

On 1/3/07, Ben Domenico <bendomenico at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> The US hydrology community represented by CUAHSI  (Consortium of
> Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences, Inc.) HIS
> (Hydrologic Information System) has drafted a document called "CUAHSI
> Community Observations Data Model Working Design Specifications."
> These design specifications are targetted at a relational database for
> hydrologic point datasets that are collected at distributed hydrologic
> observatories.  David Tarboton welcomes input from the THREDDS and OGC
> communities, so I'm forwarding his message which has pointers to the
> draft specifications and a questionnaire.
>
> I am struck by the fact that the THREDDS group is developing storage
> and access systems for the same sort of point/station observations via
> our traditional netCDF approach
>
>
> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf-java/formats/UnidataObsConvention.html
>
> and the OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) initiative addresses many of
> the same data access issues from the perspective of standards-based
> interfaces.
>
> http://www.opengeospatial.org/pt/06-046r2
>
> So we have two discipline-oriented communities of practice developing
> very different approaches to data storage and access issues for
> datasets that have many common characteristics and a group working
> with evolving international standards in the same general area.  If
> you look at the diagram in "The Middle Ground" section of
>
>
> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/projects/THREDDS/GALEON/Phase2Connections/FeaturesFilesScientificDataModels.htm
>
> these projects are classic examples of the stovepipe foundations and
> -- hopefully -- the conduit pipe between them.
>
> I thought each group should at least be aware of the work of the others.
>
> In addition, if any of you have input for David Tarboton, he welcomes
> it before January 31st and has specific requests for feedback in the
> questionnaire that he points to.
>
> David Tarboton <dtarb at cc.usu.edu>
>
> Thanks.
> -- Ben
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: David Tarboton <dtarb at cc.usu.edu>
> Date: Dec 17, 2006 10:50 AM
> Subject: CUAHSI Observations Data Model
> To: Ben Domenico <bendomenico at gmail.com>
> Cc: david Maidment <maidment at mail.utexas.edu>, rhooper at cuahsi.org
>
>
> Ben,
>
> The document, "CUAHSI Community Observations Data Model Working
> Design Specifications",
> (http://www.cuahsi.org/his/docs/ODM4-20061026.pdf) presents the
> current design for the integrated hydrologic observations database
> that is proposed for the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System
> (HIS).  We are soliciting comments on this design to ensure that we
> have a data model for observations that is simple, usable, and meets
> the needs of hydrologic observatories and the CUAHSI
> community.  There is much in common between what CUAHSI is doing in
> Hydrology and what UNIDATA is doing in atmospheric science.  I am
> sending this to you so that you may be aware of this work and provide
> comments and suggestions on this design?  I have prepared a
> questionnaire to guide your review
> (http://www.cuahsi.org/his/docs/ODMOpenCommentQuestions.pdf),
> although you should not feel constrained by this and should feel free
> to provide feedback in whatever form you think is most
> appropriate.  We would like to receive comments by January 31,
> 2007.  We appreciate you taking the time to help with this.
>
> Thank you,
>
> David
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> David Tarboton
> Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
> Utah Water Research Laboratory
> Utah State University, Logan UT 84322-4110
> Ph: (435) 797 3172        Fax: (435) 797 1185
> Email:  dtarb at cc.usu.edu  http://www.engineering.usu.edu/dtarb
> Learn about the USU Water Initiative:  http://water.usu.edu/
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>
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