| January 20, 2010 |
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Editorial: The Whimsy that is Coming to Be
To observe means to be or become aware of, especially through careful and directed attention; to watch attentively. To predict means to suggest what may happen based on available information, based on observations, experience and scientific interpretation. To decide means to settle on a position, policy or verdict reached after deliberation. This is what GLOS is all about, to enable the sharing of observations, predictions and collective decision making, as we extend our reach broadly into the Great Lakes community. Data generators can enrich our data repository, and data users can make superior decisions and realize more calculated and sustainable solutions through the GLOS network. Since our inaugural meeting in July 2006, it has been a daunting honor to serve as one of the founding board members of GLOS. I have gradually navigated through a dizzying array of observing-system-acronym soups, and have learned that data architecture has no relationship to the mission revival or second empire periods of architectural design. Parenthetically, perhaps such kinship would be apt. There is a mission of revival in the hearts and souls of those who toil to realize Great Lakes excellence. Perhaps we are moving into a new period where solutions are found to address the pining for perfect coordination of data and information. Our collective desire to enhance interoperability of data and information systems to facilitate better decision making and advance sustainable public policies, once a whimsy, seems through GLOS and our allies, to be crystallizing into actuality. Presently, I believe our aim should be to demonstrate excellence at manageable spatial and temporal scales, which we are well on the road to achieving. As I step down from the Board now that my tenure is complete, I will advocate that our binational GLOS community build the network of partners and members fundamental to launch a trajectory toward, while always shy of, perfect coordination. The opportunity to in essence, create a virtual Great Lakes to benefit a multiplicity of stakeholders including all those with no voice, will enable us to collectively "Make the Lakes Great."
GLOS Welcomes New Board Member GLOS is proud to announce the addition of Don Scavia to its Board of Directors. Scavia is the Director of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute and professor of Natural Resources and Environment, and Engineering at the University of Michigan as well as Special Counsel for Sustainability to the UM. He has previously served as the director of Michigan Sea Grant from 2004-2009, SNRE Associate Dean for Research from 2004-2006, and Director of the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research from 2004-2007. "We are fortunate to have Don invest his time with us. His experience and reputation will be a big asset to GLOS," said Bill Werick, GLOS Board Chairman. Prior to joining the Michigan faculty, Don was chief scientist of NOAA's National Ocean Service. Before becoming the NOS chief scientist, he was director of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and director of NOAA's Coastal Ocean Program, where he managed coastal and Great Lakes research programs in NOS laboratories, monitoring and assessment offices, and extramural research.
GEOSS Great Lakes Testbed Meeting The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is a voluntary partnership of governments and international organizations, launched in response to calls for action by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and by the G8 leading industrialized countries. These high-level meetings recognized that international collaboration is essential for exploiting the growing potential of Earth observations to support decision making in an increasingly complex and environmentally stressed world. To do this, GEO is coordinating efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems, or GEOSS. One action item is to develop International Testbeds to facilitate the advancement of GEOSS. These Testbeds will serve as demonstrations for building international interoperable observing systems, where countries collaborate together to determine what is needed to promote the convergence of observation networks, systems and sensors. The Great Lakes has been chosen as one of the first Testbed sites that will support the coordination of binational observing efforts between Canada and the United States. GLOS hosted the first in-person meeting of the GEOSS Great Lakes Testbed on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, in partnership with USGS and Environment Canada. Attendees included representatives from GEO, federal, state and provincial government agencies, universities and non-profit organizations. At the meeting, there was discussion about how to best develop the scope of the project making sure to find ways the Testbed could support, not duplicate, existing efforts. The group agreed to begin by assessing a project scope with focus on data management and integration issues related to ice, water levels, ground water and beaches. "The decision to develop a Great Lakes Testbed speaks to the importance of the Great Lakes to our two countries as well as the strong partnership efforts in this region," said Jennifer Read, GLOS Executive Director. "This is a great opportunity for GLOS to strengthen our relationship to the global observing community and engage more partners, especially in Canada." The next Great Lakes Testbed meeting is scheduled to take place via conference call on Friday, Jan. 29. For more information, contact Kelli Paige at kpaige@glos.us.
Introducing the New and Improved Observation Explorer
The Observation Explorer has been completely redesigned, both front-end and back-end. On the technical side, GLOS developed an Observation Application Framework to provide flexibility and scalability on services for observation data. The revised back-end is compliant with IOOS requirements and better prepared for related services, such as Sensor Observation Service (SOS). The new web interface features the well-known Google Visualization API, which will make navigation familiar for anyone who has ever used applications such as GoogleMaps. To check out the Observation Explorer and discover the observations that make up GLOS, visit the viewer on the GLOS website at www.glos.us/obs.
Data Mash-up Workshops As more and more Great Lakes data can be accessed online as web services, there is a greater need to demonstrate how these data can be integrated and made relevant to decision-making for resource managers and other user groups. This past year, Sea Grant staff from Wisconsin and Minnesota conducted mapping workshops around the Great Lakes to introduce GLOS to Great Lakes constituencies, assess the need for GLOS products, and provide "hands-on" training on how to leverage distributed sources of spatial data. These workshops, also known as "data mapping mash-ups," introduce user groups to web mapping applications that integrate data from multiple sources. Workshops include a morning overview session, afternoon computer workshop, and separate evening session for educators. Participants in the Data Mash-ups represent a wide range of professional roles, such as geographic information specialists, small business owners, resource managers and educators. Workshops have been held in Chicago at the U.S. EPA; Duluth, Minn., as part of the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium annual conference; Alpena, Mich., at the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary; and Traverse City, Mich., at Northwestern Michigan College. Additional workshops are planned for Buffalo, N.Y.; Erie, Pa.; and again in Duluth in spring 2010. These workshops will help increase both the use of existing decision support tools and the development of new innovative web mapping applications. If you are interested in attending a workshop in Buffalo, Erie, or Duluth please contact David Hart at dhart@aqua.wisc.edu or (608) 262-6515. |
Upcoming Meetings and Events
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This quarterly newsletter is prepared by GLOS as a service to its members, partners and the broader Great Lakes community. Please refer to www.glos.us for more information on GLOS products, activities and milestones.
Great Lakes Observing System |
