Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP Federation)
Encyclopedia
The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is a broad-based, distributed community of data and information technology
practitioners that voluntarily come together to leverage collaborative synergies that create coordinated interoperability
efforts across domain-specific communities. Participation in the ESIP Federation allows members to expose, gather and enhance their own in-house capabilities in support of their organization’s own mandates.Ultimately, these collaborationsallow pursuit of data interoperability a greater chance of success.
The ESIP Federation has a 13-year track record of working on Earth science
interoperability solutions that connect distributed and heterogeneous communities through the application of broad community technical expertise.
As an organization, the ESIP Federation optimizes collaboration through in-person meetings and virtually through collaboration
space on the Web. Partners utilize these neutral forums for knowledge exchange and collaboration–an intellectual commons of sorts–where practitioners solve common problems. This community-based approach is discipline neutral, with IT supporting science by improving discovery, access, integration and interoperability.
Initially created by NASA
in 1998, the ESIP Federation was formed in response to a National Research Council
recommendation calling for the involvement of community stakeholders in the development of NASA’s EOSDIS
as a critical element of the U.S. Global Change Research Program
(http://www.gcrio.org/USGCRP/LaJolla/cover.html). Since its inception, theESIP Federation has continually grown and attracted a diverse group of partners, now including more than 125 member organizations. The ESIP Federation’s membership is broad, including federal data centers, government research laboratories, research universities, education resource providers, technology developers, and various nonprofit and commercial enterprises.
Since it is community-driven, the ESIP Federation is an independent forum for addressing topics of interest to many in the Earth science data and technology community. Participation in the ESIP Federation is open to organizations that care about Earth science data and who wish to work across communities to expose, gather and enhance in-house capabilities in support of their organization’s own data management
programs that promote their broader agency mission.
data and information. The ESIP Federation was founded in 1998 by NASA in response to a National Research Council (NRC) review of the Earth Observation System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). The NRC called on NASA to develop a new, distributed structure that would be operated and managed by the Earth science community that would include those responsible for all elements of Earth observation
, including observation, research, and ultimately, application and education.
Beginning with 24 NASA-funded partners, the ESIP Federation's purpose was to experiment with and evolve methods to make Earth science data easy to preserve, locate, access and use by a broad community encompassing research
, education
, and commercial interests. NASA adopted a deliberate and incremental approach in developing the Federation by starting with a limited set of working prototype
projects called ESIPs, representing both the research and applications development communities. These prototype projects were joined by nine NASA data archive centers to form the core of the early ESIP Federation and were responsible for creating its governing structures and the collaborative community it is today. The ESIP Federation began as a distributed organization that is linked primarily by the Internet
(i.e., a virtual organization
), continuing successfully to this day to provide an evolving mechanism by which the community could voluntarily come together and act to define and serve their collective best interests.
By 2001, the ESIP Federation created a non-profit corporation called the Foundation for Earth Science (Foundation). Through a Memorandum of Understanding
with the ESIP Federation, the Foundation provided management support to the ESIP Federation as it moved from an operational prototype to an independent organization. In 2002, Foundation staff was hired to support the work of the ESIP Federation. The Foundation helped create operating policies for the ESIP Federation and facilitated the development of its first strategic plan, adopted by the ESIP Federation’s Assembly in 2004. The 2004 strategic plan reflected the evolving role that the ESIP Federation sought to play in the ensuing years, reflecting the broadening of the ESIP Federation’s base from its original core to its then 75 partners. NOAA’s data center
s joined the ESIP Federation, further broadening its scope and position as a growing community voice.
The 2004 Strategic Plan was intended to raise the visibility of Earth science information and position the ESIP Federation to improve its data and information delivery infrastructure
. The 2004 Strategic Plan conveyed a vision that served as an important rallying point around which the ESIP Federation sharpened its focus and continued its growth.
As the ESIP Federation entered its second decade, it became obvious that, as a consequence of its continued evolution, it was time to revisit the strategic planning process. Beginning in July 2007 in Madison, Wisconsin
, a Strategic Planning Working Group was formed to develop a new vision of the ESIP Federation in its second decade. This decade will capitalize on the growth of the ESIP Federation and its concomitant diversification of its funding.
The 2008 strategic plan celebrates the special status the ESIP Federation occupies as a 10-year old organization, having employed a variety of tools to facilitate communication and interaction using both traditional and virtual tools. The ESIP Federation is uniquely positioned to respond to the growing need for information to solve the Earth’s pressing environmental problems and the public’s interest in making better use of science information. The ESIP Federation’s strength continues to come from its more than depth of partner organizations, including all NOAA, NASA and USGS Earth observing data centers, government research laboratories, research universities, modelers, education resource providers, technology developers, nonprofits and commercial enterprises. The organization will rely on its internal communities to set priorities for the implementation of the ESIP Federation’s strategic vision.
In 2009 and 2010, the ESIP Federation returned to its roots and refocused its energy on data and associated technologies. New ESIP Federation communities formed around data preservation and stewardship
, information quality
, and data visualization
. Additional education and societal benefit actives arose in the climate change
and energy domains. The ESIP Federation continues to respond to the needs of its partners by addressing timely topics that affect the broader community.
Social
Science
Applied Science
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
practitioners that voluntarily come together to leverage collaborative synergies that create coordinated interoperability
Interoperability
Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
efforts across domain-specific communities. Participation in the ESIP Federation allows members to expose, gather and enhance their own in-house capabilities in support of their organization’s own mandates.Ultimately, these collaborationsallow pursuit of data interoperability a greater chance of success.
The ESIP Federation has a 13-year track record of working on Earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
interoperability solutions that connect distributed and heterogeneous communities through the application of broad community technical expertise.
As an organization, the ESIP Federation optimizes collaboration through in-person meetings and virtually through collaboration
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
space on the Web. Partners utilize these neutral forums for knowledge exchange and collaboration–an intellectual commons of sorts–where practitioners solve common problems. This community-based approach is discipline neutral, with IT supporting science by improving discovery, access, integration and interoperability.
Initially created by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
in 1998, the ESIP Federation was formed in response to a National Research Council
National Research Council
National Research Council may refer to:* National Research Council , Canada's leading organization for scientific research and development...
recommendation calling for the involvement of community stakeholders in the development of NASA’s EOSDIS
EOSDIS
The is a key core capability in NASA’s Earth Science Data Systems Program. It provides end-to-end capabilities for managing NASA’s Earth science data from various sources – satellites, aircraft, field measurements, and various other programs...
as a critical element of the U.S. Global Change Research Program
U.S. Global Change Research Program
The United States Global Change Research Program or USGCRP coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The program began as a presidential initiative in 1989 and was codified by Congress through the Global Change Research Act...
(http://www.gcrio.org/USGCRP/LaJolla/cover.html). Since its inception, theESIP Federation has continually grown and attracted a diverse group of partners, now including more than 125 member organizations. The ESIP Federation’s membership is broad, including federal data centers, government research laboratories, research universities, education resource providers, technology developers, and various nonprofit and commercial enterprises.
Since it is community-driven, the ESIP Federation is an independent forum for addressing topics of interest to many in the Earth science data and technology community. Participation in the ESIP Federation is open to organizations that care about Earth science data and who wish to work across communities to expose, gather and enhance in-house capabilities in support of their organization’s own data management
Data management
Data management comprises all the disciplines related to managing data as a valuable resource.- Overview :The official definition provided by DAMA International, the professional organization for those in the data management profession, is: "Data Resource Management is the development and execution...
programs that promote their broader agency mission.
History
The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP Federation) is a broad-based community drawn from agencies and individuals who collectively provide end-to-end handling for Earth and environmental scienceEnvironmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
data and information. The ESIP Federation was founded in 1998 by NASA in response to a National Research Council (NRC) review of the Earth Observation System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). The NRC called on NASA to develop a new, distributed structure that would be operated and managed by the Earth science community that would include those responsible for all elements of Earth observation
Earth observation
Earth observation is the gathering of information about planet Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. It is used to monitor and assess the status of, and changes in, the natural environment and the built environment. In recent years, Earth observation has become technologically more and...
, including observation, research, and ultimately, application and education.
Beginning with 24 NASA-funded partners, the ESIP Federation's purpose was to experiment with and evolve methods to make Earth science data easy to preserve, locate, access and use by a broad community encompassing research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and commercial interests. NASA adopted a deliberate and incremental approach in developing the Federation by starting with a limited set of working prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
projects called ESIPs, representing both the research and applications development communities. These prototype projects were joined by nine NASA data archive centers to form the core of the early ESIP Federation and were responsible for creating its governing structures and the collaborative community it is today. The ESIP Federation began as a distributed organization that is linked primarily by the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
(i.e., a virtual organization
Virtual organization
Several unrelated things are named virtual organization:* In business an organization that can take one of the following forms:** a business which operates primarily via electronic means; see virtual business...
), continuing successfully to this day to provide an evolving mechanism by which the community could voluntarily come together and act to define and serve their collective best interests.
By 2001, the ESIP Federation created a non-profit corporation called the Foundation for Earth Science (Foundation). Through a Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
with the ESIP Federation, the Foundation provided management support to the ESIP Federation as it moved from an operational prototype to an independent organization. In 2002, Foundation staff was hired to support the work of the ESIP Federation. The Foundation helped create operating policies for the ESIP Federation and facilitated the development of its first strategic plan, adopted by the ESIP Federation’s Assembly in 2004. The 2004 strategic plan reflected the evolving role that the ESIP Federation sought to play in the ensuing years, reflecting the broadening of the ESIP Federation’s base from its original core to its then 75 partners. NOAA’s data center
Data center
A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...
s joined the ESIP Federation, further broadening its scope and position as a growing community voice.
The 2004 Strategic Plan was intended to raise the visibility of Earth science information and position the ESIP Federation to improve its data and information delivery infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
. The 2004 Strategic Plan conveyed a vision that served as an important rallying point around which the ESIP Federation sharpened its focus and continued its growth.
As the ESIP Federation entered its second decade, it became obvious that, as a consequence of its continued evolution, it was time to revisit the strategic planning process. Beginning in July 2007 in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, a Strategic Planning Working Group was formed to develop a new vision of the ESIP Federation in its second decade. This decade will capitalize on the growth of the ESIP Federation and its concomitant diversification of its funding.
The 2008 strategic plan celebrates the special status the ESIP Federation occupies as a 10-year old organization, having employed a variety of tools to facilitate communication and interaction using both traditional and virtual tools. The ESIP Federation is uniquely positioned to respond to the growing need for information to solve the Earth’s pressing environmental problems and the public’s interest in making better use of science information. The ESIP Federation’s strength continues to come from its more than depth of partner organizations, including all NOAA, NASA and USGS Earth observing data centers, government research laboratories, research universities, modelers, education resource providers, technology developers, nonprofits and commercial enterprises. The organization will rely on its internal communities to set priorities for the implementation of the ESIP Federation’s strategic vision.
In 2009 and 2010, the ESIP Federation returned to its roots and refocused its energy on data and associated technologies. New ESIP Federation communities formed around data preservation and stewardship
Data steward
In metadata, a data steward is a person that is responsible for maintaining a data element in a metadata registry. A data steward may share some responsibilities with a data custodian....
, information quality
Information quality
Information quality is a term to describe the quality of the content of information systems. It is often pragmatically defined as: "The fitness for use of the information provided."- Conceptual problems :...
, and data visualization
Data visualization
Data visualization is the study of the visual representation of data, meaning "information that has been abstracted in some schematic form, including attributes or variables for the units of information"....
. Additional education and societal benefit actives arose in the climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
and energy domains. The ESIP Federation continues to respond to the needs of its partners by addressing timely topics that affect the broader community.
Partners
Currently, ESIP is made up of 110 member organizations that span the range from NASA, NOAA, EPA, USGS and DOE research-funded groups. The ESIP Federation's Partners represent a diverse spectrum of Earth science data and technology interests. there are four types of partners; type I includes Data Centers, Type II are data and information product providers, Type III are commercial and non-commercial organizations that develop tools for Earth Science and Type IV are the funding providers, NASA, NOAA and EPA. A full listing of ESIP Federation Partners can be located at the organization's website.Interests
Technology- Semantic Interoperability
- Web Services
- Metadata
- Standards
- Emerging Technologies
- Modeling
Social
- Communities of Practice
- Environmental Decision Making
- Web 2.0 and beyond
Science
- Atmospheric
- Climate
- Terrestrial
- Oceanography
- Hydrology
- Environmental
- Geology
- Ecology
Applied Science
- Air Quality
- Water Resources
- Natural Disasters
- Carbon Management
Current activities
- Visualization programs
- Standardized QA/QC processes
- Standardized metadata initiatives
- Educational outreach to provide public schoolPublic schoolPublic school may refer to:*State school in Australia, Canada, Scotland, and the United States, a school funded with tax revenue and administered by a government or governmental agency...
teachers with quality science units - Semantic web and ontology development
- Energy and Climate initiatives