6.12
Exploration of GIS Interoperability Technologies for the International H2O Project
Olga Wilhelmi, NCAR, Boulder, CO; and T. Betancourt
Recent advances in GIS technologies provide an opportunity to improve interoperability between a wide arrange of scientific software applications and geospatial data stores. In particular, this can applied to research in meteorology where uses of GIS have been limited to date. This paper presents research in progress on applying GIS interoperability technologies to meteorological field experiment - the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) - conducted over the Southern Great Plains of the United States in May-June 2002. The goal of IHOP_2002 was improved characterization of the four-dimensional distribution of water vapor and its application to improving the understanding and prediction of convection. The large number of researchers, sensors, and datasets involved in IHOP along with widely varying needs for spatial data display, analysis, and dissemination, afford great opportunities for showcasing the strengths and exploring the limitations of current GIS technologies. The main objective of this study is to explore GIS technologies for providing researchers a common geospatial framework for managing and analyzing data. This paper discusses the potential use of GIS in meteorological applications as related to the IHOP field project and focuses on strengths and weaknesses of two approaches to spatial interoperability. The first approach will make use of OpenGIS specifications to connect the IHOP data archive to custom-built software infrastructure (TITAN) developed at NCAR for managing the complex demands of large temporal-spatial databases for meteorological applications. The second approach will use commercial off the shelf OpenGIS compliant ESRI technologies that provide a geo-referenced, relational database (i.e., Spatial Database Engine) available for further GIS analysis and web-based data access and distribution (i.e., Internet Mapping Server). A general framework and specific issues of the development of a GIS prototype with a subset of data collected during IHOP project will be presented.
Session 6, GIS Applications
Tuesday, 11 February 2003, 1:25 PM-5:25 PM
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