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The Third Atmospheric Data Modeling Workshop in Atlanta

Atmospheric Data Model Workshop Agenda Meeting Minutes Participants Presentations Workshop 2004 Home Workshop 2005 Home Workshop 2006 Home Workshop 2007 Home Workshop 2008 Home ADM Workshop Home

Meeting Minutes

The meeting started with welcoming remarks by Scott Shipley (GMU) and participant introductions. Scott thanked Ms. Tawnya Carter (TWC) for her help in organizing the meeting at the Weather Channel facility. Then Olga Wilhelmi (NCAR) gave a brief overview of the status of the ADM development and presented charge to the working groups. Olga's slides

During the course of the workshop, the participants worked in small working groups representing four major themes identified by the workshop organizers before the meeting. Those themes included:

1) Data Model itself (lead by Scott Shipley, GMU)

2) Atmospheric Symbology (lead by Jennifer Boehnert, NCAR)

3) Analysis Tools (lead by Joe Breman, ESRI)

4) Temporal Representation (lead by Olya Wilhelmi, NCAR)

The working groups were formed a few months before the workshop, so the participants could familiarize themselves with the subject of their working group and begin gathering information on a given topic. A web-based collaborative space (AtmosGIS SWIKI) was created for participants to communicate and share materials (documents, data, downloadable tools, and web links).

The working groups spent their time discussing progress to date, working on the subject at hand, identifying long term and short term goals and action items. Short summaries from each working group discussion are presented below. Detailed information about each working group’s progress and plans are posted in the SWIKI http://swiki.ucar.edu/atmosgis

Symbology working group:

Ken Waters, Ben Domenico, Sean Johnson, Jennifer Boehnert (lead)

The symbology working work spent of the workshop deciding on how to approach the large task of defining common displays of atmospheric and weather datasets. There are so many different variables and datasets and ways that organizations symbolize these data that we finally decided that the first step would be to develop a matrix for the atmospheric and weather data. We devised 8 categories: Raster, Streamline, Points, Contour Lines, Contour Fills, Vectors, Boundaries, and Trajectories. We will now collect an inventory of datasets and see where they fall in these categories. Along with the definition of dataset rendering, Ben Domenico will also look further into the OGC Layer Description Styles. We would like to see if there can be more commonality between the OCG style file and the ESRI Layer file. And finally, there was some discussion on the development of 3-D weather symbols. For example, how would we display the jet stream as a volumetric 3-D object in ArcScene. ESRI is working on 3-D objects and 3-D symbols in their future work.

Tools Working Group:

Steve Ansari, Chris Uejio, Pat Welsh, Partick Rouse, Billy McPherson, Brian Nelson, Joe Breman (lead)

The tools working group talked in detail about netCDF and multidimensional challenges and solutions for netCDF tools at 9.2, going beyond the wish list. We delved into the function and use of the tools, and circulated a "Tips and Tricks" document for how to make use of the animation of netCDF data in ArcGIS. We also spoke at some length about the 3D interpolation methods, and new ways to perform analysis and interpolation to include the multi Z and T dimensions, and other variables. We discussed the use of Atmospheric data in GIS, using spatial analysis and assessed new Atmospheric and Earth Science tools and ways to integrate them into a GIS.

Temporal working group:

Tiffany Vance, Brian Newton, Mike Squires, Ed Armhein, Olga Wilhelmi (lead)

Temporal working group reviewed representation of time in relevant data models, such as ArcHydro and Marine data models. Participants discussed how these examples can be used in development of temporal representation in the atmospheric data model. The group identified different temporal scales and temporal characteristics of weather and climate data that should be included into the data model. The list of those characteristics along with long term, short term goals and action items for the group is posted on the SWIKI page of the temporal working group. All agreed that once critical elements of temporal representation are identified, closer collaboration with other working groups will be beneficial in the overall development of the ADM, tools and symbology.

Atmospheric Data Model (ADM) working group

Nazila Merati, Stephanie Granger, Bonnie Reed, Scott Shipley (lead)

The group identified three categories of ADM data objects: GIS Ready, GIS not-so-friendly, and GIS Alien, and provided examples of each. The discussion on GIS not-so-friendly data lead to conversion tools which transform non-GIS formats into one or more GIS Ready formats. In addition to Data Object Classes and Conversion Tools, the group developed a draft data model for 2-dimensional grid (aka “raster”) objects. This draft data model follows the work of Rob Raskin (JPL) and can be found on slide 7 of the ADMWG readout notes which were uploaded to the SWIKI ADMWG page. The SWIKI Data Model pages are being updated to include a survey of existing GIS friendly data sources, GIS Data Conversion Tools (for those data which are not so GIS friendly), and a reference library. The ADMWG has pledged an article on the ADM for the next issue of the ESRI Atmospheric User Group’s newsletter, Atmospheric Front, which will be due to Lori Armstrong by 1 May 2006. ADM development will be an iterative process, starting with the current conceptual data model and case studies. ESRI will provide CASE tools and assistance in formalizing the ADM, and the geographic topology of each data object will be described.

The workshop concluded with the general discussion lead by Joe Bream. Joe synthesized information presented by each working group and emphasized many linkages between the working groups. It was discussed that the data model is not only a structure for describing atmospheric data, but also a means for people to use the data (case studies, tools, temporal analysis). Joe mentioned the complexity of the atmospheric data and challenge for the working group to simplify its representation in the data model.

Meeting concluded with the goal that participants will continue using SWIKI pages as a collaborative space. Working group leads will be communicating through teleconferences quarterly. There will be an opportunity for an update and collaboration between working groups at the ESRI User Conference in San Diego in August, 2006. Next ADM workshop will be in San Antonio, TX in January, 2007.

Lori Armstrong invited workshop participants to contribute to the Atmospheric Front, Atmospheric Special Group newsletter. Submissions are due on May 1, 2006.