Big data has always been a major challenge in geoinformatics as geospatial data come in various types and formats, new geospatial data are acquired very fast, and geospatial databases are inherently very large. And while there have been advances in hardware and software for handling big data, they often fall short of handling geospatial big data ef
Data-intensive science has the potential to transform scientific research and quickly translate scientific progress into complete solutions, policies, and economic success. But this collaborative science is still lacking the effective access and exchange of knowledge among scientists, researchers, and policy makers across a range of disciplines. Bringing together leaders from multiple scientific disciplines, Data-Intensive Science shows how a comprehensive integration of various techniques and technological advances can effectively harness the vast amount of data being generated and significantly accelerate scientific progress to address some of the world's most challenging problems. In the book, a diverse cross-section of application, computer, and data scientists explores the impact of data-intensive science on current research and describes emerging technologies that will enable future scientific breakthroughs. The book identifies best practices used to tackle challenges facing data-intensive science as well as gaps in these approaches. It also focuses on the integration of data-intensive science into standard research practice, explaining how components in the data-intensive science environment need to work together to provide the necessary infrastructure for community-scale scientific collaborations. Organizing the material based on a high-level, data-intensive science workflow, this book provides an understanding of the scientific problems that would benefit from collaborative research, the current capabilities of data-intensive science, and the solutions to enable the next round of scientific advancements.
Principal-investigator (PI) Earth science missions are small, focused science projects involving relatively small spacecraft. The selected PI is responsible for the scientific and programmatic success of the entire project. A particular objective of PI-led missions has been to help develop university-based research capacity. Such missions, however, pose significant challenges that are beyond the capabilities of most universities to manage. To help NASA's Office of Earth Science determine how best to address these, the NRC carried out an assessment of key issues relevant to the success of university-based PI-led Earth observation missions. This report presents the result of that study. In particular, the report provides an analysis of opportunities to enhance such missions and recommendations about whether and, if so, how they should be used to build university-based research capabilities.
The Earth system functions and connects in unexpected ways - from the microscopic interactions of bacteria and rocks to the macro-scale processes that build and erode mountains and regulate Earth's climate. Efforts to study Earth's intertwined processes are made even more pertinent and urgent by the need to understand how the Earth can continue to sustain both civilization and the planet's biodiversity. A Vision for NSF Earth Sciences 2020-2030: Earth in Time provides recommendations to help the National Science Foundation plan and support the next decade of Earth science research, focusing on research priorities, infrastructure and facilities, and partnerships. This report presents a compelling and vibrant vision of the future of Earth science research.
Data Intensive Computing refers to capturing, managing, analyzing, and understanding data at volumes and rates that push the frontiers of current technologies. The challenge of data intensive computing is to provide the hardware architectures and related software systems and techniques which are capable of transforming ultra-large data into valuable knowledge. Handbook of Data Intensive Computing is written by leading international experts in the field. Experts from academia, research laboratories and private industry address both theory and application. Data intensive computing demands a fundamentally different set of principles than mainstream computing. Data-intensive applications typically are well suited for large-scale parallelism over the data and also require an extremely high degree of fault-tolerance, reliability, and availability. Real-world examples are provided throughout the book. Handbook of Data Intensive Computing is designed as a reference for practitioners and researchers, including programmers, computer and system infrastructure designers, and developers. This book can also be beneficial for business managers, entrepreneurs, and investors.
Senior managers and Heads of Geological Survey Organizations (GSOs) from around the world have contributed a collection of papers to provide a benchmark on how GSOs are responding to national and international needs in a rapidly changing world. GSOs continue to provide key scientific information about Earth systems, natural hazards and climate change. As countries adopt sustainable development principles and the public increasingly turns to social media to find information about resource and environmental issues, the generation and communication of Earth science knowledge become increasingly important. This volume provides a snapshot of how GSOs are adapting their activities to this changing world. The different national perspectives presented converge around several common themes related to resources, environment and big data. Climate change and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals provide an increased incentive for GSOs of the world to work in harmony, to generate knowledge of Earth systems and to provide solutions for sustainable management of the planet.
Focusing on geoscience, this book applies a uniquely cross-disciplinary perspective to its examination of the relationship between scientific research and teaching at universities. Contributions show how the use of technology and innovative pedagogical design allows students at different stages of their university studies to develop skills and experience in geoscience research. The book offers wide-ranging insight from academics in geoscience, science education and higher education policy and pedagogy, as well as from students and industry experts. The opening section sets the context, with a chapter on teaching and research in the contemporary university by a world-leading academic in higher education, and an essay by the editor on the case of moving from research-implicit to research-enhanced teaching. Part Two addresses the research-teaching nexus in geoscience, offering chapters entitled The Challenge of Combining Research and Teaching: A Young Geoscientist’s Perspective; Teaching on the High Seas: How Field Research Enhances Teaching at All Levels; Curricula and Departmental Strategies to Link Teaching and Geoscience Research; and Geoscience Internships in the Oil and Gas Industry, among others. In Part Three, the use of technology is discussed in chapters such as Using Interactive Virtual Field Guides and Linked Data in Geoscience Teaching and Learning; and Towards Technology- and Research-enhanced Education (TREE): Electronic Feedback as a Teaching Tool in Geoscience. The Program Design section includes chapters on Introducing University Students to Authentic, Hands-on Undergraduate Geoscience Research, and the opportunity to link research and teaching in students’ final projects and more. Geoscience Research and Education: Teaching at Universities is a useful resource for understanding the research-teaching nexus and how it has been implemented in different types of universities and in different countries. Science academics seeking to integrate research into teaching will find the book highly relevant to their work. The emphasis on using technology as a means to link research and teaching will be of great interest and practical benefit to learning technologists, science educators and university policymakers. Together with the companion volume Geoscience Research and Outreach: Schools and Public Engagement, this book showcases the key role that geoscience research plays in a wide spectrum of educational settings.
Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research examines current interdisciplinary research efforts and recommends ways to stimulate and support such research. Advances in science and engineering increasingly require the collaboration of scholars from various fields. This shift is driven by the need to address complex problems that cut across traditional disciplines, and the capacity of new technologies to both transform existing disciplines and generate new ones. At the same time, however, interdisciplinary research can be impeded by policies on hiring, promotion, tenure, proposal review, and resource allocation that favor traditional disciplines. This report identifies steps that researchers, teachers, students, institutions, funding organizations, and disciplinary societies can take to more effectively conduct, facilitate, and evaluate interdisciplinary research programs and projects. Throughout the report key concepts are illustrated with case studies and results of the committee's surveys of individual researchers and university provosts.
This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.Earth science is a broad field of study that encompasses many different disciplines, including meteorology, climatology, and geology. The importance of the earth sciences-in predicting weather and climate, tracking pollution, drilling for petroleum, evaluating soil, and monitoring ground water-is
In geospatial analysis, navigating the complexities of data interpretation and analysis presents a formidable challenge. Traditional methods often need to efficiently handle vast volumes of geospatial data while providing insightful and actionable results. Scholars and practitioners grapple with manual or rule-based approaches, hindering progress in understanding and addressing pressing issues such as climate change, urbanization, and resource management. Ethics, Machine Learning, and Python in Geospatial Analysis offers a solution to the challenges faced by leveraging the extensive library support and user-friendly interface of Python and machine learning. The book’s meticulously crafted chapters guide readers through the intricacies of Python programming and its application in geospatial analysis, from fundamental concepts to advanced techniques.