Community Conference Call - September 14, 2011

This is an open meeting; all are welcome.
Time:  11:00a to 12:25p ET
Reston attendees:  2A-405 (Laptop must be furnished)
Denver attendees:  Bldg 810, Rm 9202 (CSI Conference Room)
Audio:  703-648-4848; enter 47919# (Toll Free for non-DOI phones:  1-855-547-8255; enter 47919#)
WebEX:  https://usgs.webex.com/usgs/j.php?ED=9156653&UID=0

Agenda (Eastern Time)

• 11:00a  Welcome - Kevin Gallagher and Linda Gundersen
  • CDI Workshop Wrap-up and Feedback Dialog - Kevin, Linda, All
  • CDI Monthly Scientist Challenge - Kevin and Linda
  • Proposal Funding Process - Kevin, Linda, Cheryl Morris
• 12:00p  Working Group Activities
  • Citizen Science (10 min) - Megan Hines and Barbara Poore
  • Earth-Science Themes (formerly "Data Themes") (5 min) - Roland Viger
  • Semantic Web (5 min) - Janice Gordon
  • Tech Stack (5 min) - Roland Viger
• 12:25p  Adjourn

Notes

Attendees

Abby Benson, Bob Matthias, Brian Reece, Cassandra Ladino, Cheryl Morris, Dave Govoni, Dave Greenlee, Elizabeth Martin, Elizabeth Sellers, Emily Fort, Farial Shahnaz, Fran Lightsom, Jen Martin, Jennifer Carlino, Kevin Gallagher, Mark Wimer, Megan Hines, Mike Mulligan, Phil Redman, Ray Obuch, Rick Brown, Roland Viger, Scott McEwen, Si Peterson, Terry D’Erchia, Tim Kern, Tim Mancuso, and Tom Shoberg.

Recording

WebEx Recording

CDI Workshop Retrospect

Kevin Gallagher described top activities at HQ this week:

• Reviewing SSPT documents; comments are due this Friday.
• Briefing OMB on FY 2013 budget.

Kevin shared a result from the CDI Workshop, that steps are being taken to have CDI join the Earth Science Information Partnership (ESIP).

Kevin’s CDI-Sponsored Training/Demo and CDI Workshop highlights include:

• Training Day was fabulous, showing CDI products
• Workshop built on Training Day momentum.  Great esprit de corps!
• Data Blast was a great example of value of CDI.

Cheryl Morris added that the effort, enthusiasm, and accomplishments were outstanding.

Kevin and Linda plans to brief the Science ADs on CDI accomplishments and demonstrated value.

Liz Sellers emphasized the importance of meeting together.

CDI Monthly Scientist Challenge

Kevin posed the question, “How do we get more scientists involved?”  His recommendation is to invite a scientist to our monthly CDI meeting to give the CDI a challenge.  CDI can then organize to address that challenge.  Example:  Jerad Bales has expressed a need to “house” ecosystem data collected.  Discussion:

• Target a Science Center scientist with a specific need.
• Ask RExs for suggestions of Centers needing help, perhaps through the Science Data Coordinator Network (Ref Word and Ppt attachments for more info), which is REx-based.
• “Powell Center” without walls:  Invite scientists leading integrated science projects to submit their requests for help.
• Data Rescue proposals are a source of pilot projects.
• Water Smart is a national science-driven project with heavy-duty data management needs. Several different components of this project are focusing on the same watershed in the southeast US, but do not appear to be doing so in a coordinated fashion (as far as data management). In addition to staff from Water technical offices (OSW, etc), there are a number of WSC-based staff involved. Further, this basin is a focus point for the NRP National Hydrologic Model Project, EPA WATERS, and SPARROW. These projects are attempting to agree on a common geospatial fabric through which simulation modeling results can be shared and compared. A CDI/CSS team could be embedded with this project to help learn and to deliver best practices and technology solutions to these efforts. This would put data management folks in direct content with a large number of scientists.
• Perhaps we could seek to address the data management intersection of multiple projects.
• Provide training, consultation, and direct project support to scientists.

CDI Proposal Funding Process

Kevin asked the CDI to address two actions:

• Proposal authors:  Ensure that proposed outcomes are clearly expressed in terms of realistic deliverables
• Working/Focus Group Leads:  Define a ranking process, and then rank proposals, with feedback from CDI.  Rank by end of October.
• Kevin, Linda, and Cheryl:  Review the proposal ranking criteria.  And, notify CDI of any deadlines for providing a finished list of ranked proposals, if earlier than November.

Kevin described the funding process possibilities:

• Past funding models:
  • In FY 2010, the ELT provided $500,000 of Bureau Cost Share funds as seed funding for FY 2010 Data Integration Development Projects
  • In FY 2011, budgeting pressures dried up the Bureau Cost Share funds; therefore, the CSS Mission Area provided $230,000 to fund FY 2011 CDI projects
• Options for FY 2012 funding requests:
  • Request funding from the ELT.  However, this source of funding is becoming very limited.
  • Request funding for specific proposals from relevant Mission Areas and Geographic Areas, as a match to CSS Mission Area funds.
  • Allocate discretionary funding from the CSS Mission Area and Office of Science Quality and Integrity.

Feedback

• Ask Mission Areas and Geographic Areas to come to CDI for data management needs.
• Use the Science Data Coordinator Network to assist CDI in keeping up on available data sets and science projects.

Citizen Science Working Group

Megan Hines provided a nice summary of this newly formed Group.  Dave Govoni added other thoughts.

Data Themes Working Group

Roland Viger shared about this forming Group.

Tech Stack Working Group

Roland provided a summary of the many activities of this Group.