Proposal Summary: Information Technology Research NSF 00-126 ITR/AP-IM(GEO)

Information Technology Research on Collaboration in Virtual Workgroups

Monitoring and Analysis of Large-Scale Aerosol Events:

Rudolf B. Husar, PI

Project Period: 2001-2004

Fast developments in the Internet infrastructure and web-based services provide unique opportunities to substantially enhance the productivity of the atmospheric scientific community both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Goals of the Project

1. Enhance the web-technologies that support virtual workgroups.
2. Develop a new tool for the integration and browsing atmospheric data.
3. Apply these to support virtual workgroups on global-scale aerosol events.

Functionally, the proposed web IT system is to support the workgroup activities:

1. Communication. Enhanced workgroup interaction through the web
2. Cooperation. Sharing of web resources (data, tools, methods)
3. Coordination. The workgroup acting together and building things together.

The backbone of the proposed automated VWG website is an XML-based cataloging system that maintains a well-structured virtual workspace which links workgroup discussion with submitted content items. Distributed data access, exploration and presentation is by new data integration and browsing tools which allows the superposition spatial and temporal data residing anywhere on the web. The ITR is incorporated into the active websites at CAPITA that support ad hoc virtual workgroups on atmospheric aerosol events.

Full Proposal Text