Enhancing Research Projects with Environmental Informatics and Web Technologies Stefan Falke and Erin Robinson EECE April 24, 2008

Static versus Dynamic Research Projects Email only Powerpoint slides Pdf reports Sharing/publication only of final results Email + shared web workspaces Screencasts, WebEx Multi-author content creation Sharing/publication of workflow (data to information) Static Dynamic

Email only

Powerpoint slides

Pdf reports

Sharing/publication only of final results

Email + shared web workspaces

Screencasts, WebEx

Multi-author content creation

Sharing/publication of workflow (data to information)

What does the Web bring to Research? Sharing and communication of research from initial to interim to final results Connections to related research and researchers Easier ways to document, augment and archive the research project Richer research team interactions

Sharing and communication of research from initial to interim to final results

Connections to related research and researchers

Easier ways to document, augment and archive the research project

Richer research team interactions

Environmental Informatics The science, engineering and practice of the creation, exchange and use of data, information and knowledge relevant to environmental researchers, managers and the interested public. Cross-disciplinary across computer, information, environmental, geographical, and social sciences. Wisdom Knowledge Evidence Information Data Adapted from Bolstad, 2005

The science, engineering and practice of the creation, exchange and use of data, information and knowledge relevant to environmental researchers, managers and the interested public. Cross-disciplinary across computer, information, environmental, geographical, and social sciences.

Web 2.0 Term coined by O’Reilly in 2003 to describe the rise of: user-generated content; folksonomy; on-line collaboration between users; Web 2.0 tools emphasize: Blogging Tagging Commenting Modifying Augmenting The Participatory Web – it is easy to publish your own content User interaction with web has expanded from one-way information download to include user-driven information content – “Web 2.0” Within the science and engineering domains, this next phase of the web is referred to as cyberinfrastructure , e-science , and service oriented science . new capabilities for sharing information, conducting research in a distributed environment, and achieving new insights that would have taken longer, or not occurred at all, in independent organizations.

Term coined by O’Reilly in 2003 to describe the rise of:

user-generated content;

folksonomy;

on-line collaboration between users;

Web 2.0 tools emphasize:

Blogging

Tagging

Commenting

Modifying

Augmenting

The Participatory Web – it is easy to publish your own content

User interaction with web has expanded from one-way information download to include user-driven information content – “Web 2.0”

Within the science and engineering domains, this next phase of the web is referred to as cyberinfrastructure , e-science , and service oriented science .

new capabilities for sharing information, conducting research in a distributed environment, and achieving new insights that would have taken longer, or not occurred at all, in independent organizations.

Data Sources Observations & Models Surface Satellite Forecasts News Blogs (Technorati) What you collect and generate

Observations & Models

Surface

Satellite

Forecasts

News

Blogs (Technorati)

What you collect and generate

RSS Feeds Really Simple Syndication Share content between websites when new information is available Need RSS Feeds to subscribe to More Information

Really Simple Syndication

Share content between websites when new information is available

Need RSS Feeds to subscribe to

More Information

Del.icio.us Social bookmarking tools Storing bookmarks on-line, publicly, with a folksonomy categorization Can tag the bookmarks for others Collectively collect of sites/resources/online texts using particular set of tags ( S. Cal Example ) Has an RSS feed for all pages More information

Social bookmarking tools

Storing bookmarks on-line, publicly, with a folksonomy categorization

Can tag the bookmarks for others

Collectively collect of sites/resources/online texts using particular set of tags ( S. Cal Example )

Has an RSS feed for all pages

More information

Online Photo Sharing – Flickr Online photo management and sharing tool Allows tagging, commenting and organizing photos ( S. Cal Ex. ) Has an RSS feed More Information

Online photo management and sharing tool

Allows tagging, commenting and organizing photos ( S. Cal Ex. )

Has an RSS feed

More Information

Blogs A website that can be individually edited Gives everyone space to share “news” – blog posts Readers can comment Blogs can be linked and cross-referenced (backlinking) Has both RSS feed from the blog and can embed other feeds inside the blog ( Example ) Can search blogs through Tech.no.rati or Google Blog Search More Information

A website that can be individually edited

Gives everyone space to share “news” – blog posts

Readers can comment

Blogs can be linked and cross-referenced (backlinking)

Has both RSS feed from the blog and can embed other feeds inside the blog ( Example )

Can search blogs through Tech.no.rati or Google Blog Search

More Information

Screencasts and YouTube Screencasts are simple demonstrations used to show instead of tell Video blogging Screen capture Presentations YouTube allows you to publish your screencast, the same way flickr allows you to publish photos Videos can be tagged, commented on, and shared More Information: Screencasts | YouTube

Screencasts are simple demonstrations used to show instead of tell

Video blogging

Screen capture

Presentations

YouTube allows you to publish your screencast, the same way flickr allows you to publish photos

Videos can be tagged, commented on, and shared

More Information: Screencasts | YouTube

Skype and WebEx Skype is a Voice over IP service (Internet Phone) Skype-to-Skype is Free and Skype-to-Phone has lower international rates WebEx is a way to share your desktop More Information: Skype | WebEx

Skype is a Voice over IP service (Internet Phone)

Skype-to-Skype is Free and Skype-to-Phone has lower international rates

WebEx is a way to share your desktop

More Information: Skype | WebEx

Wikis Wikis are collaborative web sites where anyone with the proper permission can create, edit and organize the pages. They are good for: Aggregating and archiving group knowledge Connecting people with similar interests Can act as an RSS Aggregator S. Cal Page More Information

Wikis are collaborative web sites where anyone with the proper permission can create, edit and organize the pages.

They are good for:

Aggregating and archiving group knowledge

Connecting people with similar interests

Can act as an RSS Aggregator

S. Cal Page

More Information

Google Sites http://sites.google.com Google sites is a cross between a Portal, Blog and wiki Using different kinds of pages it can be any of the above Easy editing All Google apps work in conjunction with the sites (Calendar, Docs…) More Information

Google sites is a cross between a Portal, Blog and wiki

Using different kinds of pages it can be any of the above

Easy editing

All Google apps work in conjunction with the sites (Calendar, Docs…)

More Information

Portals Can act as an RSS Aggregator More Information

Can act as an RSS Aggregator

More Information

Mashups Top Mashup APIs - All Web services approach uses standards-based interfaces for accessing and working with data. Next steps go beyond searching and visualizing data to include data processing and analysis services. More Information Mashups - applications constructed by combining services from disparate sources Top Mashup APIs – Last 14 Days

Web services approach uses standards-based interfaces for accessing and working with data. Next steps go beyond searching and visualizing data to include data processing and analysis services.

More Information

Weatherbonk.com

Southern California Wildfires

Mashing Mashups, the value chain

Southern California Smoke

How to get started Google sites? Explore the links provided in these slides Figure out how you want to communicate prior to China trip, during trip and after you return Find ‘coordinators/facilitators’ in your group who can set up the web technology and initiative group content creation and interaction This is far from an exact science. What you’ll be doing will help define how the web is most effectively used in environmental research. What you create will be reused in subsequent trips and research projects

Google sites?

Explore the links provided in these slides

Figure out how you want to communicate prior to China trip, during trip and after you return

Find ‘coordinators/facilitators’ in your group who can set up the web technology and initiative group content creation and interaction

This is far from an exact science. What you’ll be doing will help define how the web is most effectively used in environmental research.

What you create will be reused in subsequent trips and research projects