Is single-window data search a myth or can it be made real? Developing federated search for polar oceanographic and terrestrial data

• Main Authors: de Bruin, T, Proctor, R, Smirnov, A, Van de Putte, A, Manley, W, Billingsley, B, Johansson, H, Tacoma, M, Pulsifer, P, Tronstad, S, Vandenberghe, T, Bricher, P
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale 2018
• Subjects: Earth Sciences; Oceanography; Physical Oceanography; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://imdis.seadatanet.org/content/download/121493/file/IMDIS2018_Proceedings.pdf; http://ecite.utas.edu.au/129270

Single-window metadata search across multiple data repositories has been a constant desire ofscience communities in high latitudes environments. Near the poles, observations are sparse andlogistical challenges severe. These factors make existing observation data particularly valuableto researchers. However, due to the international and interdisciplinary nature of these sciencecommunities, the data are fragmented across a bewildering array of data centres and catalogues.For example, the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) has identified at least 50 cataloguesthat hold data of interest to the Southern Ocean science community. Federated search is a promisingset of technologies that may allow scientists to achieve their dream of single-window search. SOOS, the Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCADM) and the ArcticData Committee (ADC) have formed POLDER, a working group to develop federated search forpolar regions. POLDER is investigating and working with the available tools and initiatives inthis field to ensure that the polar data communities are working together with our colleagues inthe rest of the world to avoid reinventing any wheels. In this presentation, we introduce POLDER and report on its progress to solving the technicaland human challenges that have so far prevented the scientific community of meeting its goal offinding all the relevant data in a single-window search. We invite the marine data community towork with us to solve this common problem.