ESIP Update: ESIP & EarthCube moving forward, ESIP Meetings Director Opening, Ignite@AGU 2019,  and more

We are excited to announce that ESIP is part of a team led by the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UC-San Diego selected to host the EarthCube office for it's final three years. I have a full post and press release here about our specific contributions to this project. The short summary on ESIP impact is that this award codified our past collaborations with EarthCube including:

• Supporting the Council for Data Facilities that have been colocated with ESIP meetings since inception, and it will enable ESIP to continue supporting EarthCube partnerships through clusters and side meetings as it makes sense.
• Supporting and extending the Data Fair activities at society meetings including AGU, GSA and others
• Leveraging ESIP as a nexus and extend EarthCube outreach to other technical communities 

I am grateful to the leadership of current and past EarthCube offices and NSF program managers for their support and care of the EarthCube community. Looking forward, I am very excited about the potential to engage more NSF-funded domain science researchers and the richness this collaboration will provide to the ESIP community. 

NOAA EDM Workshop: This week, Megan Carter and I will be supporting NOAA's Environmental Data Management Conference in Seattle, WA. It will have remote participation and all details can be found on their Sched site.  

Finally, as Megan mentioned last week, we are looking for a Meeting Director to join the ESIP Staff. If you or someone you know would be a great addition to our team, please have them apply! Details are below. 

If you have content for future Monday Updates, please share with Megan (megancarter@esipfed.org). Any other questions/comments/concerns? Please reply to this note.

Best, 
Erin 
 

Job Opportunity: ESIP Meetings Director
ESIP is seeking applicants to join our core team in the position of ESIP Meetings Director. The ESIP Meetings Director will support the organization of at least two national ESIP meetings per year. as well as several smaller convenings. The Meetings Director is expected to be passionate about the Earth science informatics community, self-motivated, and able to operate independently and effectively in a work environment based largely on the use of communications technology, rather than daily face-to-face interactions. Learn more about responsibilities and duties, qualifications, and how to apply here. Applications will be reviewed immediately, with those received by 8/30 receiving first consideration. The position will remain open until filled. Please share with your colleagues!

Submit a Talk Idea for Ignite@AGU Fall Meeting 2019
The popular science storytelling event, Ignite@AGU, is returning to the 2019 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA. Sponsored by NASA’s Applied Sciences Program and held in partnership with the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) and AGU’s Earth Science and Space Informatics Section (ESSI), the event enables scientists to showcase their professional and personal interests through fast-moving, creative presentations. Be bold – it’s the best stage all week! Learn more about the event and how to submit a talk idea here. Questions? Email lab@esipfed.org.

When: Wednesday, December 11th from 6-8:30pm
Format: 5 minute talk with 20 auto-advancing slides
Submission Deadline: October 18th
Announcement of Selected Talks: November 1st

Please Share: Call for ESIP Community Fellow Applications
ESIP Community Fellows are graduate students and post-docs (<2 yrs since graduation) interested in bridging the gap between informatics and Earth Science. This fellowship provides fellows with a chance to work closely with professionals in an interdisciplinary, cross-sector group (ESIP collaboration area) on current Earth Science problems. Community fellows become engaged in ESIP collaboration areas as rapporteurs, documenting group activities on monthly telecons and at ESIP’s semi-annual meetings. As fellows become more familiar with collaboration-area activities, they may choose to integrate their own research, which can result in publication and additional funding opportunities. Fellows receive a stipend of $2000 and paid travel to the 2020 ESIP Winter (Jan. 7th-9th in Bethesda, MD) and Summer (July 2020, TBD) Meetings. Fellows must be able to attend both meetings to participate in the fellowship. You can learn about the 2019 Class of Community Fellows here. Learn more about the opportunity and apply by 10/7 here.

News from Around the Community

Implementing FAIR Data for People and Machines: Impacts and Implications
This special one day workshop, to be held Sept. 9th in Washington D.C., for data and information professionals, information technologists, and disciplinary scientists interested in effective data sharing is focused on the wave of activities related to making data “FAIR” (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). We will focus on the implementations and ultimate impacts and implications, especially as data is made FAIR for people and machines. The Workshop will provide a venue for attendees to collaborate with their peers and hear from leading experts. View the full agenda and register here by 9/6. This event is co-sponsored by CENDI, NFAIS, RDA, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Upcoming Webinar: Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS): Future Data Access & Analysis Architecture Initiative
The CEOS Future Data Access and Analysis Architecture (FDA) initiative has resulted in a range of
new approaches for EO data access and analysis being deployed globally by CEOS Agencies. Many of
the pilot activities are now practical implementations with new standards for Analysis Ready Data,
advanced user-programmable Exploitation Platforms and vast amounts of data readily available on
Cloud platforms with open source analytics tools like the CEOS Open Data Cube. Many of these
components allow user algorithms to be brought to the data, rather than having to download and run
locally thus opening new opportunities for researchers, industry and government use. The FDA
ecosystem is still evolving and a challenge to navigate and the CEOS Working Groups are
collaborating closely to make is simpler to not only discover EO data but to also exploit it using the
various elements of FDA. This webinar will cover:

• Short history and elements of FDA, elements of FDA
• Discovery, Access, Analytics: Cloud, Data hubs/Exploitation platforms, Service providers (DIAS,AWS), DataCubes (ODC, ESA Cubes, Pangeo)
• Interoperability & Use: ARD and Computer Ready data formats (Zarr, netcdf Cloud, etc)
• Communication and collaboration: CEOS WG/VC, ARD Strategy, WGISS, OGC
• CEOS plans for next steps

Webinar: CEOS Future Data Access & Analysis Architecture Initiative
Speakers: Rob Woodcock (CSIRO) & Chris Lynnes (NASA)
When: Sept. 4th 11:30a – 1:00p AEST/Sept. 3rd 6:30p – 8:00p PDT / 9:30p – 11:00p EDT 
Join: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7371713492777714178

NASA ESDSWG on Search Relevancy and User Characterization Publishes Technical Note
The NASA Earth Science Data System Working Groups (ESDSWG) on Search Relevancy and User Characterization recently published their final report (a Technical Note) on “Search Relevance Recommendations for Earth Science Data.” This report was the culmination of four years of work and leadership by the ESDSWG members, and provides significant and substantial contributions to improving the discovery, search and access of earth science data products served via NASA science data systems. It has wider applications to any search or discovery service for earth science data.

The report underwent an extensive review process under the auspices of the NASA ESDIS Standards Office (ESO) and can be found here: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/files/ESDS-RFC-037v1.0.pdf.

Research!America Announces Call For Proposals for Science Student Groups Civic Engagement Projects
Research!America is announcing a request for proposals from graduate student- and postdoc-led science policy groups for the alliance’s civic engagement initiative. Started in 2018, the Civic Engagement Microgrant Program supports activities developed by students to connect directly with public officials and community leaders regarding the importance of scientific discovery and research. Research!America, supported in part by a grant from the Rita Allen Foundation, is funding graduate student groups’ nonpartisan activities of their design focusing on civic engagement and elevating the importance of scientific research, innovation and public health. These programs encourage dialogue between young scientists and local leaders about the roles science and research play in issues important to their communities. Groups are also encouraged to expand their efforts through partnerships with social science and communications students as part of the new Science Meets Science Microgrant Program. Learn more and apply by 9/20 here.

LTER Network Call for Working Group Proposals
The data produced at LTER sites are an extraordinary scientific resource that can inform a wide variety of questions. Among-site comparisons interrogate the generality of effects observed at particular sites. Modeling efforts employ long term observations and experiments to formulate and test rigorous descriptions of theory. Scaling exercises get at the continental or even global impacts of documented effects. LTER synthsesis working groups organized through the LTER Network Office (LNO) are intended to support collaboration on these and many other types of questions. In the 2019 competition, the LNO expects to award 2-4 synthesis working groups at a funding level of up to $55,000 per year for up to two years. Proposals must use LTER data, involve LTER people, and involve multiple sites. Proposals may address LTER core themes and be led by non-LTER researchers. Learn more, find out about upcoming informational webinars (8/22 and 9/17), and submit your full proposal by 10/23 here.

AGU Data Visualization and Storytelling Competition
Powerful visuals can often evoke excitement and emotion, driving a deeper level of engagement with the audience and the data and subject matter being presented. The AGU Data Visualization and Storytelling Competition is a contest that encourages creativity and data sharing in a new way. It is open to undergraduate students and graduate students who are legal U.S. residents. Competition winners will receive travel grants funded by AGU, complimentary registration to the AGU Fall Meeting, and the opportunity to present their visually-based story on the NASA Hyperwall. This AGU competition is funded by a generous grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Learn more and apply by 9/4 here.