ESIP Update: Hello from ESIP President, Summer Meeting Call for Sessions & Registration NOW OPEN, & more

Ag & Climate Cluster Webinar: Knowledge Graphs for Environmental Risk Management: Technical Overview of Neo4j Technologies for Semantics / AI / ML (4/6 at 3 pm ET)
Join the next ESIP Ag & Climate Cluster Webinar to be given by several individuals from Neo4j, Inc. Abstract: Humans interact with the environment constantly, but there are many environmental risks, such as climate change and natural disasters, air pollution and chemical safety, that affect the quality of life, years of healthy life lived, and health disparities. Environmental risks come at a very high cost. For example, a new study on the comprehensive cost of wildfires estimates that the 2018 California wildfires cost the state around $150B and thousands of deaths. Environmental risks are difficult to monitor and manage because there are many such risks, especially those related to climate change, water, energy use, waste and biodiversity. These risks are often interconnected (i.e., compound or cascading). Graph databases are increasingly being used to analyze and act on connections, whether for risk management and compliance, master data management, real-time recommendations or analytics and machine learning. This presentation will cover the following:

• Introduction to Neo4j and knowledge graphs
• How Neo4j’s underlying data model (the property graph model) relates to other graph models, including RDF
• Practical demonstration of building a knowledge graph using NLP and SWEET ontology in Neo4j

Attendees may elect to receive a printed copy of the O’Reilly book, Graph Algorithms: Practical Examples in Apache Spark & Neo4j. Find connection info on the ESIP Telecon Calendar.

IT&I Webinar: Developing A New Geologic Map Database and 3D Geologic Model of The Great Basin and Rocky Mountains (4/8 at 3 pm ET)
Joe Colgan, Paco Van Sistine, and Kenzie Turner (USGS Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC)). Abstract: The Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West project was launched with the goal of producing a new digital geologic map database and 3D geologic model of a transect from the Rio Grande rift to the Basin and Range, based on a synthesis of existing geologic maps with new targeted new mapping, subsurface data, and other data sets. This effort integrates disparate map data, resolves inconsistent stratigraphic assignments, and provides an integrated regional geologic map database to further the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program’s strategic goal of mapping the Nation. The activity has implemented  new techniques for digital compilation and new procedures for reviewing and publishing large digital geologic data sets. Find connection info on the ESIP Telecon Calendar.

ESIP Summer Meeting: Call for Sessions & Registration Now OPEN
The session proposal portal and registration are now open for the 2021 ESIP Summer Meeting (July 19th-23rd, 2021 ONLINE). We especially welcome session proposals related to ESIP's 2021 theme: Leading Innovation in Earth Science Data Frontiers. ESIP has been investing in learning new methods of engaging participants during our virtual meetings and we will again support session organizers with session design workshops and consultations. Learn more about the process and timeline and submit a proposal by the deadline of 4/16 here.

Volunteer as a Data or Software Expert for the Data Help Desk at vEGU21 (4/19-4/23)
Volunteer as a Data or Software Expert for the upcoming Virtual Data Help Desk to be held during the first week of the 2021 European Geosciences Union General Assembly (#vEGU21: Gather Online; 19-23 April 2021). The Data Help Desk at EGU, which is a program of ESIP, EGU, and AGU, connects researchers with informatics experts familiar with their scientific domain to learn about skills and techniques that will help further their research and make their data and software more open and FAIR. You can volunteer to take part in one or more of the following ways:

• Answer earth science data (and software) questions (monitor platform and answer where you can);
• Share a recorded demo (share a brief recorded demo of a tool or resource, ideally <5 min);
• Share a one-pager about your tool or resource.

To volunteer, please complete this brief form as soon as possible by 5 April 2021. Note: you do not have to be attending the EGU General Assembly to take part in the Data Help Desk.

Call for Charles S. Falkenberg Nominations (due 4/15)
The Charles S. Falkenberg Award is an annual award sponsored by AGU and ESIP to recognize an early to mid-career scientist who has contributed to the quality of life, economic opportunities and stewardship of the planet through the use of Earth science information and to the public awareness of the importance of understanding our planet. Learn more about the award, past recipients, and the nomination process here.

More News

EarthCube Annual Meeting: Call for Notebooks, Posters, Working Sessions & Student Opportunity
EarthCube welcomes those interested in the intersection between cyberinfrastructure and geosciences to join the 2021 EarthCube Annual Meeting (6/15-6/17, ONLINE), which will have the theme of Net(working) for the Future. The call for notebooks, posters and working sessions is open through 4/15. New this Year: Ten to fifteen awards of up to $2,000 for students that target the development of  Python 3 notebooks that follow an EarthCube TAC template and leverage EarthCube projects (e.g., for research projects, for educational activities, and more broadly to illustrate tool capabilities will be available to students). Applications due 4/1. Please see here to learn more.

New from the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) managed by CIESIN

• Geocoded Disasters (GDIS) Data Set, with nearly 40,000 locations for almost 10,000 disasters worldwide, 1960–2018.
• Global Subnational Infant Mortality Rates (IMR), Version 2.01, containing 2015 estimates of births and infant deaths for 234 countries and territories, including 143 with subnational units.
• Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) Literature Database, encompassing 1,360 scientific articles published 2014–2019 that utilize SSPs.
• Georeferenced U.S. County-Level Population Projections, Total and by Sex, Race and Age, Based on the SSPs, 2020–2100.

Job Opportunities Channel in the ESIP Slack Workspace
In case you haven't noticed, there is a lively channel in the ESIP Slack where community members can post and view current job opportunities, like the one posted below. Please feel free to peruse and add openings you are aware of. To find the channel, join the ESIP Slack workspace and then join the #job-opportunities channel.