Earth Observation Open Science and Innovation

geospatial analytics; social observatory; big earth data; open data; citizen science; open innovation; earth system science; crowdsourced geospatial data; citizen science; science in society; data scienc

Utilising Amazon Web Services to provide an on demand urgent computing facility for climateprediction.net

Climateprediction.net has traditionally been an activity that requires a large amount of computing resources from its volunteer network, whilst allowing a time-frame of weeks to months for simulations to be returned for each project. However, there is an increasing trend of projects requiring results in shorter and shorter timescales. Under no project is this clearer than in the World Weather Attribution (WWA) initiative, where we are aiming to provide in near to real-time an answer to how anthropogenic climate change has altered the frequency of occurrence of a particular type of extreme weather event, either as it happens or as soon after as is practical. As such we need the ability to run simulations on alternate resources when volunteer resources will not provide results within the necessary timeframe. This paper describes a workflow to distribute ensembles of climateprediction.net simulations in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, to provide urgent compute capability for projects such as WWA. We propose a method of optimizing the use of cloud resources to minimize cost while maximising throughput. A case study is presented to provide a proof of concept of this methodology. As such, this is a clear example of beneficial utilisation of cloud resources to supplement those available through our volunteer community

Utilising Amazon Web Services to provide an on demand urgent computing facility for climateprediction.net

Climateprediction.net has traditionally been an activity that requires a large amount of computing resources from its volunteer network, whilst allowing a time-frame of weeks to months for simulations to be returned for each project. However, there is an increasing trend of projects requiring results in shorter and shorter timescales. Under no project is this clearer than in the World Weather Attribution (WWA) initiative, where we are aiming to provide in near to real-time an answer to how anthropogenic climate change has altered the frequency of occurrence of a particular type of extreme weather event, either as it happens or as soon after as is practical. As such we need the ability to run simulations on alternate resources when volunteer resources will not provide results within the necessary timeframe. This paper describes a workflow to distribute ensembles of climateprediction.net simulations in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, to provide urgent compute capability for projects such as WWA. We propose a method of optimizing the use of cloud resources to minimize cost while maximising throughput. A case study is presented to provide a proof of concept of this methodology. As such, this is a clear example of beneficial utilisation of cloud resources to supplement those available through our volunteer community

Advances in Grid Computing

This book approaches the grid computing with a perspective on the latest achievements in the field, providing an insight into the current research trends and advances, and presenting a large range of innovative research papers. The topics covered in this book include resource and data management, grid architectures and development, and grid-enabled applications. New ideas employing heuristic methods from swarm intelligence or genetic algorithm and quantum encryption are considered in order to explain two main aspects of grid computing: resource management and data management. The book addresses also some aspects of grid computing that regard architecture and development, and includes a diverse range of applications for grid computing, including possible human grid computing system, simulation of the fusion reaction, ubiquitous healthcare service provisioning and complex water systems

Democratising data science : effective use of data by communities for civic participation, advocacy and action

PhD ThesisWe live in an age of data, where it is being collected and archived in tremendous volumes and at great velocity. Smart cities are a good example of how we generate and use data with the aim of improving the lives of citizens. Cities adopting more technologies and embedding them in the physical fabric of the city will drastically change the way decisions are made in the city, in addition to the way citizens interact with the city. Research to date has predominantly focused on engineering agendas or has narrowly focused on citizens’ participation as passive producers of data in the smart city. This thesis takes a more holistic approach by focusing on both the engineering problem-solving agenda and community problem-solving activities. Taking a participatory research approach, the thesis explores such a context through three case studies that involve the design, development and analysis of two Community Informatics (CI) systems. In addition to producing two open-source CI technologies (SenseMyStreet and Data:In Place) for active citizen participation, this study posits a Citizen Advocacy Framework and Community-Data Interaction (CDI) model as novel theoretical framings that enable researchers to discuss and design for the effective use of data by communities. Furthermore, this thesis provides a practical example of the use of CDI for supporting communities to take local action. This improved understanding of the relationship between data and communities demonstrates a better direction for future research and the design of CI technologies as they work towards democratising data science and enabling the effective use of data by communities for active civic participation, advocacy and action

Anniversary Essays - Forty Years of Geography at Maynooth. Volume 1 & 2

The following collection of ‘Anniversar y Essays’ is an odd mix. But yet, looking through it, I find its oddness perfectly appropriate, because isn’t geography – the discipline and the subject matter – precisely that? Space is, as many of these essays explicit ly or implicitly highlight, a crazy mixture of thrown together objects, forces and ideas. And it’s this fact of geography that gives me heart when I flick through the following essays and think of them as representing what scholars and researchers and teachers in Maynooth’s Department of Geography have done over the last four decades. Sure, we’ve done more than what this collection captures, and there’s no doubt we’ll continue to do amazing things, but at this juncture, in our 40 th year, I believe this collection is a wonderful transect through the department’s development and a unique testimony to its intellectual vibrancy. All along the transect, we are exposed to the wide variety of research questions addressed by geographers in Maynooth; questions about colonialism, health, climate, memory, place, migration, water, religion, identity, inward investment, and technology, and much more besides. An odd mix, yes, but a productive one, too. We also get to see developments and changes in the de partment as a place. In the first few chapters, for example, we see signs of the department’s early life as a centre for the study of Ireland’s historical geography, as well as a burgeoning location for the study of climate, medical and economic geography. Then, as the collection progresses, we discern a whole set of new issues tackled, including urban and technological change, adaptation to climate change, identity, planni ng, embodiment, and the politics and economics of Ireland’s changing circumstances. I think it fair to say that the collectio n also offers a unique opportunity to examine the breadth and richness of our discipline. The essays reflect many of the various ways of thinking about and doing geography. We see, for instance, that geography is about physical and social processes, about climate and class, say; and that geography is about using a range of methods, from remote sensing to ethnography. We also see examples of how scholars in the department ha ve engaged theoretically with the discipline by drawing from and seeking to contribute to what we know about physical geography, climate change studies, feminist theory, Marxism, post-structuralism, and the world of policy-makers. From their base in Maynooth, geographers in the Department have helped to develop broader understanding of key issues in the discipline, often by making significant key contributions to geographical knowledge. Long may that continue. The collection lying before you truly is a unique heritage document, which demonstrates what scholarship in one Irish academic department can achieve over a forty-year span. In this sense it has value. But I believe the collection has wider resonance. For students of the history and philosophy of science in general, and geography in particular, the collection is a landmark contribution. There is plenty of scope to imagine how it might be used to learn about the Irish geography community and how it has grown and changed in the last forty years. I also hope the collection might be used by under- and post-graduate students as an entry point into learning to understand this odd discipline, but also this fantastic department. For example, it is striking how, just as the last five years or so have seen huge changes in the department, we also see in the latter chapters of the collection a wide range of new patterns take shape, such as the internationalization of the department’s research foci and publishing venues; the expression of engaged scholarship regarding contemporary issues in Ireland and beyond; new publishing strategies, including the use of blogs; and new strengths in established areas of the department’s research activities such as climate change. There have been important developments in academic geography in the last few years, not just in Ireland; this sort of coll ection should help piece together explanations for what has happened and why. In sum, then, the collection effectively captures geography’s odd mix and some of Maynooth’s role in its creation. It is at once a celebration of Geography in Maynooth and an opportunity to glimpse the department’s richness, its diversity, and breadth. I hope you agree