Semantically-Enabled Scientific Data Integration

Fox, P A (HAO/ESSL/NCAR), McGuinness, D L (KSAIL/Stanford), 
Raskin R (JPL/NASA), Sinha K (Virginia Tech)

The vast majority of explorations of the Earth system are limited 
in their ability to effectively explore the most important 
(often most difficult) problems because they are forced to 
interconnect at the data-element, or syntactic, level rather 
than at a higher scientific, or semantic, level. In many cases, 
syntax-only interoperability IS the state-of-the-art. In 
order for scientists and non-scientists to discover, 
access, and use data from unfamiliar sources, they are 
forced to learn details of the data schema, other people's 
naming schemes and syntax decisions. 

Our project, the Semantically-Enabled Scientific Data Integration 
(hereafter SESDI), aims to demonstrate how ontologies implemented 
within existing distributed technology frameworks will provide 
essential, re-useable, and robust support necessary
for interdisciplinary scientific research activities.
Our project is aimed at enabling an evolution 
to science measurement processing systems (or frameworks) 
as well as for data and information systems (or framework) in
support for specific applications areas. Our initial focus is 
the integration of volcanology and atmospheric data sources
in support of investigations into relationships between
volcanic activity and global climate.

This work is aimed at 
providing scientists with the option of describing what they 
are looking for in terms that are meaningful and natural to 
them, instead of in a syntax that is not. The missing element 
in enabling the higher-level interconnections is the 
technology of ontologies, ontology-equipped tools, and 
semantically aware interfaces between science components. 

In this presentation, we cover the scope and some
details of the current state of the project. SESDI 
is funded by the NASA-ACCESS and NASA-ESTO programs.