Title: EarthCube Building Blocks: Integrating Discrete and Continuous Data

地球科学信息是在离散和连续空间域上定义的。离散域包括测量站点的观测点位置和用于观测和数据解释的点、线和区域特征的GIS覆盖。连续空间域用于地球物理流体科学，如大气、海洋和地下陆地，以描述在均匀间隔点的网格上定义的测量或建模变量的阵列。定义在离散或连续空间域上的数据也可以在时间上离散或连续变化，范围从一次性样本，到随机时间点的样本，到规则间隔时间的样本。该项目建立在先前名为“跨越数字鸿沟”的工作基础上，重点是综合发现共同的信息主题，包括来自CUAHSI水文信息系统的离散数据中的降水和来自Unidata THREDDS数据服务器的连续数据。该项目将在第一年通过研究创建通过全球地球观测系统（GEOSS）通用基础设施发布和发现信息的新技术，定义离散和连续数据的通用信息模型，开发用于使用该通用信息模型的分片软件工具，以及将概念扩展到极地，海洋和固体地球科学中的类似信息，从而推进这项工作。这项工作建立在现有的NSF数据基础设施上，并以合理的方式在两个领域之间进行扩展，水文学和大气科学，这两个领域在智力上密切相关，但具有非常不同的数据环境。进一步扩展到极地、海洋和固体地球科学也是可以实现的。该项目包括通过“全球地球观测系统”（Global Earth Observing System of Systems）让国际范围内的合作者参与进来。

Geoscience information is defined on both discrete and continuous spatial domains. Discretespatial domains include point locations of observations at measurement sites and GIS coveragesof point, line and area features used for observation and data interpretation. Continuousspatial domains are used in geophysical fluid sciences such as for the atmosphere, oceans,and land subsurface to describe arrays of measured or modeled variables defined on a meshof uniformly spaced points. Data defined on either discrete or continuous spatial domainsmay also vary discretely or continuously in time, ranging from one-time samples, to samplesat random points of time, to samples at regularly spaced intervals of time. This projectbuilds upon previous work called "Crossing the Digital Divide" focused on integrated discoveryof common information themes including precipitation in discrete data from the CUAHSI hydrologicinformation system and continuous data from the Unidata THREDDS data server. This projectwill advance that work by investigating in the first year creating new technologies for publishingand discovery of information through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)Common Infrastructure, the definition of a Common Information Model for discrete and continuousdata, development of shard software tools for using this Common Information Model, and extensionof the concepts to similar information in the Polar, Ocean and Solid Earth Sciences.This work builds on existing NSF data infrastructures and extends them in a reasonable way between two domains, Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, which are closely related intellectually, but have very different data environments. Somefurther extension into the Polar, Ocean and Solid Earth Sciences is also attainable. The project include the engagement of an international spectrum of collaboratorsthrough the Global Earth Observing System of Systems.