Collaborative Research: SCIPE: Enhancing the Transdisciplinary Research Ecosystem for Earth and Environmental Science with Dedicated Cyber Infrastructure Professionals

在这个大数据时代，尖端的地球和环境科学研究越来越需要网络基础设施(CI)专业知识。以往的进展，包括气候变化的预测、生物多样性的作用和重要性以及海洋和渔业状况的变化，都得到了对来自先进传感器和模型的大量数据的收集、组织和分析的支持。分析管道中数据吞吐量的增加刺激了人工智能、预测模型和对科学计算的依赖。维持这些尖端研究项目需要持续的CI创新，包括与受过培训的专家合作，在可查找、可访问、可互操作和可重复使用的数据和分析方面进行创新。确定世界上最紧迫的环境问题的解决方案需要CI专家与研究人员、科学传播者、环境机构和非政府组织合作。该项目将通过开发网络协作实验室来创建这一网络，其中跨机构的跨学科小组可以与网络基础设施专业人员(CIPS)合作，利用高性能和云计算、开放数据科学和地理空间分析，在便利、可扩展和网络支持的虚拟和面对面空间中进行合作。网络合作实验室是马里兰大学环境科学中心(UMCES)和巴尔的摩县马里兰大学(UMBC)的合作项目。该项目将对面向研究的CIP社区产生广泛影响，为来自密歇根大学信息系统公司的不同群体的学生提供参与应用地球和环境科学研究的机会，并支持这些专业人员成长为环境研究、政策和管理社区的基础组成部分。我们将开发一个知识门户，提供机会将该项目的影响扩展到UMCES和UMBC以外的其他地方也参与传播与信息职业化的学术伙伴关系。该项目正在开发和支持一支与我们多样化的研究企业无缝集成的CIPS团队。通过UMCES和UMBC信息系统之间的机构间伙伴关系，该项目将加快开放数据科学、软件工具、集成生态系统模型和机器学习应用程序的开发；让教师、学生和环境管理机构(以及其他利益相关者)参与共同开发研究培训；并为基于票证的帮助台工作人员。UMCES和UMBC将合作：(1)建立一支多样化的CIPS队伍，以满足UMCES和UMBC为之做出贡献的多机构和利益攸关方参与的环境研究社区的需求；(2)开发一个具有实体和虚拟组成部分的中心，促进领域研究人员、CIPS和其他利益攸关方之间的互动，包括CI技能培训和团队科学培训的机会；以及(3)将网络协作实验室建立为CI专业知识和协作的强大和普遍的来源。CI团队将适应共同开发进程带来的不断变化的研究重点，但最初将支持UMBC和UMCES的四个活跃项目：(A)利用极地地区的数据和模型革命(IHARP)；(B)开发农业可持续性的营养信息系统；(C)用于评估河口恢复行动的生态预报；以及(D)了解扩大海上风能发电的生态后果。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this age of big data, cutting-edge Earth and Environmental Science research increasingly requires Cyber Infrastructure (CI) expertise. Prior advances, including the prediction of climate change, the role and importance of biodiversity, and changes in the condition of oceans and fisheries, were all underpinned by the collection, organization, and analysis of massive quantities of data derived from advanced sensors and models. Increased data throughput in analysis pipelines has spurred advances in artificial intelligence, forecasting models, and reliance on scientific computing. Maintaining these cutting-edge research programs requires constant CI innovation, including collaboration with experts trained to innovate in findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable data and analysis. Identifying solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems requires that CI experts collaborate with researchers, science communicators, environmental agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. This project will create this network through development of a CyberCollaboratory, where interdisciplinary groups across institutions can collaborate with Cyber Infrastructure Professionals (CIPs), leveraging high-performance and cloud computing, open data science, and geospatial analytics, in facilitated, scalable, and cyber-supported virtual and in-person spaces. The CyberCollaboratory is a collaboration between the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The project will have a broad impact on the research-facing CIP community, offer opportunities for training diverse groups of students from UMBC Information Systems to engage with applied Earth and Environmental Science research, and support these professionals as they grow into a foundational component of the environmental research, policy, and management community. We will develop a knowledge portal that provides opportunities to extend the impact of this project beyond UMCES and UMBC to academic partnerships elsewhere that are also engaging in CI professionalization. This project is developing and supporting a team of CIPs that integrates seamlessly with our diverse research enterprise. Through an inter-institutional partnership between UMCES and UMBC Information Systems the project will accelerate the development of open data science, software tools, integrated ecosystem models, and machine learning applications; engage faculty, students, and environmental management agencies (and other stakeholders) in co-development research training; and staff a ticket-based help desk. UMCES and UMBC will collaboratively: (1) Build a diverse workforce of CIPs responsive to the needs of the multi-institutional and stakeholder-inclusive environmental research community to which UMCES and UMBC contribute; (2) Develop a hub, with physical and virtual components, that facilitates interactions among domain researchers, CIPs, and other stakeholders, including opportunities for CI skills training and team science training; and (3) Establish the CyberCollaboratory as a robust and pervasive source for CI expertise and collaboration. The CI team will adapt to evolving research priorities enabled by the co-development process but will initially support four active projects at UMBC and UMCES: (a) Harnessing data and model revolution in the polar regions (iHARP); (b) Developing a nutrient information system for agricultural sustainability; (c) Ecological forecasting for evaluating restoration actions in estuaries, and (d) Understanding the ecological consequences of expanding offshore wind energy generation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.