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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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GOVERNMENT DATA CENTERS: Meeting Increasing Demands

Committee on Coping with Increasing Demands on Government Data Centers

Committee on Geophysical and Environmental Data

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C. www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by the federal agencies of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Contract No. NASW-01008. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number: 0-309-08742-2

Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academies Press
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Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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COMMITTEE ON COPING WITH INCREASING DEMANDS ON GOVERNMENT DATA CENTERS

JEFF DOZIER, Chair,

University of California, Santa Barbara

ANURAG ACHARYA (through June 2002),

Google, Inc., Mountain View, California

LAWRENCE BUJA,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

LEO MARK,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

JONATHAN OVERPECK,

University of Arizona, Tucson

MARY F. WHEELER,

University of Texas, Austin

THOMAS R. YENGST,

The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, California

NRC Staff

KERI H. MOORE, Study Director

MONICA R. LIPSCOMB, Research Assistant

SHANNON L. RUDDY, Senior Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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COMMITTEE ON GEOPHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DATA

J. BERNARD MINSTER, Chair,

University of California, San Diego

ROGER C. BALES,

University of Arizona, Tucson

MARY ANNE CARROLL,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

JEFF DOZIER,

University of California, Santa Barbara

DAVID GLOVER,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

MARK J. MCCABE,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

JOHN M. MELACK,

University of California, Santa Barbara

ROY RADNER,

New York University, New York

ROBERT J. SERAFIN,

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

NRC Staff

ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Officer

SHANNON L. RUDDY, Senior Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES

GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair,

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

JILL F. BANFIELD,

University of California, Berkeley

STEVEN R. BOHLEN,

Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Washington, D.C.

VICKI J. COWART,

Colorado Geological Survey, Denver

DAVID L. DILCHER,

University of Florida, Gainesville

ADAM M. DZIEWONSKI,

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

WILLIAM L. GRAF,

University of South Carolina, Columbia

RHEA GRAHAM,

New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Albuquerque

V. RAMA MURTHY,

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

DIANNE R. NIELSON,

Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City

RAYMOND A. PRICE,

Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

MARK SCHAEFER,

NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia

BILLIE L. TURNER II,

Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts

THOMAS J. WILBANKS,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee

NRC Staff

ANTHONY R. DE SOUZA, Director

TAMARA L. DICKINSON, Senior Program Officer

DAVID A. FEARY, Senior Program Officer

ANNE M. LINN, Senior Program Officer

PAUL M. CUTLER, Program Officer

KRISTEN L. KRAPF, Program Officer

KERI H. MOORE, Program Officer

LISA M. VANDEMARK, Program Officer

YVONNE P. FORSBERGH, Research Assistant

MONICA R. LIPSCOMB, Research Assistant

EILEEN MCTAGUE, Research Assistant

JENNIFER T. ESTEP, Administrative Associate

VERNA J. BOWEN, Administrative Assistant

RADHIKA CHARI, Senior Project Assistant

KAREN L. IMHOF, Senior Project Assistant

SHANNON L. RUDDY, Senior Project Assistant

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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TERESIA K. WILMORE, Project Assistant

WINFIELD SWANSON, Technical Editor

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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Acknowledgments

This report has been reviewed by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Tom Barclay, Bay Area Research Group, Microsoft Corporation, San Francisco

Francis Bretherton, University of Wisconsin, Madison

James Frew, Bren School of Environmental Sciences and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara

Patricia G. Selinger, Director of Database Integration, IBM Silicon Valley Laboratory, San Jose, California

J. Ronald Wilson, Marine Environmental Data Service (retired), Ontario, Canada

Although the individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions and recommendations nor did they see the final draft of

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
×

the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Debra Meese, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Appointed by the National Research Council, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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Preface

As repositories of the nation’s environmental data, U.S. government data centers are constantly evolving. The data they collect, disseminate, and archive are critical to assessing the state of the earth and our effect on it. As the data record grows, so does our understanding of the environment. However, because of the increasing amount and complexity of and demand for environmental data, data centers seek technological approaches that would increase their capabilities while maintaining their quality of service.

At the request of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the National Research Council formed the Committee on Coping with Increasing Demands on Government Data Centers (Appendix A). The committee was charged to hold a workshop to examine the extent to which emerging technologies can help data centers meet user needs and build and maintain the long-term record of environmental change.

The workshop on April 29-30, 2002, at the University of Texas at Austin (Appendix B) was attended by representatives from U.S. government data centers and the global environmental science community, as well as by experts in information technology (IT) from industry and academia (Appendix C). After an introductory plenary session, speakers and participants divided into two working groups: data access and ingest, and data distribution and processing. The group reconvened in plenary session at the end of the afternoon to share the results from their discussion (Appendix D). The following morning a reaction panel with representatives from data centers, the user

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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community, and the IT industry assessed the conclusions from the first day’s deliberations (Appendix D). These discussions and subsequent work by the committee form the basis for this report.

The committee reviews technological approaches that should be given consideration not only by the data center managers and their sponsoring agencies but also by user communities. Some of these approaches are already being implemented at some data centers. However, limitations of budget and time preclude this report being a comprehensive review of individual data center operations.

The committee would like to thank the workshop participants, whose participation and expertise made the event successful. In addition, the committee would like to acknowledge the contributions of Marjory Blumenthal, director, and Jon Eisenberg of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board; Anne Linn, director of the Committee on Geophysical and Environmental Data; and especially Keri Moore, study director, who worked diligently toward the completion of the project.

Jeff Dozier

Chair

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2003. Government Data Centers: Meeting Increasing Demands. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10664.
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Environmental data centers have been successfully acquiring, disseminating, and archiving data for decades. However, the increasing volume and number of data sets, coupled with greater demands from more diverse users, are making it difficult for data centers to maintain the record of environmental change. This workshop report focuses on technological approaches that could enhance the ability of environmental data centers to deal with these challenges, and improve the ability of users to find and use information held in data centers. Among the major findings are that data centers should rely more on off-the-shelf technology -- including software and commonly available hardware -- and should shift from tape to disk as the primary storage medium. Such technological improvements will help solve many data management problems, although data centers and their host agencies will have to continue to invest in the scientific and human elements of data center operations.

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