The Distributed Oceanographic Data System:
Requirements for Data Analysis
Applications
Abstract:
Access to distributed remote data alters both the scientist's use of data and
expectations of analysis software. Access to remote data is fundamentally
different from access to local data because the potential pool of resources
is vastly larger. When confronted with this largesse, users requirements for
data analysis software changes. Because users do not control remote data
resources, they need ways to search among all available data sets for a
particular type of information. These searches are different than the
traditional database search because users, not knowing precisely what data
exists, conduct their search in an iterative manner, asking repeatedly more
specific questions. Users also want to select data from a data set in ways
that suite their own work; this often means that remotely accessible data
sets must support a more general query mechanism than those accessible only
locally. Finally, users expect to be able to operate on several remote data
sets at once, combining these different data in a single display. Within The
Distributed Oceanographic Data System, we have had unique experience with the
new requirements scientists place on data analysis applications because DODS
provides a pathway for existing analysis programs to be extended so that they
can access remote data resources.
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James Gallagher
jgallagher@gso.uri.edu