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Data integration

Data integration refers to linking research & monitoring data to the modeling community & vice versa. Data integration also refers to archiving data from monitoring, research, & modeling efforts, as well as making the data easily available for others to access & use.

The CLEAR Office staff regularly receives requests from the coastal modeling community for very specific datasets.  These datasets are used as input for models & also for model calibration / validation.  Example datasets that were recently acquired by the CLEAR Office & transferred to the modeling community include:

1. 1980 – 2005 sediment loads in the Mississippi River

2. 1993 and 2008 discharge from the Bonnet Carre spillway 

3. Coastal Louisiana bathymetry & topography 

The data availability aspect of data integration can be achieved through meaningful visualization techniques.  For example, visualizing datasets such as surge output may help support decisions, especially if it is delivered in an easily accessible & understandable way. For this reason, the CLEAR Program developed a web-application based on the Google Maps API (Application Programming Interface), which is a flexible mapping resource that uses the highly accepted Google Maps user interface. By using the Google Maps API for client side visualization we leverage the advantage of providing a simple, yet powerful user interface, & the availability to use a comprehensive suite of topographical maps & satellite images.

The CLEAR Program also developed an online MapServer application, which houses data for display or download.  The MapServer also houses animations of CLEAR-related model runs.  

To search the full set of available datasets, please visit the CLEAR MapServer online application or the LSU - Northern Gulf Institute Database. To request a particular dataset, please contact the CLEAR Office.

Shell-CEML computer cluster

Another aspect of data integration can be viewed in terms of the hardware used to run the models.  The CLEAR Program is also involved with the Shell-CEML computer cluster, which is a computer cluster used by the local modeling community for simulations ranging from FVCOM hydrodynamic modeling to AdCric storm surge modeling.  The Shell-CEML cluster is housed in the Frey Building on the LSU campus, & it consists of 70 dual-processor computational nodes, two login servers, two storage servers, & a 4TB raid storage device.  Connections include two Gigabit networks, each with a Gigabit Ethernet switch.  For more information about the Shell-CEML computer cluster, contact the CLEAR Office. 

For more information on Data integration, view these publications:

© Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Assessment & Restoration 2009