The Challenge:
How to enable researchers to access, share, and analyze diverse data sets spread geographically across the world.
Cybera’s Solution:
The Canadian Space Science Data Portal (CSSDP) project provides space scientists with access to a wide range of space data, observations, and investigative tools. It is a seamless, single-point of access to these resources accessible through a custom web portal. More than 350 are registered users of the CSSDP. The project integrates data from sources such as the Canadian Geospace Monitoring Program and anticipates serving data from the NASA THEMIS satellite probes and the Alberta-based Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (ePOP) satellite mission. This collection and presentation of space data is used to study the influence of the sun on near-Earth space environment, including phenomena such as geomagnetic storms, which cause the northern and southern lights. Geomagnetic storms are also known for often causing power outages, disturbances in polar and communications, and the failure of satellites. The effects of space weather can also cause transpolar flight paths to be diverted, adding significant fuel costs to airlines.
Cyberinfrastructure at Work:
The CSSDP project demonstrates the following cyberinfrastructure innovations:
- Data access across many different locations and data types
- Remote sensors that regularly collect data
- Advanced networks used to connect researchers
- Grid middleware that manages the portal and the sharing of information
Long term, the innovations demonstrated within this project can be utilized with any type of data, such as medical or environmental data sets – anywhere there is a disparate group of people needing access to a disparate set of data. The technical success this project has demonstrated to date has allowed the research group to approach the federal government to request long-term funding to sustain the portal.
How this Project Affects You:
Research findings from the CSSDP project have influential industry applications. For example, space weather discoveries made using the portal will allow electrical, airline, pipeline, and other satellite-sensitive sectors to better protect their systems from the disruptive impacts of space weather fluctuations.
Investment:
The CSSDP project, jointly funded by CANARIE and Cybera, is worth close to $1.6 million.
Partners:
- AICT, University of Alberta
- CANARIE
- Cybera
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta
- Department of Physics, University of Calgary
- University of New Brunswick
- University of Saskatchewan
Visit the Portal:
Publications:
CSSDP One Sheet (Updated October 2009)
