Computer Science Student Software Project
19
For: UAF Atmospheric Sciences
Contact Information: Rich Collins/Dave Atkinson
PO Box 757335
E-mail: datkinson@iarc.uaf.edu
Fairbanks, AK 99775
474-1126
Submitted by: Dave Atkinson
October 17, 2008
Project:
Proposal for CS Senior project, spring term, 2009
Title: Interactive visualization and access tool for the IPY MesosphereStratosphere-Troposphere coupling project
Description:
Richard Collins, Dept. Atmospheric Sciences, is lead PI on a National Science
Foundation supported IPY project that seeks to use a combination of atmospheric model
output with a unique international observational campaign to better identify linkages
between the mesosphere/stratosphere/troposphere. Topics range from examining
gravity wave prorogation, to response of tropospheric cold air outbreaks and storm track
position. We have an established website that serves as a portal for information retrieval.
A user can access a basic calendar function to select from various static bitmap plots.
These plots are extracted from the data sets and have no capacity for interaction. Data
are available at the site but there is no means for interactive exploration. As well, there is
a animation of upper atmosphere structure evolution, however there is no subsetting
control – a user must watch the entire animation from start. This is no longer a suitable
offering. As the project now enters its second year of observing we would like to improve
the manner in which data are offered up. We have two specific objectives:
1) Develop a more sophisticated control system for the animation aspect of the
website. This would include at minimum the ability to select start and stop dates of
the animation.
2) Develop an interactive data access tool that would enable a user to generate
customized display/output and (possibly) offer up a limited analysis/exploration
capacity.
We have engaged Dr. Greg Newby in discussions about using ARSC as the physical
and computer-based development site for this project; he is interested to discuss this
further. Although real-time serving and analysis can be server-end intensive, ARSC has
sufficient power such that the project should be fairly light-weight in terms of
computational and storage requirements and would not be logistically difficult for ARSC
to support. Exposure to ARSC systems in the context of a research project would be a
great opportunity for CS undergrads.
We at GI, IARC, and ARSC are excited to take advantage of emerging talent with fresh
ideas and in turn offer up real-world challenges for them to tackle. We understand that, if
accepted, there would be possibly two seniors attached to the project along with their
mentor from CS. We would not want to see the existing site torn down, but beyond that,
we are not too concerned about what programming platform the students would want to
operate from.
Here is the project webpage: < http://research.iarc.uaf.edu/IPY-CTSM >
We look forward to hearing from CS on this. Please do not hesitate to contact us:
Richard Collins, 7607, rlc@gi.alaska.edu
Approved:
Yes
No
Date:
Committee Members & Students
UAF Department of Computer Science
File: Student Computer Science Software Project