Notes from VTC on 10/11 March 1900 Wisconsin/1700 San Diego
/0900 Taiwan
(notes compiled by Peter Arzberger, edited by LJ, Tony, and Tim Kratz)
Present:
- TFRI: Hen-biau King, Chau-Chin Lin
-
Academia
Sinica: Charles Chiu, Alan Lai
- NCHC: Julian Chen, Hsui-Mei Chou, Grace Hong, Fang-Pang Lin
- NTL and U Wisconsin: Tim Kratz, Tim Meinke, Paul Hanson (phone), Matthew Van de Bogert (phone)
- UCSD and SDSC: Longjiang Ding, Tony Fountain, Mason Katz, Peter Arzberger
Next VTC:
- Tuesday 23 March 2004 1900 for NTL; 1700 for San Diego; Wednesday 24 March 0900 for TFRI and NCHC
- Tentative Agenda:
o Updates on purchases and materials (buoy, sensors, data loggers, radios, etc.) [ Various people]
o Update on travel plans [Tim Kratz]
o Updates on Software for radio, data flow from buoy to NCHC [Julian Chen]
o Progress on web interface to JDBC connections, and user feedback [Longjiang Ding, Tim Kratz, others]
o Doing a test of as much of the system as possible!
o Feedback on trip to NSF: Hen-biau King
o Next vtc
ACTION:
- Produce Level 0 (level 1) version of Architecture (and thus list of components to be tested). Level 0 schematic is in attached powerpoint slide.
o Using this, identify people responsible for each link of the architecture
o By level 0 we mean the bare-bones architecture to get data from sensors to databases, and then web accessible via JDBC link.
o Once this is working, we would add in additional features
o Longjiang Ding and Tony Fountain will make first pass of this architecture and will circulate by Friday 12 March.
- Develop List for a Buoy Test: Tim Kratz and Charles Chiu will develop a list of what needs to be tested on buoy
- Create Web interface to view data via JDBC link to Taiwan and NTL databases.
o Web interface to be completed by Longjiang Ding by 17 March 2004
o Will share with Tim Kratz and Charles Chiu and hope to have preliminary feedback (specific feedback request to be determined) by 23 March 2004
- Provide Access to Taiwan Database at NCHC
o
Hsiu Mei Chou will make access for Charles
Chiu and Chin Lin
- Obtain details of Datalogger
o Julian Chen to contact Tim Meinke
- Create Itinerary for Visit: Tim Kratz to draft list of items to be completed during visit, to send to Chin Lin and group.
AGREEMENTS:
- Travel to Taiwan
o Tim Kratz, Tim Meinke, and Paul Hanson will arrive 18 April 2004, return 24 or 25 April 2004.
o TFRI will handle logistics
o Alan Lai can accompany Tim Kratz and others to YYL
o Fang-Pang Lin and Julian Chen are available at that time.
- First level of system: We will start the overall system with a fixed frequency of recording for lake data (10 minutes) and neighboring meteorological data (1 hour). If we need to increase frequency, this will be done manually decision process to be determined.
o Next level to be implemented during course of year, would be to automate the change in sample frequency.
Noteworthy:
- Article about this project will be published in the LTER News Letter within a couple of weeks.
- Hen-biau King will be at NSF next week, to meet with Bill Chang and Mary Clutter, head of the Directorate for Biological Sciences. See discussion below about messages Hen-biau heard and may deliver in his meeting.
Discussion:
- Update on Buoy purchase and
assembly (any word on delivery date?) (Hen-Biau, Charles, Chin)
Will have buoy on site by middle of April
What about data-logger, sensor, wireless? Ans: Will try to hook everything up.
If there are problems, it would be best to try to fix problems before buoy is on the lake.
Tim needs to know whether to bring thermistor chain.
- Update on wireless communication
at YYL (Julian / Fang-Pang)
Have ordered 3, waterproof radios (these are more expensive) (Note: in off line discussion Wisconsin group suggested buying one or more cheaper card radios ($750) and putting them in a Pelican style waterproof case. Fang-Pang and Julian will discuss this option). (Type of radio?, frequency of 900 Megahertz need to adjust frequency to meet Taiwan regulations).
Have already ordered antennae
Have asked to mount antennae near meteorological stations Academia Sinica said fine.
Will put antennae high on the meteorological tower.
Comment need to use good quality cable, and keep radio
close to antennae. (need to be able to access the radio, and provide power).
Need to develop software? What will software do: will dial gsm modem get data from data logger.???
- Database update (Hsui Mei Chou)
Installed the schema from David and it is working.
LJ reports have gotten database schema.
JDBC Connection works.
What type of data? Meteorological data (water temp, wind direction, dissolved oxygen)
What is the format? What are the interfaces? Can Charles get access to the data?
What is the frequency of measurement of the YYL meteorological data? Hourly. (Hourly should be fine)
High resolution data 10 minute data: temp and oxygen from
YYL that is what Tim wants.
Hourly weather data good for regular weather. But during Typhon would want more
frequent data (5 to 10 minutes).
Can we provide YYL to the database? Sure Hsui Mei is contact. (test meteorological data)
Currently, software in NTL does not have capability to put in change update more frequent data.
Version 1.0: 10 minute for oxygen, water temp; Meteorological hourly basis.
Manually change sampling.
Version 2.0: Automate
- Outline of Webservices plans
and progress (Longjiang)
Have tested oracle databases: JDBC
As a first step will do a jdbc interface, see on web.
Allow scientists to use data right away
In about one week can have design interface designed and tested around 20 or 22 March. (can access those pages from the web).
Once you look at web interface then you can tell us how you want to use the data for the application.
- Overall assessment of testing
components of system by end of March (all)
Do sensors need to be calibrated? Ans. Thermistor chain and Greenspan oxygen sensors require initial calibration. Wind speed and direction should not require calibration
Could we have the rest of the information flow (except the data from sensors).
What is the list of components to be tested?
Charles and Tim: what needs to be tested on buoy
Information flow:
- Close in on dates of the
Wisconsin group April trip to Taiwan (Tim)
April 18 arrive (at night)
Leave Taiwan 24/25 April?
- Dr Lai is available!
- Fang-Pang and Julian can go!
Tim to send a list of activities to Chin
When will David come? In April, or later? To be discussed.
- Content for Web Site
Prototype web site will be produced shortly after Dave Balsiger returns from Finland. Hope to have it online by early April at latest
- Schedule next vtc
23/24 March: send IP address to LJ prior to vtc.
- Other Items:
- This collaboration is truly an on-the-ground-collaboration that will lead to science results. The collaboration involves both ecological scientists and information scientists. Early milestone to this project will be realized in the next couple of months.
- There will be a brief article about the project in the LTER Newsletter, to appear in a couple of weeks.
- This project leverages several NSF investments: LTER and the science it has produced. PRAGMA and the connections it has helped create, both in the US but also in Taiwan as indicated by the involvement of NCHC in the project. It also leverages several Taiwan investments: TFRI, TERN, and NCHC.
- After completing this successful first step of linking together buoys and databases at two sites (Yuan Yang Lake and North Temperate Lakes) we are looking to expand the project to more sites around the current ones and to more countries: New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Finland.
- This is an early step in a global cyberinfrastructure for ecology.