usage statistics. 15 Jim liked to say: “You have nothing to fear but success or failure” and, of course, he never intended to fail at anything.
It became clear from our SkyServer experience that virtual observatories are sure to emerge on every scale of the physical world, from high-energy physics to nanotech, molecular biology, environmental observatories, planet Earth, even the entire universe. Many of the unknown issues related to managing huge amounts of data are common to all disciplines and revolve around our human, as well as our digital, inability to deal with increasing amounts of data. 7
As a result we’ve been considering the broader implications of our SkyServer work. The SDSS marked a transition to a new kind of science. Science itself has evolved over the centuries, from empirical to analytic, then to computational-X, where X represents many (if not all) scientific disciplines. With the emergence of large experiments like SDSS, where even data collection is via computer, a paradigm shift is under way. We are entering an era where there is so much data that the brute-force application of computational hardware is not enough to collect and analyze it all. We need to approach even the design of our experiments differently, taking an algorithmic perspective. Data management and enormous databases are inevitable in this new world, where business is e-business and science is e-science. 16
SDSS data represents a wonderful opportunity to explore and experiment with how scientists adopt to new tools and new technologies. In the same spirit, Jim experimented with how tools and technologies carry over to other disciplines. For example, he consciously started (beginning in 2005) to develop relationships with molecular biologists and genomics researchers. I went along for some of his visits to the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT ( www.wi.mit.edu) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (www. ncbi.nlm.hih.gov/) and was amazed to find how similar many of the bioinformatics challenges were to those in astronomy. It was great to see Jim go native in biology with the same
figure 5: charts of sensor measurements generated from the on Line analytical Processing data-cube for sensor deployment at Johns hopkins university.
Surface Temperature (degC)
Surface Temperature (degC)
16
162
degC degCdegC
128
16
48
1042
– 4 08
– 4
0
– 4
Surface Temperature (degC)
— Surface Temperature/value52
— Surface Temperature/value58
— Surface Temperature/value6 520
— Surface Temperature/value58
— Surface Temperature/value60
— Surface Temperature/value52
— Surface Temperature/value58
— Surface Temperature/value60
(a) (a)
(a)
8.0
degC degCdegC
86..0
4 6.0
842.. .00 0
0 62..0 0
0 4.0
2.0
0.0
2006-012 -09062-00 1-60-901-09
2006-012-100062-00 1-61-001-10
2006-012 -101062-00 1-61- 101-11
2006-012 -102062-00 1-61-201-12
2006-012-103062-00 1-61-301-13
2006-012 -104062-00 1-61-401-14
2006-012-105062-00 1-61-501-15
2006-012 -106062-00 1-61-601-16
2006-012 -107062-010-61-701-17
2006-012-108062-00 1-61-801-18
2006-012 -109062-010-61-901-19
2006-012-200062-00 1-62-001-20
date time
date time
2006-022-04062-00 2-60-402-04
2006-022-02062-00 2-60-202-02
2006-022-01062-00 2-60-102-01
2006-012 -300062-00 1-63-01-30
2006-012 -204062-00 1-62-401-24
2006-012 -301062-00 1-63- 101-31
2006-012 -209062-010-62-901-29
2006-012-208062-00 1-62-801-28
2006-012 -206062-00 1-62-601-26
2006-012 -205062-00 1-62-501-25
2006-012-203062-00 1-62-301-23
2006-012 -202062-00 1-62-201-22
2006-012 -207062-010-62-701-27
— Soil Temperature/value52
date time — Soil Temperature/value58 Soil Temperature (degC) — Soil Temperature/value6 50 2 (b) — Soil Temperature/value58 Soil Temperature (degC) — Soil Temperature/value60 (b)
— Soil Temperature/value52
— Soil Temperature/value58 Soil Temperature (degC) — Soil Temperature/value60 (b)
2006-012-100062-00 1-61-001-10
2006-012 -101062-00 1-61- 101-11
2006-012 -102062-00 1-61-201-12
2006-022-04062-020-60-402-04
2006-022-02062-00 2-60-202-02
2006-022-01062-00 2-60-102-01
2006-012 -300062-010-63-01-30
2006-012 -209062-010-62-901-29
2006-012-204062-00 1-62-401-24
2006-012-200062-00 1-62-001-20
2006-012-301062-00 1-63- 101-31
2006-012 -208062-00 1-62-801-28
2006-012 -207062-00 1-62-701-27
2006-012 -206062-010-62-601-26
2006-012-205062-00 1-62-501-25
2006-012-203062-00 1-62-301-23
2006-012 -202062-00 1-62-201-22
2006-012 -109062-010-61-901-19
2006-012-104062-00 1-61-401-14
2006-012 -108062-00 1-61-801-18
2006-012 -107062-00 1-61-701-17
2006-012 -106062-010-61-601-16
2006-012-105062-00 1-61-501-15
2006-012-103062-00 1-61-301-13
2006-012 -09062-00 1-60-901-09
date time
date time
— Soil Water Pressure 10cm/value51
date time — Soil Water Pressure 10cm/value56
— Soil Water Pressure 10cm/value58 1 — W Soeia l t WhaetrePrrPerceipsistuat rieon10/5c8m/value56 (c)
— Soil Water Pressure 10cm/value58 — — W Soeia l t WhaetrePrrPerceipsistuat rieon10/5c8 (c) m/value51
— Soil Water Pressure 10cm/value56
— Soil Water Pressure 10cm/value58 — Weather Precipitation/58 (c)
Soil Water Pressure and Precipitation (mm) Soil Water Pressure and Precipitation (mm)
20
kPascalksPaskcPaalscals
210
10
–2100
––12100 0
––320
–310
– 20
– 30
Soil Water Pressure and Precipitation (mm)
2006-012-100062-00 1-61-001-10
2006-012 -101062-00 1-61- 101-11
2006-012 -09062-00 1-60-901-09
2006-012-104062-00 1-61-401-14
2006-012-105062-00 1-61-501-15
2006-012 -106062-010-61-601-16
2006-012 -108062-00 1-61-801-18
2006-012 -109062-00 1-61-901-19
2006-012-200062-00 1-62-001-20
2006-012 -202062-00 1-62-201-22
2006-012 -203062-00 1-62-301-23
2006-012-204062-00 1-62-401-24
2006-012-205062-00 1-62-501-25
2006-012 -103062-00 1-61-301-13
date time
date time
date time
2006-012 -208062-00 1-62-801-28
2006-012 -209062-00 1-62-901-29
2006-012 -300062-00 1-63-01-30
2006-012 -207062-00 1-62-701-27
2006-022-02062-00 2-60-202-02
2006-022-03062-00 2-60-302-03
References:
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