e-Science
A major Earth science data challenge
EPOS faces a major data handling challenge. The amount of primary data, and the demand for accessing them is enormous and increasing. On the other hand, the existing data archiving and exchange procedures (and philosophies) appear inadequate to cope with the ever increasing data tsunami. Multidisciplinary scientific research in the solid Earth Sciences is thus hampered by the lack of integration and by the limited access to the large and diverse data volumes needed to make progress (including, for example, geophysical, geological, topographic, and sea level data).
One main EPOS objective is the creation of a comprehensive, easily accessible geo-data volume for the entire European plate at resolutions appropriate to the scale (and to the socio-economic importance) of the target scientific (and non-) issues under investigation. Overall, EPOS will ensure secure storage of geophysical and geological data providing the continued commitment needed for long-term observation of the Earth.
Computational and modelling facilities
Modelling and processing of huge data volumes and visualisation of results will play a central role in testing new scientific hypotheses. EPOS will rely on the world leading European expertise in modelling solid Earth processes developed in national and international projects and in existing European-scale initiatives to promote computational Research Infrastructures including EU-HPC (or PRACE http://www.praceproject.eu) and EGI (http://www.egi.eu)
The existing national research infrastructures are integrated in the EPOS Data Centers, which represent community specific services for data archiving and mining having their own computational resources. This represents a community layer formed by community specific services; this layer integrates data providers. Community specific data centers are further integrated by the EPOS Core Services, representing the infrastructure layer consisting of common data services. EPOS data services infrastructure will be designed and established during the PP to serve multiple communities studying the solid Earth dynamics. The EPOS Core Service infrastructure will be designed taking into account the requirements of different user communities.
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