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Global Environmental Change Research Pathways for the Next Decade (1999) / Chapter Skim
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Annex 1 - A Short History of EOSDIS, 1986 to 1995
Pages 537-541

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From page 537...
... And scientists were beginning to realize that the key data management challenges were administrative, programmatic, and political, not technological. A recent comprehensive history of the growing tensions and their consequences in the Earth sciences demonstrates the complexities of the 537
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From page 538...
... After considering a number of case studies, CODMAC proposed a number of principles to guide data management, including active scientific involvement throughout data system planning and operations and a deliberate focus on users' needs. The committee also recommended that data analysis funds should be adequate and protected against reprogramming owing to delays and cost overruns.
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From page 539...
... EOS and EOSDIS were being created to enhance scientific understanding of the Earth and so it was argued that: "the scientific community studying the Earth must be deeply involved in the creation and management of these systems. Only the scientists at the frontiers of Earth System research can ensure that these systems remain responsive to the needs and opportunities of science."6 As it turned out, NASA did not take the advice of the NRC and its own advisory groups -- the NASA project management structure did not permit it, and the rationale for the structure was not then questioned.
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From page 540...
... provide the researcher with an oversight and review responsibility, since the most successful examples of data management rely on the active involvement of scientists.8 Unfortunately, the NASA project system could not accommodate this recommendation, but the recommendation has proved prophetic. While the Data Panel's members did not foresee explicitly the wondrous capabilities of the Internet and the World Wide Web that today can support a highly distributed EOSDIS, the panel members did understand that electronic computational and communications capabilities were rapidly creating an entirely new environment in which the vision of EOS and EOSDIS could be realized.
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From page 541...
... ANNEX 1 541 advisory group realized that direct scientific involvement and governance were the key issues, they did not shout loudly enough, they did not provide a compelling alternative, and they did not convince those who made the decisions. Again and again, the project management juggernaut swept over their concerns and rolled onto the next redesign.
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Key Terms

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  • specified data
  • fledgling eos
  • successful examples
  • earth sciences
  • management structure

  • formal requirements
  • budget cuts
  • community piled
  • deeply involved
  • interdisciplinary studies

  • guide data
  • evolutionary process
  • energy balance
  • managers involved
  • accurate simulation

  • sciences demonstrates
  • engineering design
  • solicited proposals
  • wondrous capabilities
  • capabilities envisioned


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