PolarDataandPlatformInteroperability

Requirements

Preparedby:

Onbehalfofthe

PolarDataCommunity

January31,2017

StandingCommitteeonAntarcticDataManagement

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Summary

Thepolar regionsareof increasing interest to thewholeworldas a resultof their linkage toglobal climate systems, opportunities for economic development, geo-political strategicimportance, and their environmental importance as sensitive ecosystems and homes toIndigenouspopulationsandotherresidentsandsensitiveecosystems.

Polardataarerequiredbythescientificcommunityandresidentstosupportresearchontopicssuch as climate, atmosphere, land, oceans, ecosystems, ice and snow, permafrost, and socialsystems;andbytheoperationscommunitytosupportimpactassessments,engineeringdesign,safe navigation and operations, riskmanagement, emergency response,weather forecasting,and climate change adaptation. These activities contribute to environmental protection,heritage preservation, economic development, safety of life and property, and nationalsovereignty.

The polar data community is well organized and is pursuing activities to improve dataacquisition,access,andmanagementforallofthediversemembersofthepolarcommunity.IntheArctic,theArcticDataCommittee(ADC)ofSustainingArcticObservingNetworks(SAON)istaking a coordinating role. In the Antarctic, this role is being performed by the StandingCommitteeonAntarcticDataManagement (SCADM)of theScientificCommitteeonAntarcticResearch(SCAR)andtheSouthernOceanObservingSystem(SOOS)

Increasingly,theinfrastructureassociatedwithpolardataisevolvingfromsystemswheredataarediscoveredindatacataloguesanddownloadedtothelocalmachinesofusers,todistributedplatforms made interoperable using standards and providing users with storage andcomputationalcapacityclosetolargerepositoriesofdata.

Thereisstillmuchtobedonetomovetowardsanewmodelforpolardatamanagement,andbyworkingtogether,webelievethepolarcommunitycanachievesignificantimprovementsinpolar data interoperability. However, making significant progress will require adequatefinancial,technical,andhumanresources.Thefirststepinacquiringthenecessaryresourcesisto define what is required. The following table provides an initial estimate of the level orfunding that will be needed over the next five years to tackle the most significantinteroperabilitychallengesfacingthepolardatacommunity.

Theme Five-YearFundingRequirements

DiscoveryandDocumentation

§ Developmentofcommonmetadataelementsforuseina“singlewindow”searchthatproducesresultsbasedonmultiple

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catalogues

§ Enhancementofbrokeringtechnologiesthatcanconvertfrommultiplestandardstotheaforementionedcommonelements

§ Promotingdatapublicationandattributionsothatresearcherscanmaketheirdataavailablethroughmainstreampublicationoutlets,andreceivecreditforthepublication

§ Supportingthecommunityindevelopingcapacitytomakeusersawareofexistingdata

§ Consolidate,updateandmaintainobservingplatforminventoriesatagloballevelusingabrokeringapproach.

DataasaService

§ Supportingthecommunityindevelopingcapacitytoengageaspublishersandusersofdataservices

§ Workingwithcommunitiesofpracticetodevelopterminologyandknowledgemodelsthatenableuserstofullyunderstanddatabeingshared(e.g.structure,classificationsystemsetc.)(“semanticinteroperability”)

§ Developtoolsthathelptosimplifytheprocessofmakingdataavailableasaservice

IndigenousKnowledge

§ SupportIndigenouscommunitiesindevelopingprotocolsthatallowforethicalsharingofdocumentedknowledge

§ SupportskillsandknowledgedevelopmentdrivenbyIndigenouspeopleandtheirrepresentativeorganizations

§ Promoteanintegratedapproachtodevelopmenttoavoidsilos–ensurethatIndigenouspeopleare“atthetable”assystemsarebeingcollectivelydesigned.

CloudDataandComputingPlatformInteroperability

§ Makingconnectionsbetweenprominentcloudplatformsforseamlessintegrationofdataandresults

§ Establishmodelsforsharingalgorithmsandsoftwarewithinandbetweenplatforms

§ Streaminguserauthenticationacrossplatformsandintegrating

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resourceaccounting

Community Building, Governance, Sustainability and LinkagesAmongGlobalSystems

§ Enhanceexistingcommunitybuildingeffortstobetterlinkvariousinitiatives.Forexample,resourcestosupportaplannedThirdPolarDataForuminlate2017andapossiblefollowupmeetinginconjunctionwiththePolar2018meetinginDavos.

§ Identifyanappropriategovernancemodelfortheinternationalcommunity–recognizingthe“looselycoupled”natureofthecommunityandtheexistenceofthepolarcommunitywithinbroaderdisciplinaryandglobalcommunities.

§ Developasustainabilityplanthatdirectlyengagesfunders

§ Establishmodelforoptimizingengagementwithglobaldataresearch,developmentandcoordinationinitiatives

PointsofContact

Forfurtherinformationonthecontentsofthispaper,pleasecontactanyof:

§ SAON,ChristineDaaeOlseng,Chair,cdo@forskningsradet.no§ ADC,PeterL.Pulsifer,Chair,peter.pulsifer@colorado.edu§ EU-PolarNet,NicoleBiebow,ProjectManager,nicole.biebow@awi.de§ SCADM,AntonVandePutte,Chair,antonarctica@gmail.com§ SOOS,PhillippaBricher,DataOfficer,data@soos.aq§ Polar View Earth Observation, David Arthurs, Managing Director,

david.arthurs@polarview.org

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PolarDataContext

There is currently intense interest in the polar regions, with an associated requirement forintegrated information to support the research and operations of a growing range of usercommunities,includingscience,industry,government,andnortherncommunities.Anumberofpolitical, environmental, social, and technological trends are fueling this interest and activity,including:

§ PoliticalandPolicyTrends–Theinterestinthepolarregionsofgovernmentsaroundtheworld is driven by perceived opportunities for economic development,more efficientshipping routes, and the regions’ geo-political strategic and sovereignty importance.With theseopportunities comeconcernsover their environmental impact and risks tolifeandpropertyinanisolatedandhostileenvironmentwhichgovernmentshaveadutyto mitigate through emergency response and search and rescue operations. Theopportunities are alsomotivating countries to try to expand their jurisdictions and tobetterprotecttheirborders.

§ Economic Trends – Economic development opportunities include development ofrenewable resources such as fisheries and forests; non-renewable resources such asfossilenergyresourcesandminerals;andotheractivitiessuchasshippingandtourism.Closely associated with these opportunities is the need for related infrastructuredevelopment,suchasoffshoreplatforms, iceclassships,pipelines,railways,roads,seaports, airports, and housing. There is also the potential for increased pollution andenvironmentalaccidents.

§ Social and Cultural Trends – Concern about the impact of climate change is growingaround theworld and it is becoming evident that the impact is greatest in the polarregions. Of particular social relevance in the Arctic are the changes that are beingimposed on Indigenous Peoples by climate change and increased economic activity.Suchchangesincludeimpactsonhuntingandfishingpractices,impactsoninfrastructurecausedby coastal erosion and themelting of permafrost, and impacts on culture andsocialcohesion.

§ TechnologicalTrends–Anumberof technological trendsareprovidinga floodofnewdataconcerningthepolarregions.Ofparticularrelevancearespace-basedtechnologiessuch as earth observation, satellite telecommunications, global navigation satellitesystems(GNSS),andthedetectionofship-borneautomaticidentificationsystems(AIS),and a wide variety of in-situ observational networks. Each has a role to play inmonitoring the vast and harsh polar regions and each is undergoing significantimprovements in capabilities. However, ensuring the interoperability of these diversedata streams requires the development and implementation of appropriate datastandards.

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Thisbroadrangeofscientific,operational,andsocietalimperativesisdrivingtherequirementsforinformationinthepolarregions.Thepolardatacommunityrepresentedinthissubmissionareendeavoringtofulfilltheserequirementsbysupplyingbothscientificandoperationaldata.Scientific enquires are taking place across many domains, including the climate, oceans,atmosphere, and ecosystems in the polar regions which, through complex earth systemconnections, have significant impacts worldwide. Operational data supports shipping andfisheries companies,offshoreoil andgasoperators, researchorganizations, coastguards,andlocalcommunities,whorequireaccesstoreliableandoftennearreal-timeinformationtoplanand undertake their activities. Drivers of information requirements include a range ofregulations,standards,andpolicies(suchasthenewPolarCode1)aimedatensuringsafetyoflife and mitigating negative environmental impacts. More information on polar datarequirements and sources of information can be found in the Polaris study of the EuropeanSpaceAgency.2

PolarDataCommunity

Thepolardatacommunityconsistsofawidevarietyofdataproducers,managers,andusersingovernment, industry, academia and northern communities that need data for scientificresearchandtosupportoperationsandlivelihoodsinthepolarregions.Therecommendationsmade in this paper are supportedby a varietyof organizationswhichbringperspectives thatincludeArcticandAntarcticscience,polaroperations,andthe interestsofEurope,theUnitedStates,Canada,andAsia:

§ InternationalArcticScience–TheArcticDataCommittee(ADC)ofthe InternationalArcticScience Committee (IASC), Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON), and the ArcticPortal.

§ InternationalAntarcticScience–TheStandingCommitteeonAntarcticDataManagement(SCADM)oftheScientificCommitteeonAntarcticResearch(SCAR);andtheSouthernOceanObservingSystem(SOOS).

1Tohelpaddresstherisksofoperatinginthepolarregions,theInternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO)MarineEnvironmentProtectionCommitteeapproved the“Draft InternationalCode forShipsOperating inPolarWaters”(knownasthePolarCode)on21January,2015.Itwilltakeeffecton1January,2017.2ThePolarisStudyrevieweduserrequirementsforpolarenvironmentalinformation,consideredcurrentandproposedsourcesofsuchinformationfromspace-basedandin-situsensors,evaluatedtheinformationgapsandtheimpactoffillingthosegapswithnewintegratedproductsandservices,andprovidedapreliminarydiscussionoftheconsiderationsthatwillshapenewsatellitemissionstofillthegaps.See:http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/spaceforearth/Final_Summary_Report_Polaris.pdf

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§ InternationalCryosphereScience–WMOGlobalCryosphereWatch(WMOGCW),GrouponEarthObservationColdRegionsInitiative(GEOCRI),andClimateandCryosphere(CliC)

§ InternationalPolarOperations–TheInternationalIceChartingWorkingGroup(IICWG)andPolarViewEarthObservation(PVEO).

§ United States – The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the Interagency ArcticResearch Policy Committee (IARPC) Arctic Data Coordination Team, the Alaska DataIntegrationWorkingGroup (ADIwg), theNSF-fundedAntarcticandArcticDataConsortium(a2dc), the Arctic Research Mapping Application, the Arctic Observing Viewer, and theBarrowAreaInformationDatabase.

§ Canada–PolarKnowledgeCanada,theCanadianCryospheric InformationNetwork(CCIN),theGeomatics andCartographicResearchCentreatCarletonUniversity, and theCanadianConsortiumforArcticDataInteroperability(CCADI).

§ Europe–EU-PolarNetandtheEuropeanSpaceAgency(ESA).

§ Asia–Japan’sNationalInstituteofPolarResearch(NIPR)

Alloftheseorganizationsrepresentwiderassembliesofpolardatastakeholders.Manyfunctionastheofficialinternationalforafortheinterestsofnationalbodieswithresponsibilityforpolarscienceandoperations.Together,theseorganizationsrepresentover50countries.

Thepolardata‘ecosystem’isbroadandcomplex. Inanefforttomanagethiscomplexity,thepolardatacommunityhascreatedorganizations for thepurposeofpromotingandfacilitatinginternational collaboration towards improvingdata access and interoperability. In theArctic,thisistheArcticDataCommittee(ADC)oftheInternationalArcticScienceCommittee(IASC)andthe Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON); in the Antarctic, this is the StandingCommitteeonAntarcticDataManagement (SCADM)of theScientificCommitteeonAntarcticResearch(SCAR)andtheSouthernOceanObservingSystem(SOOS).TheseorganizationsworkincollaborationwiththeArcticCouncilandtheGrouponEarthObservation(GEO).TheWhiteHouseArcticScienceMinisterial thatwasheld28September2016mentionsSAON in its jointstatement as a critical contributor to “Strengthening and Integrating ArcticObservations andDataSharing”.3

3 “We, theMinisters representing the eight Arctic States (Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland,Norway,Russia,Sweden,andtheUnitedStates), fourteenadditionalStates (China,France,Germany, India, Italy,Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and the UnitedKingdom),andtheEuropeanUnion, inpartnershipwithArcticIndigenousrepresentatives...seeacriticalroleforthe Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) initiative—a joint responsibility of the Arctic Council and theInternational Arctic Science Committee—and encourage continued cooperation in other international science

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Therolesoftheseorganizationsareto:

§ Advisetheircommunitiesonmattersrelatedtodatamanagementanddatasharing.§ Contributetotheunderstandingofthenatureandstructureofthepolardatasystemin

thecontextoftheglobaldatasystem.§ Promoteandenable:

- Ethicallyopenaccesstodata- Normsoffairattributionanduseofdata- Longtermpreservationofdata

§ Facilitate the adoption, implementation and development (where necessary) ofstandardsthatwillenablefree,openandtimelyaccesstodata.

§ Facilitate interoperability of data and systems as needed to support the needs ofresearchers,Arcticresidents,decisionmakersandothers.

§ Establishexpertgroupstoexaminespecificquestionsorcoordinatetheimplementationof data management and sharing solutions. Partnerships with existing or proposedinitiatives driven bymembers of the polar science anddata community andNortherncommunitieswillbeencouraged.

PolarDataInteroperability

Interoperability canbe defined as properties of cyberinfrastructure that allow it towork andshare with other information products or systems, present or future, without unintendedrestrictions.Achievinginteroperabilityisamultifacetedproblemincludingtechnical(syntaxandstructure),semantic(howwedefineandlabelconcepts),legal(intellectualproperty,etc.),andgeopolitical (e.g. adherence to treaties) concerns, among others. The polar data communityunderstandstheimportanceofachievinginteroperabilitybetweensystemsandhasorganizedanumberofinitiativestomakeprogresstowardsthatgoal.

Forexample,inOctober2015,morethan100peoplegatheredattheSecondPolarDataForum(PDF II) to address the challenge. Data managers, scientists, funding program managers,Indigenouspeopleandtheirrepresentatives,students,andothersfromeighteennationssharedtheirknowledge,experience,andideasonhowtomakepolardatamoreusefulandvaluableinsolvingglobalproblems.4

organizations that contribute to Arctic observing and data-sharing, and building a network of community-basedobservation.”See:https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/09/28/joint-statement-ministers4Forahigh-leveloverviewoftheresultsoftheForumsee:polar-data-forum.org/programme/PDFII_Communique_FINAL.pdf.

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InMarch2016,thethirdArcticObservingSummitwasheldtoconsiderstrategiesforsustainedsupportoflong-termArcticobserving.TheseventhrecommendationfromtheSummitsetsthestageforpolardatainteroperabilityefforts:

“7. Work, through the SAON Arctic Data Committee, to develop a broad, globallyconnected Arctic observing data and information system of systems that is based onopenaccessdata and standards, in addition to recognizing andaddressing ethical useand proprietary rights of Indigenous Knowledge, and that delivers value to Arctic andglobalcommunities.”5

Followinguponthepreviousevents,aworkshopwashostedbytheEuropeanSpaceAgencyinNovember 2016 to bring together stakeholders and make tangible progress on establishingstrategies andmechanisms for data interoperability.6 Theworkshop focused on a set of keythemes:

§ Datadiscoveryandmetadata§ DataasaService, includingpersistent identifiers, softwareasaservice,brokering,and

semanticinteroperability§ Representing and sharing Indigenous Knowledge, community based observations, and

thesocialsciences§ Clouddataandcomputingplatforms§ Governanceandestablishingsustainablesystems§ Connectingtotheglobaldataandinformationecosystem

Therearealsomajorregionalandnationalinitiativesestablishedandemerging.Forexample,inEurope the EU-PolarNet project includes a major component focused on data and relatedinfrastructure7,andINTAROS8andINTERACT9aremakingsignificantcontributionstoobservingsystems. In Canada, Polar Knowledge Canada is taking a lead in this area along with theCanadian Consortium on Arctic Data Interoperability, the Polar Data Catalogue, and otherinitiatives. In the United States, the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC)EnvironmentalIntelligenceCollaborationTeamistakingacoordinatingleadinpartnershipwithinitiativessuchastheNSF-fundedAntarcticandArcticDataConsortium(a2dc).

Thecommunity isworkingto linktheseeffortsthroughstrongcooperationacrossthegroups.For example, ADC and SCADM have drafted a Memorandum of Cooperation to enhancecollaborationandefficiencybetweenthesegroupsandotherglobalandnationalinitiativessuch

5Seehttp://www.arcticobservingsummit.org/aos-2016-conference-statement-06See:http://arcticdc.org/meetings/adc-meetings/interoperability-workshop7See:http://www.eu-polarnet.eu/project-themes/infrastructures-facilities-and-data.html8See:http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/205992_en.html9See:http://www.eu-interact.org/

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astheIARPCADCT,NSFa2dc,SouthernOceanObservingSystem,ResearchDataAlliance,WorldDataSystem,GrouponEarthObservations,andothers.

InteroperabilityofPolarDataPlatforms

There is already a considerable wealth of polar data available through portals that varysubstantiallyinfunction,scope,capability,andcontent.However,thepolardatacommunityisaware that there are many opportunities for improvement in how polar data are stored,managed, discovered, and delivered to users across these platforms, and they are workingcollaboratively,withlimitedresources,toimprovethesituation.

Thedevelopmentofpolardataplatforms isoccurringwithinacontextof rapidgrowth in theprovisionofpolardataandchangeinuserexpectationsaboutaccesstoanduseofsuchdata.Thedataavailableonthestateoftheplanet isgrowing inprecision,volume,velocity,variety,andvalue,increasingthecomplexityofscenariosfordataexploitation,aswellastheresourcesrequired by the communities using the data. A number of groups are developing innovativeapproaches to the creation of polar data platforms. These approaches share some commoncharacteristics:

§ Individual parameters by themselves are not nearly as valuable as integrated data sets.Therefore,thetrendistoprovidedataplatformuserswithaccesstoawiderangeofdatatypesthattheycanbeexploitedtogether.

§ Withtheexplosionof thedata thatareavailable,datadiscoveryandanalysis isbecomingincreasinglychallenging.Asaresult,thetrendistoincludesophisticateddatavisualizationtools to enable data platformusers to easily see and understand both the data they canutilizeandtheresultsoftheiranalysisofthatdata.

§ Thequantity of data available, especially EOdata,means that it is oftennot practical foreachusertodownloadthedatatheyneedtotheirlocalenvironment.Rather,thetrendistobringthealgorithmstothedataandonlydownloadtheresultsoftheircalculations.

§ Working with such large data sets is often computationally intensive. This means thatmoderndataplatformsneedtoprovideuserswithhighlycapableICTinfrastructurefordataprocessing,storage,andnetworking.

§ Research is increasingly collaborative. Therefore, the trend is to combine data andcomputation capabilities with the tools required for such collaboration and the ensuingdisseminationofresearchresults.

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§ The increasing diversity of data sources and the need for scientific and operationalcommunitiestoaccessdataunfamiliartothemmakesitessentialthatuseabledataqualityinformationisavailableforallproducts.

§ Thereisanaversiontolock-inwithanyonetechnologyorsupplier. Therefore,manydataplatforms use open source softwarewhere possible and are platform independent, oftenhostedinthecloud.

In summary, modern polar data platforms are going far beyond traditional data portals bycombiningmultiple functionalitiesandmaking themavailable in thecloud. Examplesof suchplatformsthatarecurrentlybeingdevelopedincludethePolarThematicExploitationPlatform(Polar TEP) being sponsored by the European Space Agency, the INTAROS Integrated ArcticObserving System platform (iAOS) being sponsored by the European Commission, and theArctic-BorealVulnerabilityExperiment(ABoVE)ScienceCloudbeingsponsoredbyNASA.Moreworkneedstobedonetomaketheseplatformstrulyinteroperable.

PriorityActivities

While the polar data community has collaborated to make significant advances in datamanagementandavailability,thereisstillmuchtobedone.Thecurrentactivitiesofpolardatamanagementorganizationsinclude:

§ Data Discovery and Description – A foundational component of an interoperable datasystemistheabilitytodiscoverdataandevaluateitintermsofquality,fitnessforuseetc..Therearemanyapproachesavailablethatcansupportthedevelopmentofthiscomponent,including theestablishmentof a common setofmetadataelements relevant acrosspolarsciences, adoption of ‘brokering’ technologies that can helpmediatemetadata and otherdescriptionswheredifferentstandardsareinuse,andthepromotionofnewparadigmsfordata publication and citation for polar researchers (e.g. using Digital Object Identifiers topublishdata). Oneaspectofdatadiscoverability is tohaveanoverviewof theplatforms(stations,ships,satellites,aircrafts,buoys)thatareproducingtheobservationaldata.Manyinitiativesmaintaininventoriesoftheseatthenationalorregionallevel.Thisisthecaseforinitiatives like COMNAP, EU-PolarNet, EuroFleet, FARO, INTERACT, Polar Data Catalogue,SCAR, INTAROS (emerging) and WMO. There is, however, a need for consolidated,continuously updated inventory of observational platforms, including extension to lesserdocumentedareassuchasRussia.

§ DataandSystems Interoperability: Interoperability, theability toeasily sharedataacrosssystems and users, is one of the most important priorities identified by the polar data

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community. An interoperable system must enable data access that can support manydifferentusers. In2017,thismeansmovingtowardsaservice-orientedmodelthatmakesdataandprocessingservicesavailableasalivestreamovertheInternet,ratherthanastaticdownload for local processing. Thismay include visualization or othermediation such astranslating vocabularies to make data usable by different communities. Achievinginteroperability will require adequate resources, a certain level of standardization, and aconnectedcommunity.

§ Standards and Specifications – The overarching purpose of the polar data managementcommunityistopromoteandfacilitateinternationalcollaborationtowardsthegoaloffree,ethically open, sustained, and timely access to polar data through useful, usable, andinteroperable systems. This includes facilitating the adoption, implementation anddevelopment(wherenecessary)ofstandardsthatwillenablefree,openandtimelyaccesstodata.Asindicated,establishingstandardstosupportdataexchangeandinterpretationiscentraltoachievinginteroperability.

§ Including Arctic Indigenous Perspectives, Knowledge and Information: In this time ofchange,IndigenousknowledgeandtheunderlyingobservationsofArcticpeoplesaremoreimportant than ever. Alongwith the knowledge of non-Indigenous local inhabitants, thisknowledge is being increasingly documented and represented as digital data, but thenuances of these data are not well understood by the broader data management andscience community. The perspectives of Indigenous people and other northern residentsmust be heard directly. This will enhance understanding of how Indigenous and localknowledgeandobservationscanbeusedappropriately.

§ CommunityBuildingandGovernance:Improvedpolardatasharingthatispartofabroaderglobal systemwill require community building, collaboration, and coordination of efforts.Todothis,abetterunderstandingisneededacrossmanyscalesofthenatureofthepolardata community (who is doing the work, where, what systems, etc.) and what it iscollectively trying to achieve. Through the established bodies discussed above, improvedcommunication,outreach,andcoordinationwithinthepolarcommunityisneeded.

§ Data Preservation and Rescue: Past observations must be continually re-used and re-purposed to increase current understanding. Therefore, data, Indigenous Knowledge(especiallyofElders),andallthenecessarydescriptiveinformationmustbepreserved.Toooften, preservation is forgotten and datamanagersmust pursue “data rescue” activities.Evencurrentdataareat riskof loss. Strategicdata rescueprogramsmustbedeveloped,andpreservationmustbeprioritizedasalong-terminvestmentandcost-savingmeasure.

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PolarDataResourceRequirements

The most import conclusion from all of the studies and workshops to date is that makingsignificantprogresswill requireadequate financial, technical,andhumanresources. The firststepinacquiringthenecessaryresourcesistodefinewhatwillberequired.Thefollowingtableprovides an initial estimateof the level or funding that is neededover thenext five years totacklethemostsignificantchallengesfacingthepolardatacommunity.

Theme

DiscoveryandDocumentation

§ Developmentofcommonmetadataelementsforuseina“singlewindow”searchthatproducesresultsbasedonmultiplecatalogues

§ Enhancementofbrokeringtechnologiesthatcanconvertfrommultiplestandardstotheaforementionedcommonelements

§ Promotingdatapublicationandattributionsothatresearcherscanmaketheirdataavailablethroughmainstreampublicationoutlets,andreceivecreditforthepublication

§ Supportingthecommunityindevelopingcapacitytomakeusersawareofexistingdata(e.gtrainingcoursesandmaterials)

§ Consolidate,updateandmaintainobservingplatforminventoriesatagloballevelusingabrokeringapproach.

DataasaService

§ Supportingthecommunityindevelopingcapacitytoengageaspublishersandusersofdataservices

§ Workingwithcommunitiesofpracticetodevelopterminologyandknowledgemodelsor“ontologies”thatenableuserstofullyunderstanddatabeingshared(e.g.structure,classificationsystemsetc.)(“semanticinteroperability”)

§ Developsoftwaretoolsthathelptosimplifytheprocessofmakingdataavailableasaservice

IndigenousKnowledge

§ SupportIndigenouscommunitiesindevelopingprotocolsthatallowforethicalsharingofdocumentedknowledge

§ SupportskillsandknowledgedevelopmentdrivenbyIndigenouspeopleandtheirrepresentativeorganizations

§ Promoteanintegratedapproachtodevelopmenttoavoidsilos–ensurethatIndigenous

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peopleare“atthetable”assystemsarebeingcollectivelydesigned.

CloudDataandComputingPlatformInteroperability

§ Makingconnectionsbetweenprominentcloudplatformsforseamlessintegrationofdataandresults

§ Establishmodelsforsharingalgorithmsandsoftwarewithinandbetweenplatforms

§ Streaminguserauthenticationacrossplatformsandintegratingresourceaccounting

CommunityBuilding,Governance,SustainabilityandLinkagesAmongGlobalSystems

§ Enhanceexistingcommunitybuildingeffortstobetterlinkvariousinitiatives.Forexample,resourcestosupportaplannedThirdPolarDataForuminlate2017andapossiblefollowupmeetinginconjunctionwiththePolar2018meetinginDavos.

§ Identifyanappropriategovernancemodelfortheinternationalcommunity–recognizingthe“looselycoupled”natureofthecommunityandtheexistenceofthepolarcommunitywithinbroaderdisciplinaryandglobalcommunities.

§ Developasustainabilityplanthatdirectlyengagesfunders

§ Establishmodelforoptimizingengagementwithglobaldataresearch,developmentandcoordinationinitiatives