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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
APPENDIX B
335
magnetic field. However, to study flare events in detail requires development of dedicated sensors with
intrinsic ion suppression and sufficient angular resolution.
Technologies using electrostatic deflection and collimator-based imaging exist for lower energies.
The techniques must be expanded toward higher energies, and new system integration and development
are needed. This instrumentation requires basic system development, followed by staged boosting of the
system’s TRL.
DATA SYSTEMS
Data from NASA’s heliophysics missions and many ground-based observatories can be obtained currently online, either directly from individual websites or through central archives such as the Solar Data
Analysis Center, the Space Physics Data Facility, or the National Space Science Data Center. These data
archives are also accessible through virtual observatories (VxOs), whose goals are to provide one-stop
access to validated science data from many observatories, along with the necessary tools for cross-mission
analysis and visualization. Access to sophisticated modeling tools is provided by repositories such as the
Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). Such agency-sponsored facilities host physics-based
or empirical models developed by the user community and allow users to perform their own simulations.
Current Status
Significant progress has been made over the past decade in defining the fundamental components
of the data environment (virtual observatories, archives, etc.) and in starting to build and integrate them.
However there continues to be a dearth of tools for using and analyzing data. However, projected data
requirements for new projects are not as demanding as the leap from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory to the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). New requirements can probably be met with existing
technologies and software. For instance, daily generation of Advanced Technology Solar Telescope data
in 2018 is estimated to be ~4 TB, about the same as the current SDO export rate. It is also noted that
some segments of the research community still suffer from the lack of effective data policies enforced by
sponsoring agencies.
Data systems supporting heliophysics research over the past decade have evolved from stand-alone,
custom-built “stove-pipes” to distributed, interacting systems that leverage software and technologies
developed by the community. Much of this welcome development has come through NASA’s Heliophysics Data Environment (HPDE) enhancement and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Directorate for
Computer and Information Science and Engineering and Office of Cyberinfrastructure. Many heliophysics
data sets and models are hosted at multiple data archives and modeling centers, each with different architectures and formats. And much of the work on data systems infrastructure is funded through individual
principal investigator teams. This results in uncoordinated software development, unpredictable support
life cycle, and data analysis tools with limited scope. Such activity also draws funds and focus away from
scientific research and analysis activities, since investigators are obliged to provide data sets and analysis
tools as deliverables. Unfortunately, many of the existing archives, modeling centers, and VxOs are not
inter-compatible, despite significant overlap in content or access.
The current lack of coordination among data and modeling centers stems mainly from their different
philosophies, emphases, formats, architectures, and purposes. One can obtain similar data sets from various nationally funded data archives as well as from VxOs. The existence of duplicative capabilities, each
with significantly different purpose and implementation philosophy, provides greater, more flexible access
at the cost of generating confusion about which path to follow to the data. National and international
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
APPENDIX B
335
magnetic field. However, to study flare events in detail requires development of dedicated sensors with
intrinsic ion suppression and sufficient angular resolution.
Technologies using electrostatic deflection and collimator-based imaging exist for lower energies.
The techniques must be expanded toward higher energies, and new system integration and development
are needed. This instrumentation requires basic system development, followed by staged boosting of the
system’s TRL.
DATA SYSTEMS
Data from NASA’s heliophysics missions and many ground-based observatories can be obtained currently online, either directly from individual websites or through central archives such as the Solar Data
Analysis Center, the Space Physics Data Facility, or the National Space Science Data Center. These data
archives are also accessible through virtual observatories (VxOs), whose goals are to provide one-stop
access to validated science data from many observatories, along with the necessary tools for cross-mission
analysis and visualization. Access to sophisticated modeling tools is provided by repositories such as the
Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). Such agency-sponsored facilities host physics-based
or empirical models developed by the user community and allow users to perform their own simulations.
Current Status
Significant progress has been made over the past decade in defining the fundamental components
of the data environment (virtual observatories, archives, etc.) and in starting to build and integrate them.
However there continues to be a dearth of tools for using and analyzing data. However, projected data
requirements for new projects are not as demanding as the leap from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory to the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). New requirements can probably be met with existing
technologies and software. For instance, daily generation of Advanced Technology Solar Telescope data
in 2018 is estimated to be ~4 TB, about the same as the current SDO export rate. It is also noted that
some segments of the research community still suffer from the lack of effective data policies enforced by
sponsoring agencies.
Data systems supporting heliophysics research over the past decade have evolved from stand-alone,
custom-built “stove-pipes” to distributed, interacting systems that leverage software and technologies
developed by the community. Much of this welcome development has come through NASA’s Heliophysics Data Environment (HPDE) enhancement and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Directorate for
Computer and Information Science and Engineering and Office of Cyberinfrastructure. Many heliophysics
data sets and models are hosted at multiple data archives and modeling centers, each with different architectures and formats. And much of the work on data systems infrastructure is funded through individual
principal investigator teams. This results in uncoordinated software development, unpredictable support
life cycle, and data analysis tools with limited scope. Such activity also draws funds and focus away from
scientific research and analysis activities, since investigators are obliged to provide data sets and analysis
tools as deliverables. Unfortunately, many of the existing archives, modeling centers, and VxOs are not
inter-compatible, despite significant overlap in content or access.
The current lack of coordination among data and modeling centers stems mainly from their different
philosophies, emphases, formats, architectures, and purposes. One can obtain similar data sets from various nationally funded data archives as well as from VxOs. The existence of duplicative capabilities, each
with significantly different purpose and implementation philosophy, provides greater, more flexible access
at the cost of generating confusion about which path to follow to the data. National and international