HR: 14:25h
AN: C23B-04    [Abstracts]
TI: IGY+50, the IPY, and the electronic Geophysical Year (eGY)
AU: Barton, C
EM: Charles.Barton@ga.gov.au
AF: Geosciences Australia, POB 5414, Kingston, ACT 2604 Australia
AU: * Baker, D N
EM: daniel.baker@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: LASP/Univ. of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303-7814 United States
AB: During the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), member countries established geophysical observatories around the world. These nations were pursuing major IGY objectives - to collect geophysical data as widely as possible and to provide free access to these data for all scientists around the globe. By the beginning of the 21st century, we have achieved an unparalleled ability to acquire data and attained a good understanding of traditional regions - the troposphere, the magnetosphere, and other such "spheres". Much of the new and important science now is coming from the study of the boundaries between these regions and of coupling between geophysical domains. Thus, we need to make data available in a readily accessible form and in much greater quantities to a wider range of scientists than ever before. Several major international initiatives - notably the International Polar Year - have been proposed to commemorate and to follow on from the original IGY. As an important part of IGY+50, an International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) task group has recognized that a key achievement of the IGY was the establishment of a system of data centers and physical observatories. It has been agreed that for the 50th anniversary of IGY, scientific societies should promote the establishment of a system of Virtual Observatories. This can provide a forward impetus to geophysics n this century similar to that provided by the IGY fifty years ago. The proposed electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) concept embraces all available and upcoming geophysical data (e.g., atmospheric, geomagnetic, gravity, ionospheric, magnetospheric, etc.) and would organize them into a series of virtual geophysical observatories "deployed" in cyberspace. This concept implies a free access to all available data through the Internet and World Wide Web, taking advantage of existing networking hardware and software technologies (e.g., Internet, XML, Semantic Web, etc.). The eGY can be smoothly incorporated into the planned International Polar Year initiative and will provide an international focus for a resolve to address the issues of data release, data discovery, and data preservation. The eGY initiative is pragmatic and affordable and has been embraced by all IUGG associations.
DE: 4200 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL
DE: 2400 IONOSPHERE
DE: 2700 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS
DE: 3000 MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS
DE: 3300 METEOROLOGY AND ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting