Bill Gallus (Chair), Iowa State University
Steven Lazarus, Florida Institute of Technology
Lynne McMurdie, University of Washington
Chuck Pavloski, Pennsylvania State University
Dave Santek, University of Wisconsin
Russ Schumacher (Users Committee Chair), Colorado State University
Kevin Tyle, University of Albany
Sepi Yalda, Millersville University
Chris Lynnes, NASA
Mohan Ramamurthy (Director)
Ethan Davis
Doug Dirks
Terry Mitchell-Sur
Josh Young
Mohan Ramamurthy
Note: Lynn McMurdie is interested in hosting a future regional workshop.
Terry Mitchell-Sur
With the addition of the EarthCube Science Support Office (ESSO) award to Unidata's portfolio last year and with the increase in ESSO's budget for Year 2, non-core funding has been and will continue to be an integral part of the UPC's financial picture. The anticipation of level funding again in the core for FY17, with even the possibility of decreased funding, continues to put pressure on our finances. As part of our effort of increasing non-core funding, we were awarded another multiple-year award with the University of Virginia. We also landed new funding from the University of Miami and from NASA for the P.O. DAAC project.
Unidata's Business Development initiative is also taking off with new funds from the UCP Directorate's Office for that effort. Although agency funding is uncertain in both the short and the long-term with the new administration in Washington, D.C., we are situated fairly well with our existing awards for the remainder of the fiscal year. We will continue to carefully monitor our financials working with the SAC to set priorities and allocate resources according to the strategic plan for the remainder of our core award as well as for the development of the next core proposal and plan. We will pursue funding and business development opportunities wherever and whenever possible in an effort to move the program forward.
Mohan Ramamurthy
The SAC discussed NSF’s guidance to the UPC to consider options for implementing a 10% reduction in funding for FY 18. Mohan briefly reviewed high-level funding allocations for the UPC and discussed options (list previously provided to staff) for this exercise. In addition, SAC members considered mid- to long-term options to reduce UPC vulnerability to potential fluctuations such as the pursuit and retainment of foundation, international, or private sector funding for projects. Mohan noted that all three are under consideration though the private-sector partnerships and funding are the highest near-term priority. An action was assigned for Josh Young to provide a briefing at the next meeting regarding private sector funding.
Mohan Ramamurthy
Mohan briefed the SAC on the Site Visit Team (SVT) process and findings. The SVT was thorough and comprehensive, and made recommendations that were well-thought out and if successfully implemented would result in a stronger Unidata Program Center. At the same time, the SVT findings were overwhelmingly positive and noted the continuing community need for a Unidata Program Center. The SAC spent some time discussing the SVT’s recommendation to continue to focus on Earth System Science. SAC members requested more information on the background of SVT members and how the UPC intends to implement the SVT recommendations. This discussion led to to two additional actions: first, to institute strategic planning activities with Chris Lynnes and with ESIP as a possible venue; and second, to work with Chris Lynnes if UPC would like data on THREDDS discipline use.
Christopher Lynnes
Presentation not currently available
Mohan Ramamurthy
Mohan provided an overview of the current draft Unidata Strategic Plan and briefed updates completed by UPC staff since the SAC’s work on the strategic plan during the fall meeting. Additionally, Mohan noted that the timeline to finalize the strategic plan is this summer which would inform the next five year proposal due by September 2018 (the current period of performance ends April 2019).
Prof. Steve Ackerman (SSEC Interim Director)
Professor Ackerman provided an overview of the history of SSEC and its current activities.
Mohan Ramamurthy
Committee feedback noted the widespread use of the word ‘workflow’ and the need to provide some context around the use intended since it can have multiple meanings to different readers. Committee members suggested adding content on workforce development and highlighting benefits to students as well as educators and researchers. The Unidata Program Center might also want to consider the vision for international users.
Sepi Yalda
These types of documents are typically 2-3 pages, Bill, Sepi, and Mohan all involved already in some capacity. The goal is to generate principles instead of standards.
Additional Volunteers: Steve Lazarus and Kevin Tyle
Mohan Ramamurthy
Review of the NSF SVT Response (note this document is the property of NSF, as such it has not been distributed to the committee). Review focused on suggestions from SVT and further discussion on how the UPC can respond and what could be implemented to fulfill these recommendations. Specifics include raw metrics versus impact metrics, the value of schema.org markup for TDS, focus groups for non-atmospheric users (oceanography, hydrology, etc), and virtual training resources.
Mohan Ramamurthy
Overview of the UPC plan for GOES-16 distribution and announcement to the community. Plan to announce via the newsletter, website, and social media. Small volume products might be released on the IDD and the full set in the cloud via Jetstream and with much of GOES-16 also available on AWS. Committee members suggest giving up one GOES-16 channel for the lightning data.
Adjourn
Drafted by Josh Young on 5/30/2017