The Unidata Program Center (UPC) is searching for atmospheric science researchers or research groups to participate in a pilot project aimed at designing and implementing robust data management workflows. The project aims to assist at least three community partners representing modest research projects of different scales in the implementation of data management processes that satisfy National Science Foundation and other federal funding agency requirements.

Beyond simply satisfying current funding proposal requirements, the project hopes to test effective methods of collecting, transforming, storing, and sharing atmospheric science data. The methods used will be documented and polished for broad community use as examples serving to guide similar projects. If successful, the project will give researchers tools to satisfy funding agency requirements while making their data more widely discoverable, available, open, and usable by others in the community.

Data management mandates from federal funding agencies, professional societies, and publishers are becoming more common at all scales of research effort. To help researchers navigate the new requirements and implement effective, low-overhead data management workflows, Unidata is hosting an AMS Short Course on Data Management Planning and Implementation: Training on available open-source tools and services from the community and Unidata. The short course will be held the afternoon of Sunday, 10 January 2016, preceding the 96th AMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The short course will provide information on the current mandates, present a researcher-focused approach to data management, and introduce freely available services and tools that can be combined to manage and share research data. The course is intended for practicing researchers who are interested in both meeting the current requirements and implementing “best practice” data management processes in their research effort. The course builds on and extends information available in Unidata's Data Management Resource Center.

Scott Jacobs

Scott Jacobs of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) has been awarded the 2015 Russell L. DeSouza Award by the Unidata Users committee. The DeSouza Award honors “individuals whose energy, expertise, and active involvement enable the Unidata Program to better serve the geosciences.”

Jacobs is the IDP Onboarding Team Lead in the Production Management Branch (PMB) of NCEP Central Operations (NCO). PMB “serves as the technical transition between the research and development of all aspects of the NCEP's computing algorithms and their operational implementation. Production Management is responsible for final checkout of new applications software prior to operational implementation and its maintenance after implementation,” according to their web page. While Jacobs' duties at NCO currently encompass the release of the AWIPS II package, and specifically the National Centers Perspective, he has for many years been an important developer of the GEneral Meteorology PAcKage (GEMPAK) )and the associated National Centers NAWIPS software.

Note: The submission deadline for the Raskin Scholarship has been extended to October 15, 2015.

The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is an open networked community that brings together science, data and information technology practitioners around Earth science issues.

The Raskin Scholarship is open to a current graduate student in good standing at an institution affiliated with the ESIP Federation. To be considered for the scholarship, students must be studying an Earth science, computer science or closely related discipline and have an interest in fields related to current technical, scientific or applied activities of the ESIP Federation. The Scholarship will provide a $2000 stipend and travel support to the ESIP Federation bi-annual meetings. The Raskin Scholar will have an invited talk covering their field of interest at the ESIP Summer Meeting.

In case you missed it — here's a recap of news from the Unidata Program Center for the month of September, 2015.