What is iemHUB?
The iemHUB is an online community resource that supports the development, evaluation, and
application of environmental models. As a consequence of the interdisciplinary nature of environmental
modeling, the iemHUB is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, discussion and collaboration on
models and tools that support multimedia and multidisciplinary analysis. The iemHUB provides a
unique environment for model access, simulation, and teaching and learning about environmental
modeling.
The iemHUB is the state of the art web-based platform for the Community of Practice for
Integrated Environmental Modeling (CIEM). The mission of the CIEM is to stimulate
interactions among its members to foster learning and knowledge sharing and spark innovation in the field
of integrated environmental modeling. The CIEM serves as an umbrella community that facilitates
collaboration across domain-specific communities (e.g. hydrologic modeling, air quality modeling,
ecosystem modeling, etc.) and promotes integrated modeling as a means of achieving better management
decisions, so that resources are more sustainably exploited and impacts are better understood.
Convergence toward a community approach to integrated environmental modeling has led the US EPA to
catalyze and support the development of a Community of Practice for Integrated Environmental Modeling
(CIEM). Other groups that are also participating in this effort include the International
Environmental Modelling and Software Society (iEMSs), the OpenMI Association, the Interagency Steering
Committee on Multimedia Environmental Modeling (ISCMEM), the Open Geospatial Consortium and the
Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI).
Why is iemHUB needed?
The use of computer modeling to simulate environmental processes and the interactions between
ecological and anthropogenic systems goes back several decades. Environmental models are now routinely
used to evaluate, understand and predict the environmental fate of pollutants, their impacts on human
health and the environment, and the costs and benefits of alternative policies.
Driven by the desire for sustainability and the need to better understand and effectively respond to
complex environmental problems that span multiple media and stressors, the field of environmental
modeling has spawned a new and evolving field that adopts an integrated systems analysis approach.
Integrated modeling encompasses a broad range of approaches and configurations of models, tools and
assessment methods to describe and analyze complex environmental problems, often in a multi-media and
multi-disciplinary manner. Adopting this approach brings with it a number of science and information
technology challenges including the need to:
- develop a common language of communication and meaning (semantics and ontologies) that crosses
the different scientific disciplines involved;
- transcend disciplinary boundaries to address issues such as the exchange of data between models
using different spatial and temporal grids, characterizing uncertainty in large multi-media modeling
systems, performing cross-disciplinary science experiments to elucidate inter-dependent processes,
and developing a systems-based approach to environmental assessment; and
- effectively and efficiently implement integrated multi-disciplinary science by standardizing the
manner in which data is transferred to and from components (much like what has been done in the
computer hardware industry).
The CIEM reflects a growing consensus among the environmental modeling community, especially those that are actively involved in integrated environmental modeling, that tackling these challenges requires a community approach. It has also become clear that some standardization would encourage the effective
use of science in resource management and public policy decisions. The community approach and
standardization of approaches where appropriate also allows a wider range of scientists and engineers to
achieve a fuller knowledge of environmental systems. It allows them to see the whole system of concern
better and execute their research and development in a way that fits with other researchers and in a way
that advances reusability of their science products. As communication and transparency improve, it also
supports the questioning of presently used theories and methods, critical to scientific advances.
What are the benefits of iemHUB?
The primary goal of the iemHUB is to advance the science and practice of integrated
environmental modeling by facilitating accessibility (finding and disseminating information easily),
improving interoperability (sharing components across platforms), improving reusability (using components
in multiple and varied contexts) and adaptability (meeting the diverse needs of end users or consumers).
The iemHUB thus provides a forum for greater scientific collaboration and more efficient resources
by limiting redundancies and duplication in technology development. It is also an opportunity to advance
the culture of community research, based on open sharing of ideas and information.
What are the features of iemHUB?
iemHUB includes the following primary features:
- Share and Access Tools and Documentation:
- Interactive Tool Repository: Users of the
iemHUB have the ability to upload, share and access their models and modeling tools.
The tool repository also allows users to collaborate on source code development based on the
open source Trac package for project
management. Each tool has its own project area within this site, with a Subversion repository for source code control, a
ticketing system for bug tracking, and a wiki area for project documentation. The iemHUB also
allows users to run interactive, graphical simulation tools through an ordinary web browser.
Any tool with a graphical user interface can be installed on the hub and deployed within a few
hours. For legacy tools and other codes without a graphical interface, an interface can be
quickly created by using HUBzero's associated Rappture toolkit.
- Manuals, Tutorials and Online Presentations: In order for
users to make the most of the tools on the iemHUB, they need to understand the
limitations of each tool and its underlying science. Along with the tools, each hub features a
series of online presentations, which are PowerPoint® slides combined with voice and
animation.
- Ratings and Citations: The hub philosophy is not to judge the quality of each
resource before deciding to post, but rather, to post resources and let the community judge the
quality. Registered users are allowed to post 5-star ratings and comments for each resource.
Registered users can also post citations that reference the resource in the literature, so
everyone can see other work that builds upon the resource. The ratings and citations for each
resource are combined with web statistics (measuring the popularity of the resource) to produce
a single number on a scale of 0 to 10, called the ranking, which defines the overall quality of
the resource. Resources with the highest ranking appear at the top of the list for searching
and browsing operations; resources with the lowest ranking are much harder to find on the
hub.
- Content Tagging: Each of the resources on a hub is categorized by a series of tags,
which are arbitrary strings defined by the user when uploading content. Each tag has an
associated page on the hub where its meaning is defined and its resources are listed.
- Member Collaboration:
- Member Directory: Each member of iemHUB has a unique
member profile that provides information on their organizational affiliation, contact
information, professional bio, areas of expertise/ interest, the resources that they have
contributed to iemHUB and the items that they have “favorited”.
- User Groups for Private Collaboration: The iemHUB offers the ability for
users to limit their collaborations to a smaller audience. Any registered user can create a
group and invite others to join it. The creator can accept or reject group members, and can
promote various members to help manage the group. Resources associated with a group can be kept
private, meaning that their access is limited to other members of the group.
- Wikis and Blogs: The iemHUB supports the creation
of "topic" pages, which are similar to the Google "knol" model for knowledge articles. Each
topic page is created with a standard wiki syntax by a specified list of authors. Other users
can be allowed to add comments to the page or even suggest changes.
- News and Events: The iemHUB includes a calendar and a
mechanism for any registered user to post events. This iemHUB calendar is the focal point of
the integrated environmental modeling community. The news section includes posts that describe the
progress being made by researchers on the iemHUB.
- User Support Area: If you’re having problems with logins,
questions about tools, or otherwise need assistance, the user support area is the place to go!
Users can click on the Help link near the top of any page and fill out a form to file a support
ticket. If a tool encounters an unexpected error, a ticket is filed automatically. Any registered
user can post a question, and other users can provide answers. At some point, the best answer is
chosen as the "final" answer by the person who originally asked the question. The list of past
questions/answers forms a knowledge base for the iemHUB community to access for immediate
help with a similar problem.
- Usage Metrics: The iemHUB reports metrics about how
its resources are being used, including the total number of users in a given period, the number of
web hits, simulation jobs launched, CPU hours used, etc. Statistics are reported down to the level
of each individual resource, so you can see how many users have accessed a particular tool, or how
many times an online presentation has been viewed.
Introduction to Integrated Environmental Modeling
Integrated Environmental Modeling
Integrated Modeling: Past, Present, and Future
The Road to CIEM
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