December marks the end of a geographic pilot project, managed by Cybera, that improves researcher access to international environmental data drawn from more than 60,000 sensors and 2,800 web map servers. The Geospatial Cyberinfrastructure for Environmental Sensing (GeoCENS) project was created in 2009 as a 3D platform that enables researchers and citizens to gain access to, and share insights on, the Earth’s climatic, hydrologic, and biotic systems and processes. The $1.1 million system was funded through CANARIE’s Network-Enabled Platforms (NEP) Program. The GeoCENS cloud-based web platform collects and shares live and archived geographic data covering a range of topics, from soil erosion and ice thickness, to animal migration. This information is accessible through a virtual globe – similar to Google Earth and can be downloaded, analyzed and compared to other data sets. The open system works with a variety of data types, and enables researchers in the field to remotely upload their findings as they happen, both quickly and easily. The GeoCENS technology also allows for different applications to be built upon it, such as precision agriculture, groundwater monitoring, fleet management, or smart home maintenance. Read More
