UrbInSuRe will create a lifecycle pipeline for multidisciplinary, data-driven projects. The pipeline is an innovative model that combines successful elements of National Science Foundation-funded synthesis centers, such as the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and SESYNC, with technologies and expertise from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), Argonne National Laboratory, and the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI). The approach is currently being prototyped with the national GI working group at SESYNC. The pipeline will enable new ideas to emerge and coalesce in synthesis workshops and working groups that bring together trans-disciplinary teams with external partners from industry, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academia. Working groups meet for intensive retreats and collaborate remotely between retreats, led by faculty and supported by post-doctoral research associates, students, and staff. Each working group will regularly share knowledge and ideas with the other groups to ensure cross-fertilization. Below are the initial four proposed working group topics
The working groups will deploy a unique synthesis structure proposed by the Water Science Software Institute conceptualization team to advance both domain research and informatics methods and cyberinfrastructure. The groups would create high-profile publications, new methods and technologies, and new project proposals.
Workshops, working groups, and projects will be supported by an advanced cyberinfrastructure that will build from existing technologies to create a state-of-the-art community service platform and data/information from partner cities. The platform will support a collaborative process for seamlessly linking and sharing data acquisition and analysis, models, and workflows. This framework will support adaptive research and decision making to rapidly identify and advance new data and technology needs. The platform will be made available to campus and external users for open research, education, and engagement; users will be invited to contribute to advancing its capabilities through an open-source community.
