Microsoft Research is announcing a special Climate Data Award program to provide scientists and decision-makers with access to Windows Azure cloud computing resources to support the White House Climate Data Initiative’s goals of preparedness for and resilience to climate change impacts.
This project is in response to the White House Climate Action Plan. This plan is an outcome of the June 25, 2013, announcement by President Obama of his comprehensive plans to reduce carbon pollution and move our economy toward American-made clean energy and slowing the effects of climate change.
In support of the Climate Data Initiative, the Microsoft Research Windows Azure for Research program is sponsoring a special call for cloud computing solutions.
Windows Azure is a global-scale, public cloud computing platform and supporting infrastructure created by Microsoft for building, deploying, and managing applications and services on the web. These services may be a simple as a web page or as complex as a tool for exploring massive data collections.
Microsoft Research and the Windows Azure for Research program will grant 12 months of free cloud computing resources to 40 awardees selected from proposals submitted by June 15, 2014. Each award provides up to 180,000 hours of cloud computing time and 20 Terabytes of cloud storage. In addition, we will provide training classes to equip researchers with the tools needed to make use of this resource.
Microsoft further commits to the deployment of FetchClimate, a climate data resource for past and present observations and for climate-prediction information. FetchClimate will be available as a fast, free, intelligent environmental information-retrieval service and as a cloud-based system that can be adapted to the specific needs of new projects.
Finally, Microsoft Research will demonstrate powerful business intelligence tools built into the Microsoft technology platform. These tools support data self-service, analysis, visualization, and security that connect a decision-maker to the information streams that are forthcoming under the Climate Data Initiative. These tools could be coordinated in the following sample scenario: Windows Azure cloud services—through FetchClimate—would provide climate predictions for future extreme rainfall events. This predictive information would inform a planning model built on Microsoft Business Intelligence technologies, in turn enabling state planners to prioritize emergency preparedness and flood mitigation projects to protect population centers and transportation infrastructure from increased likelihood of inundation damage.
Microsoft Research uses Windows Azure extensively to build projects that are highly relevant to the Climate Data Initiative. These include:
• FetchClimate: This climate data-retrieval service provides past and present observations and future extrapolations.
• Node Atlas: This cloud-based service facilitates ease of data entry and enables a new form of geospatial data exploration. Users can select and perform visual queries by drawing multiple overlapping polygons, lines, and points on a map interface. Search results are then retained both as answers and as the basis for new questions.
• Layerscape: This cloud-supported service enables data-driven story telling by using a constellation of information management tools surrounding a powerful graphics engine.
Free entry for the largest geospatial trade fair in Latin America
MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica 2014 (https://mundogeoconnect.com/2014/en), Conference and Trade Fair of Geomatics and Geospatial Solutions, will be held from May 6 thru 9 May at Frei Caneca Convention Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, offering 30 courses, seminars, special events and professional meetings. Al inscribirse en dos actividades, el participante podrá seleccionar un curso, seminario o evento especial para asistir sin costo algun. By subscribing in two activities, the third one will be free. Check out the conference program (https://mundogeoconnect.com/2014/en/program/).
MundoGEO#Connect trade fair will have free access through previous registration (https://mundogeoconnect.com/2014/en/accreditation-to-the-fair/). For further information, contact MundoGEO by e-mail connect@mundogeo.com or call +55 (41) 3338-7789 / (11) 4063-8848.