Contributions from the HydroShare community data repository and linked computational platforms to hydroinformatics

Presentation for AGU Frontiers in Hydrology Conference, June 22, 2022, Hydroinformatics Roundtable I Online Discussion Session https://agu.confex.com/agu/hydrology22/meetingapp.cgi/Session/143096

Founded on the notion that solving big research problems in hydrology requires teamwork and integration of information from multiple sources, the CUAHSI HydroShare model and data repository was developed to support collaboration throughout the scientific data lifecycle of data preparation, analysis, management and publication. Content type aggregations within HydroShare resources enable users to organize multiple types of content within a single resource. Harvesting of metadata from uploaded known file types simplifies metadata creation. Data format standardization enables tools for data reuse. Incentives for users to put their data in HydroShare include publisher and funding agency requirements to meet Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) open data mandates. However, these incentives do not always provide immediate value to users. HydroShare has also established cloud-computing functionality via web applications linked to the repository through web services which provides a gateway to computing using data in HydroShare. Anyone can set up an application software service to operate on HydroShare resources. JupyterHub platforms, hosted in the Google Cloud and on XSEDE, interoperate with data in HydroShare, provide immediate value to researchers through reduced needs for software installation and configuration, and enable access to higher performance computing. They also provide a built-in means for documenting workflows, thus enhancing reproducibility and moving towards a fully web-based hydrologic innovation environment. In this round table I will discuss the contributions of HydroShare to hydroinformatics and give thoughts on ongoing opportunities and challenges.