Presenter/Author Information

Andrew HughesFollow

Keywords

Application Programming Interfaces, model integration, York, rowing use case, York City Environmental Observatory

Start Date

28-6-2018 10:40 AM

End Date

28-6-2018 12:00 PM

Abstract

Application Programming Interfaces (API), that is standard ways of passing data across networks, are a suitable way to make both data and model outputs available to third parties. Model integration that is the practice of joining models together to answer complex environmental questions has six challenges: (1) describing models and making them available, (2) coupling approaches, (3) ontologies and semantics, (4) running compositions as fast as possible, (5) quantifying uncertainty and (6) visualisation of results in an appropriate form. APIs offer the ability to make models available nd can be used for model linkage or coupling.

The UK Research Council funded, York Urban Living Pilot (YULP) has been exploring how to use environmental models to improve urban living to underpin the York City Environmental Observatory. One of the tasks of the YULP was to investigate what model codes and their instances are available in and around the York area. Models instances were not to be readily available, apart from national data and model APIs.

A simple use case of when to take rowing crews of differing abilities out on the river based on the river stage and wind speed and gusting has been created. Observed data and weather forecast from APIs was combined to determine when it is safe to row. The lessons learnt from using nationally available datasets and model results have been digested and extended for other environmental problems, e.g. to examine the fate and transport of nano particles from Bus exhausts. The future of model integration using APIs is discussed and presented.

Stream and Session

C7: Integrated Modelling of Urban Ecosystems

COinS
 
Jun 28th, 10:40 AM Jun 28th, 12:00 PM

API-talk : How Application Programming Interfaces (API) can help model integration

Application Programming Interfaces (API), that is standard ways of passing data across networks, are a suitable way to make both data and model outputs available to third parties. Model integration that is the practice of joining models together to answer complex environmental questions has six challenges: (1) describing models and making them available, (2) coupling approaches, (3) ontologies and semantics, (4) running compositions as fast as possible, (5) quantifying uncertainty and (6) visualisation of results in an appropriate form. APIs offer the ability to make models available nd can be used for model linkage or coupling.

The UK Research Council funded, York Urban Living Pilot (YULP) has been exploring how to use environmental models to improve urban living to underpin the York City Environmental Observatory. One of the tasks of the YULP was to investigate what model codes and their instances are available in and around the York area. Models instances were not to be readily available, apart from national data and model APIs.

A simple use case of when to take rowing crews of differing abilities out on the river based on the river stage and wind speed and gusting has been created. Observed data and weather forecast from APIs was combined to determine when it is safe to row. The lessons learnt from using nationally available datasets and model results have been digested and extended for other environmental problems, e.g. to examine the fate and transport of nano particles from Bus exhausts. The future of model integration using APIs is discussed and presented.