Earth Simulator Center

Earth Simulator Center

In order to be able to visualize our readings for class this week, I selected one of the projects mentioned: the Japanese Earth Simulator Center and found it very interesting, innovative and a good example of using digital images to aid research.

The Earth Simulator Center (ESC) is part of the Yokohama Institute for Earth Sciences in Japan and is research center that appears to be a carbon copy of technologists and researchers working together create data. They research ocean temperatures, storm patterns, atmospheric conditions, and seem to track marine fluctuations. They take the data and construct different types of simulation diagrams. ESC states that their mission and statement for doing this is to "build a harmonius relationship between the Earth and human beings...through various areas of research and development" (Jamstec.g.jp).

The data gathered is used construct elaborate digital pictures of natural forces as they develop. There are pictures demonstrating geothermic changes with the presence of urban communities and without.

ESC also prides itself in working collaboratively, both on a domestic (in Japan) and on an international level with other research groups, mainly with marine scientists, and scientists that study clouds, weather, and other atmospheric forces, scientists that track changes on earth due to civilization or climate change. They have a feature on their website that lists all the projects that they're involved in with a link that either takes you another website or a webpage with their data on a pdf. However, most of the domestic project sites are written in Japanese and it is difficult for me ascertain what exactly the PDF reports could be.

I'm no scientist, but the pictures were easy for me to grasp the implications and meaning behind their constructions. They also exemplify a lot of qualities that are listed as progressive in building a science cyberinfrastructure community, such as collaboration, the cross disciplanary approach to research, and showing clearly how this technology can benefit scientific research.