The GMOS cyber(e)-infrastructure: advanced services for supporting science and policy

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Data Science

Background:

• Coordinated, systematized, and cataloged environmental mercury databases are essential for evaluating mercury phase-out and ban effectiveness.
• Existing mercury monitoring initiatives, while extensive, lack a global, systematic, and interoperable approach.
• The Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS) project aims to address these limitations by establishing a coordinated global observation network.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the architecture of the GMOS Cyber(e)-Infrastructure.
• To describe services developed to support scientific research and policy-making, including collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Programme.
• To highlight new possibilities in mercury data analysis and management enabled by the developed infrastructure and client applications.

Main Methods:

• Establishment of a coordinated global observation system for mercury.
• Retrieval and integration of historical mercury data.
• Development of a high-performance technological infrastructure (Cyber(e)-Infrastructure) for data storage, computing, and telecommunications.
• Creation of sophisticated client applications for data access and analysis.

Main Results:

• A defined architecture for the GMOS Cyber(e)-Infrastructure has been established.
• Services supporting science and policy, including the United Nations Environmental Programme, have been developed.
• New capabilities for mercury data analysis and management are now available through client applications.

Conclusions:

• The GMOS Cyber(e)-Infrastructure provides a robust technological foundation for managing global mercury data.
• The developed system enhances the ability to assess the effectiveness of mercury control measures.
• Improved data management and analysis tools facilitate scientific understanding and inform environmental policy decisions regarding mercury pollution.