Topic: The NASA Earth Exchange Website, DASHlink, and C3: Designing Collaborative Websites @ NASA ARC

Speaker:   Elizabeth Foughty
                Project Coordinator, MCT Inc, NASA Ames Research Center

Location:   Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley (NASA Research Park Building 23) Room 118
Time:        Wednesday, Jul 14, 2010, 4:00pm-5:00pm
Directions: http://www.cmu.edu/silicon-valley/about-us/directions.html

Slides:       Foughty slides (.pdf)

Abstract:

NASA Earth Exchange Website, NEX, provides a platform for researchers and resource managers to share information and data derived from NASA's Earth observing satellites. Its goal is to encourage exploration and collaboration to create new ways to understand and improve life here on Earth. The NEX website component of this project will utilize the proven technologies and policies of DASHlink.arc.nasa.gov (one of NASA's first social media websites) to improve availability of earth science models, data, analysis tools and scientific results through a platform that fosters knowledge sharing, collaboration, innovation and (eventual) access to supercomputing resources. In addition, this project will provide the two communities of researchers (from DASHlink and NEX) a place to exchange data, ideas, and techniques. This presentation will cover our lessons learned from DASHlink, our plan for and current status of the NEX website, and how both of these promote open government. It will also cover C3, a django/python web platform designed to support collaborative sites like NEX and DASHlink. I will discuss the goals and purpose behind building a platform like C3 in lieu of simply standing up another web site.

Bio:

Elizabeth Foughty is a contractor at NASA Ames Research Center (affiliation: MCT Inc) working as the Project Coordinator in the Intelligent Data Understanding Group. One of her primary areas of interest is building and evangelizing Web 2.0 and collaborative tools to further science and the goals of NASA. Along with co-authoring papers on using Web 2.0 in government, she helped found the Ames Web Development Working group, and participated in the NASA Ames New Media Team. Her web projects include: DASHlink, a collaborative Web 2.0 site for Data Mining and Aeronautics Systems Health Management at NASA, the NASA Earth Exchange website, and work on the web strategy for the Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) program. Prior to her current position, she was a contractor for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (affiliation: ARTI Inc) where she helped coordinate the release process for the Public Affairs group. She holds a BA from Boston University.