About the Sandbox
Mission
The IOOS Coastal Modeling Cloud Sandbox is a tool developed to explore the potential strategic benefits of leveraging the cloud across stakeholder communities and supporting scientists in quickly and efficiently transitioning their research into operations.
Vision
Development of technological advancements in recent decades have presented the scientific community with a myriad of new tools to conduct research and develop new, derived products. As one of the most significant advancements, the cloud may not only provide researchers with a way to efficiently store data and information, but also to collaborate more closely and develop enhanced models. The Sandbox has been developed and supported by stakeholders at academic institutions, government agencies, and industry organizations, who envision this as a strategic tool that will shape and implement new ways of conducting coastal science research and transitioning that work into operational models.
History
The IOOS Coastal Modeling Cloud Sandbox began gaining momentum when researchers and managers at NOAA considered the best methods for bringing research into operations. Although engaging with stakeholders across the community had always been a key component of these transitions, technical and security protocols have at times created barriers to effective collaboration with external partners and researchers. The concept of the Sandbox was created to explore the feasibility of modeling in the cloud, and to evaluate whether the cloud could closely mirror NOAA’s operational computers, optimizing the research-to-operations transition process. As the Sandbox continues to develop, it has also become a way to explore how stakeholders can engage and collaborate across organizational and geographic boundaries, as well as to identify ways in which the cloud can be leveraged to support end-to-end functional research.
