It’s been a year since the Data Intensive Cyber Environments (DICE) group moved from UC San Diego to UNC Chapel Hill, and in that time they’ve worked closed with the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) so build a network of data repositories across the state called the “Data Grid”.
When completed, the Data Grid in action might work like this: Data on development patterns around the North Carolina would be stored at RENCI at UNC Charlotte, where researchers at the RENCI engagement center study urban growth patterns and their implications. An urban planner in eastern North Carolina would be able to access that data as well as the software tools that allow it to be viewed in a visual, intuitive format. Those same researchers also would be able to access coastal floodplain maps and storm surge visualizations stored at other data hubs and to use all of the information to plan sustainable coastal developments.
A great solution for visualization as a decision-making tool, if they can deploy it across a wide enough audience.
