A generalized web service model for geophysical data processing and modeling

A web service model for geophysical data manipulation, analysis and modeling based on a generalized data processing system was implemented. The service is not limited to any specific data type or operation and allows the user to combine ∼190 tools of the existing package, and new codes easily includable. It allows remote execution of complex processing flows completely designed and controlled by remote clients who are presented with mirror images of the server processing environment. Clients are also able to upload their processing flows to the server, thereby building a knowledge base of processing expertise shared by the community. Flows in this knowledge base are currently represented by a hierarchy of automatically generated interactive web forms. These flows can be accessed and the resulting data retrieved by either using a web browser or through API calls from within the clients’ applications. The server administrator is thus relieved of the need for development of any content-specific data access mechanisms. The underlying processing system is fully developed and includes a graphical user interface, parallel processing capabilities, on-line documentation, on-line software distribution service and automatic code updates. Currently, the service is installed on the University of Saskatchewan seismology web server (http://seisweb.usask.ca/SIA/ps.php) and maintains a library of processing examples (http://seisweb.usask.ca/temp/examples) including a number of useful web tools (such as UTM coordinate transformations, calculation of travel times of seismic waves in a global Earth model and generation of color palettes). Important potential applications of this web service model for building intelligent data queries, processing and modeling of global seismological data are also discussed.