The Challenges and Opportunities of Workflow Systems in Environmental Research

WIRADA environmental science is broad and challenging, involving researchers who historically work alone or in small groups, data sources that are numerous and distributed, and models that are numerous. The WIRADA informatics team conducts research and deploys technologies that advance the overall broad science objectives of WIRADA of which workflow systems are an integral component. The fundamental question in assessing the workflow activity of WIRADA is identifying from among the vast expanse of computational research activity that which is the most amenable to the benefits that can be had by using workflow technology. As determined from studying and discussing the work methods of hydrologists, I conclude that workflows provide the clearest return on investment for operational systems by enabling efficient handling of repeatable analysis and by providing built in automatic metadata and provenance capture. In the discovery/science investigation space, on the other hand, careful thought must be given to if/when to invest in workflows.