Towards a Next Generation of Open Scientific Data Repositories and Services

Scientific repositories found in institutions and organizations consist of data and programs. Data consists principally of numeric data, images, and text documents. Programs consist principally of software methods for visualizing and processing data and simulators of natural processes. Data represents both measured physical behavior and the results of simulations. The integration and visualization of scientific repositories into an easily accessed interoperable networked environment is needed in many disciplines for both scientific and management purposes. To satisfy these needs we present an open hybrid architecture, which combines digital library technology, information integration mechanisms and workflow-based systems. Our experience is based on the THETIS [15] project, a distributed collection of scientific repositories focused on supporting Coastal Zone Management of the Mediterranean Region in Europe. It will demonstrate its ability to respond to users such as scientists and public administration authorities that use scientific information for decision making.