We are a home for Earth science data and computing professionals. Our sessions bring together the community for hands-on, interdisciplinary deep dives as we explore "Bridging Divides: Data, Technology, Community" this year. Learn more about this theme on the ESIP Meetings page.
Session and plenary recordings will be published on the ESIP YouTube Channel.
The NetCDF-CF based Unidata Common Data Model has become the de facto abstract data model for interchange of cell-based spatiotemporal data, but related conventions are being substantially renegotiated. Zarr v3 was released in early 2025 with sharding and a formal extension mechanism designed for community members to contribute Zarr extensions. The Zarr community prototyped a modular Zarr Conventions framework at the October 2025 Zarr Summit. In recent years, STAC became an OGC Community Standard and there is active work on aligning the datacube extension with the bands construct in the STAC core. OGC API-EDR is developing rapidly and aims to provide a set of use-focused query interfaces to data collections in this space. This session will bring together community members who work across these projects to discuss convergence, divergence, and coordination needs. The deliverable is a public seminar series proposal and specific actions.
Agenda: - Ethan will give background and status of the Unidata Common Data Model and NetCDF - Dave will describe current workrelated to Zarr, STAC, and OGC-API - Max will present the status and plans for GeoZARR - We will open the floor to discuss needed next steps to harmonize and coordinate the various efforts in the space.
Audience Data managers, cloud native specialists, oceanographic/atmospheric/landscape modelers, software developers, data modelers working with Zarr, NetCDF, STAC, CF, or OGC standards
Open unconference session — topics and format to be determined collaboratively by attendees on the day. All five rooms are available. Participants self-organize into groups around topics of shared interest and report back to the broader group.
The disruptions to research data access that began in January 2025 exposed significant vulnerabilities in the global data ecosystem. Researchers, repository managers, and data stewards were forced to confront difficult questions: How resilient are the repositories that underpin scientific research? Which datasets are most critical to preserve during a crisis? How can the community prepare for future disruptions before they occur?
While these activities have generated valuable insights, significant questions remain unanswered. What have we learned from the events of 2025? Where are the greatest risks within our current repository ecosystem? Which resilience strategies should be prioritized by repositories, funders, institutions, and research communities? And what role should organizations such as ESIP play in advancing this work? This interactive session will bring together participants from across the Earth science data community to reflect on lessons learned, identify remaining gaps, and collaboratively define priorities for future action. Short presentations will provide context from ongoing resilience initiatives, but the primary focus will be facilitated discussion and community input.
The session will conclude with a discussion of the future direction of ESIP's Sustainable Data Management Cluster, which is currently seeking new leadership. Participants will help identify opportunities for future collaboration and consider potential areas of focus, including repository resilience, data sustainability, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and data governance.
The goal of this session is not only to share updates on recent projects, but to develop a community-informed roadmap for strengthening the resilience, sustainability, and long-term stewardship of Earth science data.
“The really exciting part is not about putting labels on things, but about what you can do when you put machine learning to work on the labelled data.” (https://www.auscope.org.au/posts/2020/12/18/introducing-jens). President of the International Geo Sample Number Implementati... Read More →
