The INES2 infrastructure, or Infrastructure for Norwegian Earth System Modelling 2, is a collaborative framework designed to support and enhance climate research in Norway.
It aims to provide an efficient infrastructure for model simulations, data storage, analysis, and validation, accessible to both the national climate science community and international collaborators.
The INES project unites institutions within the Norwegian climate research community to establish, maintain, and upgrade the Norwegian Earth System Model (NorESM). This model is crucial for understanding the climate system and the effects of climate change.
National climate modeling relies heavily on the national high-performance computing (HPC) and NIRD storage services. INES2 ensures continuous and efficient use of these systems, recognising that climate research is fundamentally data-intensive and depends on robust data archiving practices to maintain data integrity, accessibility, and usability over time.
Ensuring FAIR data management
A primary goal of the INES2 project is to develop a state-of-the-art data management system to handle the vast amounts of data generated by the NorESM model. This includes ensuring that the model's output follows the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) to facilitate data sharing with both national and international research communities.
INES2 achieves these goals by providing solutions and tools for efficient and robust handling of model data throughout its lifecycle. This encompasses managing input data, data produced during model runs, raw model output, and standardised post-processed data shared globally.
Utilising the national e-infrastructure for climate data compliance and sharing
The INES2 project leverages the National Infrastructure for Research Data (NIRD) Storage and NIRD Research Data Archive to manage the NorESM input data repository. The model requires substantial input data for simulations, necessitating tools to ingest new data and synchronise it between NIRD storage and local HPC facilities.
To ensure compliance with the CMIP7 standards, the output data from simulations undergoes a process called CMOR-isation, a crucial step in preparing climate model data for analysis. This involves converting and storing data according to these standards, with eventual publication in the NIRD Research Data archive, requiring significant effort to ensure compliance and accessibility.
INES is publishing data on the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) handled in close coordination with Sigma2 who facilitates the Norwegian ESGF-node installation and maintenance.