ESIP Evaluation of the NASA AIST DOMS Project

The Distributed Oceanographic Match-up Service (DOMS) is a website that allows users to query satellite and in situ data sets to find matching observations and has been developed and implemented as a collaboration between JPL, NCAR and COAPS. A key aspect of DOMS is that the algorithm can access data at various distributed centers. This avoids duplication of large data sets, facilitates distribution when changes to data sets are made and allows an expansion to include many more datasets than one center by itself would be able to provide. The reviewers were enthusiastic about the future of this project and felt that it could be usefully deployed at all DAACs. The existing design is excellent, but the project should consider how additional capabilities might impact the project design and user interface now, rather than later, since the reviewers felt that there is the potential for a significant expansion of the initial user base envisioned for DOMS.