About PRISM

Contents

The PRISM concept and goals

Today, Earth System modellers share very little beyond what is provided by computer manufacturers: compilers, message passing libraries, etc. However, in reality, they have a lot more to share. The PRISM concept, initially proposed as a Euroclivar recommendation, is to go further and share the development, maintenance and support of a wider Earth System Modelling software environment. This is key to help assemble, run, monitor, and post-process Earth System Models (ESM) based on state-of-the-art component models developed in the different climate research centres in Europe and elsewhere. This software environment proposes a number of technical standards for existing and future ESM internal composition and external control. Thus, it promotes the key scientific diversity of the community by lowering technical development efforts of ESM teams.

The benefits

The extensive use of the OASIS coupler illustrates the benefits of a successful shared software infrastructure. In 1991, CERFACS was commissioned to realise a software for coupling different geophysical component models developed independently by different research groups. Flexibility, modularity, and adaptability naturally emerged as key design concepts. The OASIS development team also strongly focussed on efficient user's support and constant integration of the developments fed back by the users. This interaction snowballed and resulted in a constantly growing community. Today, OASIS capitalises about 25 person years (py) of mutual developments and fulfils the coupling needs of about 15 climate research groups around the world. The effort invested in OASIS therefore represents, on a first order, 25 person.years/15 groups = 1,7 person.years/group, which is certainly much less than the effort that would have been required by each group to develop its own coupler. Today, OASIS is at the core of the PRISM software

The long term benefits of shared software infrastructure for ESM also include:

  • high performance, portable, flexible and standard based ESM software, developed by dedicated IT experts, available to institutes and teams at low cost: this helps ES scientists focus on ES science and thus helps to maintain key scientific diversity.
  • easier to assemble ESMs based on community models.
  • as demonstrated in other fields, a shared infrastructure is a powerful incentive for increased scientific collaboration.
  • computer manufacturers are willing to contribute to the infrastructure: this will help efficiency (porting, optimisation) on a variety of platforms, the optimization of next generation of platforms for ESM needs, easier procurements and benchmarking, reduce computing costs.

The PRISM Areas of Expertise

The PRISM activities are organised around five PRISM areas of expertise (PAEs):

Each PAE has the following remits:

  1. Promotion and, if needed, development of software tools for Earth System Modelling (including beta-testing). The labelling of a "PRISM tool" within a PAE requires that:
    • the tool is portable, ported to different platforms, modular, usable independently, and interoperable with the other PRISM tools
    • there is documented interest from the community or part of the community to use the tool
    • the tool developers are ready to provide user support
    • the tool is freely available for research
  2. Encouragement and organisation of related network of experts, including technology watch
  3. Promotion and participation in the definition of community standards where needed;
  4. Coordination with 1) other PRISM areas of expertise 2) related international activities.

For further information see the PRISM Areas of Expertise page

The metadata activity within PRISM supports a number of standards developed in the community and contributes to their development and community-wide use as part of its "good practice" dissemination.

The organisation: the PSI

The PRISM Support Initiative (PSI) was established in October 2004 as a distributed multi-institute structure to ensure the continued support of PRISM to the benefit of the community. About 12 partners and associated partners provide the equivalent of 9 py/y. The Steering Board, composed of the partners significantly contributing to the PSI, approves a 3 yearly work plan. The coordination is ensured by the PRISM Core Group composed of the PRISM Coordinator(s), the PAEs leaders, the Chair of the PRISM User Group (PUG) and any other expert appointed by the SB. The current structure of the PSI can be found here PDF Document.

The community

The first version of the "PRISM software" was initially developed under European Framework Programme V funding and is now emerging as a core strategic framework for building the European Research Area in Earth System sciences. PRISM represents the first major collective effort, at the European level, to develop ESM supporting software in a shared and coherent way, as is recognised by the Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) and the Modelling Panel of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) that endorsed its value as a "key European infrastructure project"

PRISM is actively engaged with the other major related projects worldwide to jointly define technical standards and share expertise and tools.

PRISM community meetings and user surveys are organised on a regular basis to capture community feedbacks and help prepare future work plans and development priorities.

Further Information and Presentations

Further information on PRISM can be found in the following documents:

 

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