Introduction to Cloud Computing for Geosciences Geoscience Application Challenges to Computing Infrastructures Challenges and Opportunities for Geoscience Applications in the 21st Century The Needs of a New Computing Infrastructure The Birth of Cloud Computing The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing for Geoscience Applications Summary Problems References Cloud Computing Architecture, Concepts, and Characteristics Concepts Cloud Computing Architecture Characteristics Service Models Deployment Models and Cloud Types Review of Cloud Computing Resources Summary Problems References Enabling Technologies Hardware Advancements Computing Technologies Virtualization Distributed File System Web x.0 Conclusion Summary Problems References Deploying Applications onto Cloud Services How to Use Cloud Computing Popular Cloud Services Use Case: A Simple Web Application Deploying the Web Application onto Cloud Services Conclusion and Discussion Summary Problems References Cloud-Enabling Geoscience Applications Common Components for Geoscience Applications Cloud-Enabling Geoscience Applications Use Cases Summary Problems References How to Choose Cloud Services: Toward a Cloud Computing Cost Model The Importance and Challenges of Selecting Cloud Services The Factors Impacting Cloud Service Selection Selecting Cloud Services Using the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Cloud Adoption Advisory Tool as an Example In-Depth Considerations in Cloud Service Selection and the Development of Advisory Tools Summary Problems References Cloud-Enabling Geoscience Projects ArcGIS in the Cloud Introduction ArcGIS in the Cloud Use Cases Summary Problems References Cloud-enabling GEOSS Clearinghouse GEOSS Clearinghouse: Background and Challenges System Demonstration Conclusion Problems Appendix 8.1 Template for Creating an Auto-Scaling Function References Cloud-enabling Climate@Home Climate@Home: Background and Challenges Deployment and Optimizations System Demonstrations Conclusion Summary Problems Appendix 9.1 E4M20a_000040_wu.xml Appendix 9.2 Climateathome_re.xml References 159 Cloud-Enabling Dust Storm Forecasting Dust Storm Modeling: Background and challenges Deployment and Optimization Demonstration Conclusion Summary Problems References Cloud Computing Status and Readiness Cloud Services Introduction to Cloud Services Amazon Web Services (AWS) Windows Azure Nebula Conclusion Summary Problems References How to Test the Readiness of Cloud Services Introduction Test Environment Concurrent Intensity Test Using GEOSS Clearinghouse (CLH) Data and Computing Intensities Test Using Climate@Home Cloud Test Using Dust Storm Forecasting Summary Problems Appendix 12.1: GetRecords example to search metadata Appendix 12.2: Example of Jmeter test plan References 221 Contents xiii Open-Source Cloud Computing Solutions Introduction to Open-Source Cloud Computing Solutions CloudStack Eucalyptus OpenNebula Nimbus Open-Source Benchmarking Considerations Conclusion Summary Problems References How to Test the Readiness of Open-Source Cloud Computing Solutions Introduction Test Environment Tests of Cloud Operations Tests of Virtual Computing Resources Cloud Readiness Test for GEOSS Clearinghouse Cloud Readiness Test for Dust Storm Forecasting Summary Problems Appendix 14.1 Ubench Patch File (Ubench-Patch.Txt) References GeoCloud initiative Introduction GeoCloud Architecture GeoCloud Activities GeoCloud Security Operational Cost in the Cloud Discussion Summary Problems References Future Directions Handling Intensities of Data, Computation, Concurrent Access, and SPATIOTEMPORAL PATTERNS Introduction Big Data Computing Intensity Concurrent Intensity Spatiotemporal Intensity Summary Problems References Cloud Computing Research for Geosciences and Applications Evolving 21st Century Vision for Geoscience Applications Technological Advancements Synergistic Advancement of Social Science and Cloud Computing Summary Problems References Index.

An exploration of the benefits of cloud computing in geoscience research and applications as well as future research directions, Spatial Cloud Computing: A Practical Approach discusses the essential elements of cloud computing and their advantages for geoscience. Using practical examples, it details the geoscience requirements of cloud computing, covers general procedures and considerations when migrating geoscience applications onto cloud services, and demonstrates how to deploy different applications.