The MagIC Database Looks Toward Stability and Sustainability with Open Source Software, Data Model 3.0, and New Funding
Abstract
After a long transition, the MagIC database has moved to a completely open source software stack, finalized the data model for the foreseeable future, and is transitioning to a more stable funding model. The previous iteration of MagIC was based on an Oracle database and this dependency became problematic when the San Diego Supercomputing Center decided to phase out its Oracle support. The cost to purchase the license on its own was prohibitive and we had to change our software system on someone else's schedule, not our own. We are now based on open source MongoDB and Elasticsearch for the data store and search and Meteor for the thick client and website. We feel this version of the data model is stable. Our plans are not to make any changes in the table or column names. This will minimize the work we and others will need to do on software systems that interoperate with MagIC or use its file format natively. We will still have the need to add columns to tables, but this should not break existing software, especially if programmers are aware of this possibility. MagIC has recently received three years of funding and is moving towards being supported as an NSF facility rather than as a research project. We hope this will provide the community with a greater sense of stability and permeance of their data archived in MagIC and that more researchers and groups will use MagIC as an archive and in their data management plans in the future.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMGP21B0641J
- Keywords:
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- 0699 General or miscellaneous;
- ELECTROMAGNETICSDE: 1594 Instruments and techniques;
- GEOMAGNETISM AND PALEOMAGNETISMDE: 1599 General or miscellaneous;
- GEOMAGNETISM AND PALEOMAGNETISMDE: 1714 Geomagnetism and paleomagnetism;
- HISTORY OF GEOPHYSICS