Eric: A User and Applications Interface to a Distributed Satellite Data Repository

We describe a distributed computational infrastructure for accessing and processing a large repository of geostationary satellite data through a World Wide Web browser interface. Our repository of GMS5 satellite data is stored on a combined RAID and tape silo system, accessible from a cluster of DEC Alpha workstations, interconnected by ATM LAN technology locally (in Adelaide) and also available to another cluster of workstations (in Canberra) over Telstra's ATM Experimental Broad-band Network. Our system makes use of parallel and distributed computing software technologies, controlled using Common Gateway Interface and Java code invoked through a WWW server. We give some performance measurements for access times and processing times for various parts of our system. We discuss the rapid prototyping advantages and the constraints on functionality, scalability, performance and security that arise from using such technology.