[kepler-dev] Re: sampling

[Deana Pennington]

Is this something we could work towards with the SMS workflow analysis?  
Seems like we could have the SMS figure out, at the beginning of the 
run, what actors need to be parameterized based on runtime data, and 
could prompt the user for those inputs.  That way, it wouldn't have to 
pause in the middle, which is really not a great idea.  Some models run 
for days, and you don't want them pausing in the middle of the night, 
waiting for user input.

I think we should just add this to Shawn/Bertram's list of things to 
do...doesn't the SMS fix everything??? :-)

Deana


Chad Berkley wrote:

> Hi Deana,
>
> See my comments below:
>
> On May 26, 2004, at 1:24 AM, Deana Pennington wrote:
>
>> Chad,
>>
>> I worked on this for several hours yesterday, and still have some 
>> work to
>> do today.  It would be easy to figure this out just for the mammal
>> project...its turning out to be more difficult to think through a 
>> generic
>> sampling routine.  I think I have it figured out, now, though, and am
>> writing up some instructions for you.  I'll send those by the end of the
>> day.  Then we can talk about it on IRC, or by phone.
>
>
> Cool.  I'll be on IRC all day so just let me know when you're ready to 
> chat.
>
>>
>> Question:  I want to be able to sample in any dimension (space: x,y,z,
>> time t, or other dimensions).  We should be able to figure out which
>> fields in a parsed dataset are which, but I need to also allow for the
>> selection of other dimensions, which will have to be identified by the
>> user.  I thought about setting this up so that we could use your eml
>> ingestion actor to parse a file, then send it to the sampler.  However,
>> that requires mapping specific eml outport ports to specific sampler 
>> input
>> ports, which will not be known until runtime.  What is the best way 
>> to set
>> it up so that the user can send a file to the sampler actor, see some
>> information about the fields, and either select or parameterize the
>> correct fields to be sampled?
>
>
> I've been tossing this idea of stopping the execution to ask for input 
> around in my head since the SEV meeting.  I haven't really come up 
> with a good solution other than writing an extension to the pause 
> actor that allows an input dialog to be popped up.  How to configure 
> that dialog or get the actual information you need is a tough question 
> since I'd like to make it generic enough to work with workflows other 
> than GARP.  Edward or Christopher, do you have any examples of 
> workflows that stop execution and ask users for input then continue 
> executing based on that input?  I haven't seen any.  Does anyone have 
> any good ideas on how this could be done generically?
>
> The flow as I see it is:
> 1) execution is paused
> 2) a dialog that is partially preconfigured at design-time and fully 
> configured at run-time is presented to the user
> 3) the user makes a choice, altering the exec-time parameters of the 
> rest of the workflow
>
> Note that in 2, the run-time configuration may include such things as 
> dialog widget configuration with run-time produced data (e.g. 
> populating a list box with a run-time data stream).  The design-time 
> configuration would include issues such as choosing the input/output 
> ports and configuring what the logic of the dialog is (this may be 
> tricky).
>
> I think this is probably a necessary bit of functionality since I have 
> seen a couple different eco workflows prototypes that want to do this.
>
> comments?
>
> chad
>
>>
>> Deana
>>
>>
>> Chad Berkley wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Deana,
>>>
>>> I was going to start working on the sampling actor for garp.  could you
>>> refresh my memory as to how to that should work.  I have the inputs as
>>> a species and a scaling metric and the outputs as the intrinsic and
>>> extrinsic data.  aren't there different sampling techniques?  I'd like
>>> to build one generic sampling actor that can use one of a number of
>>> different techniques.  I'm on IRC now if you want to chat about this in
>>> real-time.
>>>
>>> thanks,
>>> chad
>>
>

-- 
********

Deana D. Pennington, PhD
Long-term Ecological Research Network Office

UNM Biology Department
MSC03  2020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM  87131-0001

505-272-7288 (office)
505 272-7080 (fax)