Glossary
+Ecological Forecasting Cyberinfrastructure Terms
+Abstraction
+The process of focusing on the design of the IT system architecture and how components relate to one another. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Accessibility
+Availability of software and data in a public location with complete metadata, and the protocols to use, install, implement, and employ them shared. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Algorithms
+A set of rules designed to solve a computational problem. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
+Tools for programmatically interacting with data online. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Assistance for Land-surface Modelling activities (ALMA)
+A data convention that ensures consistency in naming, unit, and sign standards for variable exchange in model-data activities. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Benchmarking
+Assessing a model’s skill based on a priori performance expectations. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Comma-separated values (CSV)
+Text files using commas to separate values. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Cyberinfrastructure
+IT systems with components for data storage and advanced informatics for simulating natural phenomena and scientific interpretation. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Data assimilation
+Combining model predictions with observations to update system understanding. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Database
+Electronic systems that store and organize data and metadata. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+FAIR
+Findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Reference: Wilkinson et al., 2016, as cited in Dietze et al., 2023.
+Findability
+The ease of discovering data and software. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Internet of Things (IoT)
+Network of interconnected sensors and smart devices for automated environmental monitoring. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Interoperability
+The ability of software to work with other products. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Metadata
+Descriptive data providing documentation about other data or software. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs)
+Multi-institutional efforts for model evaluation and benchmarking. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Network Common Data From (NetCDF)
+A file format for storing array-oriented scientific data and metadata. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Ontologies
+Standardized collections of terms. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Open file format
+A file format without restrictions on use by any software. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Provenance
+Historical information of all analysis steps and components. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Repository
+Online storage for hosting software and code with related documentation. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Reusability
+The versatility of data and software in different settings. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Scheduler
+Software for managing scientific workflows periodically. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Software container
+An application package with dependencies for code execution. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Workflow
+Computational tasks executed in sequence with data flow. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Virtual machines
+Software providing basic OS functionality in a contained environment. Reference: Fer et al., 2021.
+Terms from Hendry 2023, “Prediction in Ecology and Evolution”
+Hypothesis
+An expectation on system workings for testable predictions. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Prediction
+Formal assertion about a state or outcome before it is known. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Expectation
+A weaker form of prediction with higher uncertainty. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Question
+Inquiry about system information for generating predictions. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Predictable
+A precise and accurate state or outcome given adequate system knowledge. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Prophecy (prediction as …)
+A formal prediction about the future state of a system. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Diagnosis (prediction as …)
+A formal prediction about the current state of a system. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+History (prediction as…)
+A formal prediction about the past state of a system. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Repeatability (prediction as …)
+Phenomena that are repeatable could also be predictable with sufficient knowledge. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Fate (prediction as …)
+When evidence suggests an outcome is inevitable. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Parallel or convergent (in the sense of evolution)
+Cases where evolution generates similar outcomes under similar conditions. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Forecasting
+Using past or present data to predict the future. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Hindcasting
+Using current or past data to predict another past state. Reference: Hendry 2023.
+Uncertainty
+The level of confidence in a prediction or outcome test. Reference: Hendry 2023.
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