A Sustainable Plan for the Future of the Generic Mapping Tools

University Of Hawaii, Honolulu

Investigators

Abstract

The Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) is open source software infrastructure used in the Earth, ocean, and planetary geosciences. GMT supports other software platforms and delivers data processing and visualizations (graphs, charts, maps) that promote new discoveries and their dissemination to society. The primary goal of this project is to transition GMT to a governance structure that includes a broader and more diverse community of developers. This project will (1) recruit and train new and diverse developers, (2) build a broad and sustainable developer community, and (3) modernize, simplify, and strengthen the GMT software. The first two tasks are critical social activities while the last is technical, involving code hardening, interoperability improvements, interface modernization, documentation completion, and data upgrades. This project will provide training in cutting-edge computational software development and data analysis, along with engaging undergraduate students in scientifically challenging tasks related to the GMT project. The project will also facilitate ongoing user training and developer workshops. This project is based on a vision for the future of GMT that incorporates how governance, communications, developer recruitment and training will evolve in the next decade. The project will design and implement a sustainable model for GMT maintenance and curation, and execute a series of essential technical improvements. These improvements will address a) automated testing and verification of results, b) development of GMT-powered software libraries in other languages (Python, MATLAB, Julia) and c) the recruitment of new and enthusiastic developers so that GMT may continue to be maintained and evolve in a changing computational landscape. In addition, GMT products such as coastline maps will be revised with modern high-resolution data as well as technical documentation of how updates are produced. Finally, this project will advance GMT to a sustainable environment that results in lower maintenance, greater confidence in GMT products, and a more engaged community of users and developers. This project is jointly funded by the Geoinformatics program in the Division of Earth Sciences and the Marine Geology and Geophysics program in the Division of Ocean Sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.