While reading a recent issue of Eos, I came across The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG)

… a membership-governed organization that supports and promotes Earth science by developing and maintaining software for computational geophysics and related fields.

According to their Web page, CIG consists of:

• a coordinated effort to develop reusable, well-documented and open-source geodynamics software
• the basic building blocks — an infrastructure layer — of software by which state-of-the-art modeling codes can be quickly assembled
• extension of existing software frameworks to interlink multiple codes and data through a superstructure layer
• strategic partnerships with the larger world of computational science and geoinformatics
• specialized training and workshops for both the geodynamics and larger Earth science communities

As of this writing, CIG has seven working groups:

• Mantle convection
• Long-term crustal dynamics
• Computational science
• Short-term crustal dynamics
• Geodynamo
• Computational seismology
• Magma migration

With these working groups providing the focal point, CIG facilitates events (such as workshps) and software coordination. There is already an impressive software repository (with additions to the geodynamo area imminent). In addition to the Web site, there are a number of mailing lists available.

Based on my cursory look, I have a few comments to share:

• Although frameworks such as ESMF are mentioned on a links page, it doesn’t appear that there is any related CIG-ESMF engagement. Further investigation is likely required.
• I’m keen to understand how the term geoinformatics is defined by CIG. I expect it relates more to GIS and related disciplines in surveying and space-science engineering. It’s for reasons like this, I referred to the new geoinformatics in a recent paper. Again, further research is required.