A brokerage system for solar data archives

Scientific research and practical applications of solar physics require data and computational services to be integrated seamlessly and efficiently. The European Grid for Solar Observations (EGSO) leverages Grid-oriented concepts and technology to provide a high-performance infrastructure for solar applications. In this paper, an architecture for a data brokerage service is proposed. Brokers interact with providers and consumers in order to build a profile of both parties. In particular, a broker interacts with providers in order to gather information on the data potentially available to consumers, and with the consumers in order to identify the set of providers that are most likely to satisfy specific data needs. The brokerage technique is based on a multi-tier management of metadata.