Added AWRA-Spring-2024 and Google Cloud Next blog update (#105)

blog/2024-4-16-AWRATuscaloosa.md

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+---
+title: "AWRA 2024 Spring Conference"
+description: "AWRA 2024 Spring Conference"
+slug: AWRA 2024 Spring Conference
+authors:
+  - name: Arpita Patel
+    url: https://github.com/arpita0911patel
+    image_url: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/54657?v=4
+
+tags: [awra, tuscaloosa, conference]
+hide_table_of_contents: false
+---
+
+**AWRA 2024 Spring Conference**
+
+
+The **CIROH CyberInfrastructure team** recently participated in the **AWRA 2024 Spring Conference**, co-hosted by the Alabama Water Institute at the University of Alabama.
+
+Themed "Water Risk and Resilience: Research and Sustainable Solutions," the conference brought together a diverse group of water professionals to exchange knowledge and explore cutting-edge research in the field.
+
+CIROH team member **James Halgren** presented the work on **"Accelerating Community Contribution to the Next Generation Water Resources Modeling Framework." The presentation focused on building and sharing a continuous research data stream using the NextGen Water Resources Modeling Framework with NextGen IN A Box (NGIAB).** This project, a collaboration with Lynker members, showcases the potential for open-source tools and community-driven efforts to advance water resources modeling and research.
+ <div className="hero-image" style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+        <img src="/img/awra2024.jpeg" alt="AWRA2024Spring" style={{ width: '80%' }} />
+</div>
+CIROH team member **Sepehr Karimi** presented the work on **"Creating a community dataset for high-speed national water model data access"**
+ <div className="hero-image" style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+        <img src="/img/awra2024-2.png" alt="AWRA2024Spring" style={{ width: '80%' }} />
+</div>
+CIROH team member **Shahab Alam** presented the work on **"Model structure selection for the flood and drought predictions using the NextGen Framework based on the extreme event simulations"**
+ <div className="hero-image" style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+        <img src="/img/awra2024-3.png" alt="AWRA2024Spring" style={{ width: '80%' }} />
+</div>
+The conference provided a valuable platform for CIROH to share its expertise and connect with other water professionals dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to water-related challenges. The team's presentation was well-received, sparking insightful discussions and potential collaborations for future projects.

blog/2024-4-16-GoogleCloudNext2024.md

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+---
+title: "Google Cloud Next '24: A Flood of Innovation and Inspiration"
+description: "Google Cloud Next '24: Las Vegas"
+slug: Google Cloud Next 2024
+authors:
+  - name: Arpita Patel
+    url: https://github.com/arpita0911patel
+    image_url: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/54657?v=4
+
+tags: [google, googlecloud, googlecloudnext, conference]
+hide_table_of_contents: false
+---
+
+**Google Cloud Next '24: A Flood of Innovation and Inspiration**
+
+
+ <div className="hero-image" style={{ textAlign: 'center' }}>
+        <img src="/img/GoogleCloudNext2024.png" alt="GoogleCloudNext2024" style={{ width: '80%' }} />
+</div>
+
+
+Hello everyone, and thanks for stopping by!
+
+I recently had the incredible opportunity to attend Google Cloud Next 2024 in person for the first time, and it was truly an **amazing experience**. From **insightful keynote presentations and workshops to vibrant booths** buzzing with connections, the event was a whirlwind of innovation and inspiration.
+
+One of the highlights was undoubtedly the abundance of AI announcements and advancements. Google continues to push the boundaries of what's possible, and it was exciting to witness the future of technology unfold.
+
+Among the many highlights, **CIROH** achieved a significant milestone with its **first-ever session at Google Cloud Next**. The presentation, titled **"Channel the Flood Data Deluge: Unlocking the American National Water Model,"** [link](https://cloud.withgoogle.com/next/session-library?session=DEV209&utm_source=copylink&utm_medium=unpaidsoc&utm_campaign=FY24-Q2-global-ENDM33-physicalevent-er-next-2024-mc&utm_content=next-homepage-social-share&utm_term=-#all> ) led by **Kel Markert (Google), Dr. Dan Ames (BYU), and Michael Ames(SADA)** was a resounding success. The session [link](https://assets.swoogo.com/uploads/3771985-6615e3b5da2cf.pdf) shed light on the immense potential of the National Water Model and its ability to revolutionize water resource management.
+
+The **energy and enthusiasm** throughout the event were contagious, and I left feeling incredibly **motivated and inspired**. I connected with numerous individuals from diverse backgrounds, fostering **new collaborations** and sparking exciting ideas for the future of water research and technology.
+
+If you're curious to see more about my Google Cloud Next experience, head over to **my LinkedIn post [link](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpita0911patel/)** where I've shared pictures from all three days.
+
+Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more updates on the exciting advancements in water research and technology!
+
+**Want to delve deeper into the insights and announcements from Google Cloud Next?** Check out these valuable resources:
+
+**SADA Live:** Recap Key Cloud Technology Insights from Google Cloud Next '24: [link](https://www.linkedin.com/events/sadalive-recapkeycloudtechnolog7181342146724073472/)
+This LinkedIn event offers a comprehensive overview of the key takeaways and technological advancements unveiled at the conference.
+
+**Day 2 Google Blog Recap:** Dive into the specifics of Day 2 at Google Cloud Next with this insightful blog post, covering topics ranging from AI and data analytics to infrastructure and security. [link](<https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-next/next24-day-2-recap?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=unpaidsoc&utm_campaign=fy24q1-googlecloud-blog-ai-in_feed-no-brand-global&utm_content=-&utm_term=->)
+
+**AI Takes Center Stage:**
+
+-   **Gemini for Google Cloud:** The introduction of Gemini 1.5 Pro, integrated with various Google Cloud services, promises enhanced functionality, security, and AI performance across diverse applications.
+-   **AI Infrastructure Advancements:** The AI Hypercomputer provides exceptional computational power for complex AI tasks, while Gemini API now offers models tailored for various scales, enriching the development environment.
+-   **Vertex AI Enhancements:** New tools for low-latency applications and improved Gemini integration empower developers to build more efficient and sophisticated AI-driven applications.
+-   **Secure AI Framework (SAIF):** Establishes rigorous security standards for AI implementations, ensuring secure and responsible AI integrations.
+-   **AI Database Assistant:** Leverages Gemini to simplify complex queries and deepen AI integration into database management.
+-   **Google Vids:** This innovative Workspace feature utilizes Gemini and Vertex AI to enhance digital storytelling and collaboration, revolutionizing workplace communication.
+
+**Infrastructure and Development:**
+
+-   **Google Axion Processor:** This cutting-edge processor boasts significant performance and energy efficiency improvements compared to traditional x86 instances, setting a new standard for computational efficiency.
+[link](https://lnkd.in/g544-Tdt)
+
+-   **Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) Sandbox:** Enables developers to build and test services for GDC within a Google Cloud environment, simplifying the development process.
+[link](https://lnkd.in/gcDBFt4t)
+
+-   **Migrate to Containers (M2C) CLI:** This new tool facilitates seamless migration of applications to containers, supporting deployment on GKE or Cloud Run.
+[link](https://lnkd.in/gz_AmHCY)
+
+**Security and Data Analytics:**
+
+-   **AI Cyber Defense Initiative:** Revolutionizes cybersecurity by leveraging AI for innovative solutions against cyber threats.
+-   **BigQuery as a Unified Platform:** Transforms BigQuery into a comprehensive platform for managing multimodal data and executing AI tasks, seamlessly integrated with Gemini.\
+Check out all the announcements:  [link](https://lnkd.in/gNGYrg44)
+

docs/products/tools/nwm-gcp-api/_category_.json

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+{
+    "label": "N",
+    "position": 3,
+    "link": {
+        "type": "generated-index",
+        "description": "Lets dive right into Water Node"
+      }
+}

docs/products/tools/nwm-gcp-api/waternode.md

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+---
+sidebar_position: 1
+title: "Water Prediction Node"
+description: "Water Node Website"
+tags:
+  - waternode
+  - CoastWatch
+  - national water center
+---
+
+# Welcome to the Water Prediction Node
+
+[The Water Prediction Node (WPN) website](https://waternode.ciroh.org/) is a collaborative effort between CIROH, NOAA CoastWatch, and the National Water Center. The purpose of the website is to intake and disseminate remote sensing data relevant to hydrological modeling, prediction, and analysis. The data will come from a variety of sources from within NOAA, CIROH, as well as potentially other agencies and companies. This data will be disseminated to CIROH researchers, Water Center operations, and the general public.
+
+The other main purpose of the website is to serve as an educational platform and facilitator for the use of satellite imagery so that stakeholders that aren't experts in the processing and acquisition of remote sensing data can still use satellite imagery in their research efforts.
+
+## Data Catalog
+
+The WPN has a [STAC](https://stacspec.org/en) data catalog. The catalog can be accessed via the [graphical browser](https://waternode.ciroh.org/catalog/?.language=en) or programatically via R or Python. The WPN has [a tutorial](https://colab.research.google.com/drive/17IME_lDGYwpLR_Wv-NZW5nm519XK3oMT?usp=sharing) demonstrating how to download WPN data via python. More tutorials for working with WPN data will be created at the [tutorials page](https://waternode.ciroh.org/tutorials.html).
+
+The two main initial focuses of the data catalog will be:
+1. Flood maps created using satellite data. Maps created by [NESDIS STAR](https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/index.php) using VIIRS, Sentinel 1/2, landsat, and GOES ABI will be made available.
+2. ET related data. The WPN will catalog NESDIS STAR soil moisture products as well as remotely sensed vegetation indices that have the potential to improve hydrological model validation and evaluation efforts. 
+3. Baseline inundated extents and river widths. Baseline inundated extents are already being produced by the National Water Center and have the potential to inform the flood masp in the catalog. Multi-year baselines can also be informative when evaluating drought stricken regions. River widths have the potential to be assimilated into the National Water Model to improve synthetic rating curves as well as model discharge estimates.
+
+## Current WPN projects
+
+The Water Prediction Node [first project](https://waternode.ciroh.org/fim.html) is making it easier to perform qualitative comparisons between flood maps created from satellite imagery and flood maps created using the inundation models used by the National Water Center (NWC). The WPN will enable these comparisons by focusing on:
+1. Exposing WPN data catalog assets as a web mapping service or web mapping tile service. This will allow stakeholders to easily import WPN satellite derived flood maps into their GIS viewer of choice. This satellite derived flood map layer can then be quickly compared to modeled inundation. 
+2. Creating easy to access collections of satellite imagery of notable floods so that retrospective evaluation is easier.
+3. Creating a [web processing service](https://www.ogc.org/standard/wps/) that allows for the creation of agreement maps in the style of [gval](https://github.com/noaa-owp/gval). These agreement maps will highlight areas of agreement and disagreement between the modelled and remotely sensed flood maps and will allow the computation of agreement metrics. 
+
+## Website repository
+
+The source for the website implementation can be found [here](https://github.com/dylanlee/wnweb/tree/main)