Hello all -
I’m one of a fluid group of collaborators working to bring tools for computing atmospheric radiation into the Pangeo ecosystem with the goal of making these calculations more widely accessible. I have some technical questions about best practices waiting in the wings, but first a question on community engagement. Full disclosure: along with the general question is a specific concern about how to respond to reviewer comments on a proposal to the US National Science Foundation.
One reason for bringing radiation tools into Python and the Pangeo ecosystem is to make it possible for a wider range of users to ask questions that rely on such calculations. To keep it real (and to help satisfy funders) it would be neat to be able to track the diversity of people using and/or contributing to the tools. On the other hand we do not want to be in the position of asking people to provide personal or demographic information – one of our group pointing out that, codes of conduct notwithstanding, the Internet is not a uniformly welcoming place.
I’d be grateful for any ideas you have about navigating this conflict and especially any experiences you can describe or resources you can point me to.
Best -
Robert Pincus