Scientific lineage and object-based storage systems

The lineage of scientific data refers to the linkage of a data set with the input and algorithms used to generate it. The input data, the algorithms, and the output data can be represented by nodes in a lineage graph; the child node (the output data) is connected by uni-directional arcs to the parent nodes (the inputs and the algorithm). Lineage graphs provide reproducibility as well as navigation back to original inputs and algorithms. Storage system technologies can be tremendously helpful in the storage and management of data lineage information. Recent developments in the storage industry can assist in the creation of lineage graphs. Object-addressable storage (OAS) systems can unify data with its lineage; the eXtensible Access Method (XAM) can serve as an industry standard access method for manipulating these united objects. Object-addressable storage systems can be mounted as cloud storage devices. These devices are capable of providing lineage functionality to provenance-aware applications.