Description of Data and Information Management
Information Management
The goal of the PIE LTER data and information system is to provide a centralized network of information and data related to the Plum Island Sound Estuarine Ecosystem and its watersheds. This centralized network provides researchers associated with PIE-LTER access to common information and data in addition to centralized long-term storage. Data and information are easily accessible to PIE-LTER scientists, local, regional, state partners and the broader scientific community. Researchers associated with PIE-LTER are committed to the integrity of the information and databases resulting from the research.
PIE-LTER information and databases are stored on a Microsoft Windows server with level 3 raid, which is backed up on tape nightly. Once a month a tape is removed and stored in a separate building.
Public access to PIE-LTER data and information for the scientific community at large is provided through the PIE-LTER World Wide Web home page on the Internet at the following URL: http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/PIE. Near real time weather data are also available on our field station website, www.pielter.org. The PIE-LTER home page has been active since late 1998 and contains information on personnel, data, published and unpublished papers, reports and School Yard education. The data section is broken down into four sections consisting of Program Areas, Education and Outreach, Physical Characteristics and Database Links. PIE maintains an internal database archive of datasets from which the home page is updated annually. Datasets on our web site are updated more frequently as investigators add data. The organization of the PIE home page basically mirrors the internal database archive in nomenclature, which allows for easy updating of datasets.
Data Management and Coordination of Research Projects
The information management team consists of: Chuck Hopkinson (Lead PI), Joe Vallino (PI), Robert (Hap) Garritt (IM), Gil Pontius (PI) and additional research assistants associated with program areas. The team has the necessary leadership, knowledge and technical expertise for creating and maintaining the PIE LTER research information. Hap Garritt, a senior research assistant with The Ecosystems Center, MBL, has been the information manager (IM) since 1998 and has the responsibility for overseeing the overall integrity of the data and information system for PIE-LTER. Hap has 25 years experience in ecological research, an MS in Ecosystems Ecology and is very active in PIE LTER research. Hap’s regular research activities involve him with the design and execution of many of the research projects, which allows for a smooth incorporation of data and information into the PIE database.
Individual researchers are responsible for providing data in each of the six core programmatic areas outlined in the PIE-LTER (Watersheds, Marshes, Planktonic Food Web, Benthos, Higher Trophic Levels and Synthesis). Several meetings each year provide each researcher the opportunity to communicate with the PIE information management team regarding the design of the specific research project and subsequent incorporation of data and information into the PIELTER database.
Contributions of Data to Database
Researchers on the PIE-LTER are expected to follow the LTER Network data release policy defined on the LTER web page, http://lternet.edu/data/netpolicy.html. Research conducted using the facilities of the PIE-LTER is expected to comply with the following policy: All researchers will provide digital copies of data to the data manager. Data files will include accompanying documentation files that will completely describe the data. We have migrated from a Microsoft Word metadata template to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet template. The Excel template was developed by Jim Laundre, ARC LTER and has been adapted for PIE to allow for consistent metadata entry and subsequent conversion via a visual basic macro to XML structured Ecological Metadata Language (EML) according to EML Best Practices for LTER Sites. Individual researchers are responsible for quality assurance, quality control, data entry, validation and analysis for their respective projects. Researchers are reminded about contributions to the database several times during the year via email or during field sampling trips, in addition to announcements during our Annual Spring PIE-LTER All Scientists Meeting.
Data Accessibility and Timeliness Researchers on the PIE-LTER have been and will continue to be encouraged to both publish and contribute data to the PIE-LTER database. It is recognized that investigators on PIE-LTER have first opportunity for use of data in publications but there is also the realization for timely submittal of data sets for incorporation into the PIE-LTER database. Data is typically posted on the WWW within one to two years and selected data is made available in near real time to promote ecological awareness of the local environment. PIE follows the data release policy for the LTER network that states: “There are two types of data: Type I (data that is freely available within 2-3 years) with minimum restrictions and, Type II (Exceptional data sets that are available only with written permission from the PI/investigator(s)).” PIE data sets and information are easily accessible to PIE-LTER scientists, local, regional, state partners and the broader scientific community, as we have no registration requirements for either observing or downloading data from our WWW page, which results in unobstructed access to all PIE LTER databases. Access to PIE data on the WWW is accompanied by a metadata document, which requests (based on an honor system) those users of the data to notify the corresponding Principal Investigator about reasons for acquiring the data and resulting publication intentions. However it is possible for users to download data without sending notification. We believe that unobstructed access to our data will encourage users to browse our WWW page and become involved with our research.
File Naming and Site Name Protocol
The Excel metadata template file contains both a sheet for metadata and data.The resulting combined metadata and data file should be named starting with a three letter acronym of the main research theme of the data set (see table below). A second two letter acronym is appended that describes the research site (see table below). A descriptor is then appended that briefly describes the dataset. For instance, dissolved oxygen transect data from the Parker River is named "EST-PR-O2", and tidal-creek nutrient data from the long-term experiments is named "LTE-TC-NUT". The data-manager may edit file names as appropriate.
These same naming methods apply for the PIE-LTER site names. All site names will have the same three and two letter descriptors, and an appended descriptor. For instance, the Middle Bridge YSI monitoring station is named "MON-PR-MBYSI". This descriptor will either be an abbreviation describing the station or a river kilometer distance that describes its location along one of the rivers in the Plum Island ecosystem. Please use this River Kilometer Image as an aid in determining names for sampling locations. The image is color-coded to show which two-letter site descriptor code should be used in station naming. The convention that has been established for determining locations on a river based upon river kilometer is to set the mouth of Plum Island Sound as 0.0 km. River kilometer markings are clearly labeled in this image as is the 0.0 km starting point in the Sound.
Major Research Theme Acronyms
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Watershed |
WAT |
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Marsh |
MAR |
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Water Column |
EST |
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Benthos |
BEN |
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Higher Trophic Levels |
HTL |
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Models |
MOD |
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Long-Term Experiments |
LTE |
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Short-Term Projects and Experiments |
STP |
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Geographic Information Systems |
GIS |
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Monitoring |
MON |
Some Site Descriptors
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Parker River |
PR |
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Rowley River |
RO |
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Ipswich River |
IP |
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Mill River |
MI |
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Egypt River |
EG |
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Muddy River |
MU |
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Eagle River |
EA |
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Plum Island Sound |
SO |
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Various sites |
VA |
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Tidal Creeks |
TC |
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Marsh Detritus Removal |
MD |
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Marsh Fertilization |
MF |
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Plot-level Marsh Fertilization |
MP |
|
Governor Dummer Academy |
GD |
|
External Datasets |
EX |
Current IM Projects
We are currently updating our existing on line EML level 2.5 metadata to EML level 4-5 using the MS Excel based template. We are in the midst of adding extensive datasets from the Tidal Creek fertilization experiment TIDES project and from stations pertinent to PIE LTER watersheds available from the NOAA National Climate Data Center Weather Cooperative and the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. Development of a GIS information system for sharing PIE LTER GIS data has been an on going project for many years as we are attempting to bridge three GIS softwares (ArcGIS, IDRISI, RiverGIS). The current LTER IM GIS working group is also discussing a centralized shared platform for GIS information as many LTER sites need a better way of viewing available GIS information at the site level and network level. We are also in the midst of redesigning our web site, the third time in 9 years.
Future Objectives
Large streaming datasets associated with short sampling interval (15 min) weather and water quality station data loggers will require us to develop a database system capable of managing multiple year aggregations of data. The LTER Network as a whole and other planned observatory networks (AEON, NEON, ORION) are also in the midst of brainstorming how to cope with the vast amounts of data that will be forthcoming with these new environmental observatory initiatives. PIE has been and plans to continue to be involved in environmental observatory associated workshops.
