Building an Information Management System for Global Data Sharing: A Strategy for the International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) Network Kristin Vanderbilt, David Blankman, Guo Xuebing, He Honglin, Li Jianhui, Lin Chau- Chin, Lu Sheng-Shan, Ko Burke Chih-Jen, Akiko Ogawa, Éamonn Ó Tuama, Herbert Schentz, Su Wen, Bert van der Werf

International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) Network ILTER consists of networks of scientists engaged in long- term, site-based ecological and socioeconomic research ILTER consists of networks of scientists engaged in long- term, site-based ecological and socioeconomic research Established in 1993 Established in member countries 38 member countries  Network-wide research project: linkages between ecosystem services (ES) and human outcomes and behavior

Improve comparability of long-term ecological data from sites around the world, and facilitate exchange and preservation of this data ILTER Ten Year Goals Include:

Information Management in the ILTER EML-based: US, South Africa, Taiwan, Japan EML-based: US, South Africa, Taiwan, Japan Ontology-based: LTER Europe Ontology-based: LTER Europe Unique system: Chinese Ecological Research Network (CERN) Unique system: Chinese Ecological Research Network (CERN) Everybody else??? Everybody else???

What is the best information management system for the ILTER? What is the best information management system for the ILTER? How can existing systems be integrated? How can existing systems be integrated?

Recommendations: Create shared metadata catalog for ILTER network using EML Create shared metadata catalog for ILTER network using EML Minimum set of elements: Minimum set of elements: Title of Dataset Title of Dataset Contact Contact Creator Creator Abstract Abstract Unique Identifier (Package ID) Unique Identifier (Package ID) Implement regional metadata caches Implement regional metadata caches

EML-based tools for carbon flux data management (Taiwan Ecological Research Network)

CERN metadata can be mapped to EML ♀数据集标识符 dataset identifier ♀数据集名称 dataset name 摘要 dataset abstract 目的 dataset purpose 创建者 creator 其它贡献者 contact person 发布日期 dataset publishing date 状态 status of dataset 语种 language 字符集 charset 存储量 disk size of dataset 记录数 number of records 关键词 keyword set 开始日期 beginning date of the temporal coverage 结束日期 ending date of the temporal coverage 地理边界矩形之西部边界经度 longitude of west boundary of the spatial coverage 地理边界矩形之东部边界经度 longitude of east boundary of the spatial coverage 地理边界矩形之北部边界纬度 latitude of north boundary of the spatial coverage 地理边界矩形之南部边界纬度 latitude of south boundary of the spatial coverage

Solving Language Issues Internationalization of metadata exchange format Internationalization of metadata exchange format Localization of software tools Localization of software tools

Solving Language Issues Develop multi-lingual thesaurus Develop multi-lingual thesaurus

Recommendations: Create shared metadata catalog for ILTER network using EML Create shared metadata catalog for ILTER network using EML Minimum set of elements: Minimum set of elements: Title of Dataset Title of Dataset Contact Contact Creator Creator Abstract Abstract Unique Identifier (Package ID) Unique Identifier (Package ID) Implement regional metadata caches Implement regional metadata caches To advance goal of achieving data compatibility across ILTER systems, ILTER should engage with the international community in the ontology-standardization process To advance goal of achieving data compatibility across ILTER systems, ILTER should engage with the international community in the ontology-standardization process TDWG TDWG

Ontologies in the ILTER LTER Europe LTER Europe Developed core ontology Developed core ontology Implementing ontology-based data management tools InfoBase and MORIS Implementing ontology-based data management tools InfoBase and MORIS Developing SERONTO (Socio-Ecological Research and Observation oNTOlogy) Developing SERONTO (Socio-Ecological Research and Observation oNTOlogy) CERN CERN SeMIS: Semantic-based metadata integration system for scientific data SeMIS: Semantic-based metadata integration system for scientific data

ILTER will engage with TDWG TDWG (Biodiversity Information Standards) is an international not-for-profit group that develops standards and protocols for sharing biodiversity data TDWG (Biodiversity Information Standards) is an international not-for-profit group that develops standards and protocols for sharing biodiversity data Standardizing core ontology in the TDWG Observations Task group Standardizing core ontology in the TDWG Observations Task group

Conclusion ILTER Coordinating Committee approved the recommendations (August 2008): ILTER Coordinating Committee approved the recommendations (August 2008): EML will be used to create an ILTER metadata catalog EML will be used to create an ILTER metadata catalog ILTER will participate in the ontology standardization process to support eventual semantic integration of ILTER data ILTER will participate in the ontology standardization process to support eventual semantic integration of ILTER data