ILTER Information Management Committee Kristin Vanderbilt, Ph.D. Sevilleta LTER University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM USA

Information Management in the ILTER The ILTER Strategic Plan states that ILTER’s 10- year goals are to: The ILTER Strategic Plan states that ILTER’s 10- year goals are to: Improve comparability of long-term ecological and socio-economic data from sites around the worldImprove comparability of long-term ecological and socio-economic data from sites around the world Facilitate exchange and integration of, access to, and preservation of long-term, site-based dataFacilitate exchange and integration of, access to, and preservation of long-term, site-based data Deliver non-biased information to scientists, policymakers, and the public to meet the needs of decisionmakers at multiple levelsDeliver non-biased information to scientists, policymakers, and the public to meet the needs of decisionmakers at multiple levels To meet these goals, coordinated information management programs are needed throughout the ILTER To meet these goals, coordinated information management programs are needed throughout the ILTER An ILTER IM Committee has been formed to guide the development of information management throughout the network.An ILTER IM Committee has been formed to guide the development of information management throughout the network.

ILTER IM Committee Charter Approved at 2006 ILTER Coordinating Committee Meeting Facilitate data exchange and preservation through adoption of standards Facilitate data exchange and preservation through adoption of standards Coordinate development of network- level information management system Coordinate development of network- level information management system

IM Committee Charter Committee consists of a maximum of two representatives from each ILTER region Committee consists of a maximum of two representatives from each ILTER region Terms are two years Terms are two years Officers: Officers: Chair: Kristin Vanderbilt, USAChair: Kristin Vanderbilt, USA Vice-Chair: Avinash Chuntharpursat, South AfricaVice-Chair: Avinash Chuntharpursat, South Africa Secretary: Cristiana Cocciufa, ItalySecretary: Cristiana Cocciufa, Italy

Kristin Vanderbilt Atzimba Lopez Kathi Schleidt Avinash Chuntharpursat Sheng Shan Lu Honglin He John Irish Cristiana Cocciufa

Tasks for the ILTER Information Management Committee Assess IM capabilities and resources in the ILTER Assess IM capabilities and resources in the ILTER Identify areas where improvement is requiredIdentify areas where improvement is required Support trainingSupport training Present options for IM standards to Executive Committee for their vote Present options for IM standards to Executive Committee for their vote Promote development of an information system design that scales to network level Promote development of an information system design that scales to network level

ILTER Information Management Capacity Survey 2006: Results Kristin Vanderbilt Sevilleta LTER Chau-Chin Lin Taiwan Forestry Research Institute

Survey Goals: Data content and accessibility Data content and accessibility Hardware availability and internet connectivity Hardware availability and internet connectivity Software availability Software availability Human Resources Human Resources Identify Potential Training Needs Identify Potential Training Needs

Countries Responding (total respondents = 31) Central/South America East Asia-Pacific North AmericaAfrica Central/Eastern Europe Western Europe

What are the most critical IM/IT Issues at your ILTER Site?

Data Sharing Does your ILTER site have a data sharing policy? Does your ILTER site have a data sharing policy? Yes: 12 out of 26 respondentsYes: 12 out of 26 respondents Some policies were detailed, but others were generalSome policies were detailed, but others were general

LONG-TERM FOREST ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH LWF DATA ACCESS POLICY GUIDELINES FOR ACCEPTABLE USE OF LWF DATA Data access is given after submission of an official request (including a copy of the research proposal and/or other information about the data use) to: Norbert Kräuchi Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research … GENERAL CITATION Data sets were provided by the Long-term Forest Ecosystem Research Programme LWF, a partnership between the Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL and the Swiss Federal Agency of Environment, Forest and Landscape SAEFL. DATA USER RESPONSIBILITIES: By using LWF data and documentation, the Data User agrees to abide by the terms of this agreement. LWF shall have the right to terminate this agreement immediately by written notice upon the Data User's breach of, or non-compliance with, any of its terms...

Data Sharing: Example of a typical data access policy: Example of a typical data access policy: “All long-term data are gathered by the Academy. The Excel data are shared by all researchers. Recently the data have been launched in an Oracle database, which is supposed to be shared in the near future.”“All long-term data are gathered by the Academy. The Excel data are shared by all researchers. Recently the data have been launched in an Oracle database, which is supposed to be shared in the near future.”

Does your site store data? 100% Yes 100% Yes Estimated amount of data per site:Estimated amount of data per site: 6 Mb to 3 Terabytes 6 Mb to 3 Terabytes

What kinds of data does your site store?

How are data accessed at your site (check all that apply)?

If data at your site aren’t publicly accessible, explain why not. Human resource limitations Human resource limitations The policy is to only share metadata The policy is to only share metadata No metadata No metadata Lack of disk space Lack of disk space Language issues Language issues Data owned by government bodies Data owned by government bodies Data still in the hands of the individual researchers Data still in the hands of the individual researchers Lack of software Lack of software Information Management system is presently being implemented; data will be online soon Information Management system is presently being implemented; data will be online soon

Internet Connectivity/Hardware Does your ILTER site have a connection to the internet? Does your ILTER site have a connection to the internet? 23/25 (92%) Yes23/25 (92%) Yes 7/22 are connected via universities 7/22 are connected via universities 15/22 are connected via National telecommunications entities or private Internet Service Providers 15/22 are connected via National telecommunications entities or private Internet Service Providers Internet connection speedInternet connection speed < 256 kbps (11/21 respondents) < 256 kbps (11/21 respondents) > 1 Mbps (8/11 respondents) > 1 Mbps (8/11 respondents)

Human Resources: Does your ILTER site have personnel with specialized skills in data management? Does your ILTER site have personnel with specialized skills in data management? 13/23 (57%) Yes13/23 (57%) Yes Is there computer system administration support available at your ILTER site? Is there computer system administration support available at your ILTER site? 18/24 Yes (75%)18/24 Yes (75%)

What are the most pressing software needs at your ILTER site?

Which training programs would be most beneficial in meeting your site needs?

Summary: Most ILTER sites lack a formal data sharing and access policy. Most ILTER sites lack a formal data sharing and access policy. ILTER sites have rich archives of data, but few sites have made their data publicly accessible. ILTER sites have rich archives of data, but few sites have made their data publicly accessible. 57% of sites have personnel trained in information management, yet lack of training in information management and IT is cited as the greatest barrier to IM at ILTER sites. 57% of sites have personnel trained in information management, yet lack of training in information management and IT is cited as the greatest barrier to IM at ILTER sites. Availability of computers appears to be adequate, but bandwidth is relatively low in 50% of cases. Availability of computers appears to be adequate, but bandwidth is relatively low in 50% of cases. Many kinds of software are available at sites, but more database management system software and tools for generating metadata are needed. Many kinds of software are available at sites, but more database management system software and tools for generating metadata are needed.

IM Committee Activities IM Workshop at LTER All Scientists’ Meeting in Estes Park, Colorado, USA September 23, 2006 IM Workshop at LTER All Scientists’ Meeting in Estes Park, Colorado, USA September 23, 2006

International Information exchange, sharing, and cooperation activities: Information Management Alternatives Introduction to Working Group – Hen-biau King/Kristin Vanderbilt Introduction to Working Group – Hen-biau King/Kristin Vanderbilt Ontology-based IMS – Katharina Schleidt (Austria) Ontology-based IMS – Katharina Schleidt (Austria) EML-based IMS – Corinna Gries (CAP LTER) EML-based IMS – Corinna Gries (CAP LTER) TERN IMS – Meei-ru Jeng (Taiwan) TERN IMS – Meei-ru Jeng (Taiwan) Site Characteristics Search Engine – Atzimba Lopez (Mexico) Site Characteristics Search Engine – Atzimba Lopez (Mexico) SAEON Collaborative GIS IMS – Avinash Chuntharpursat (South Africa) SAEON Collaborative GIS IMS – Avinash Chuntharpursat (South Africa) Discussion Discussion

Two conference calls International LTER Data Access and Use Policy International LTER Data Access and Use Policy ILTER Information Manager Mentoring Web Page ILTER Information Manager Mentoring Web Page Interactions with GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) Interactions with GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)

IM Workshop at Annual ILTER Meeting in Beijing, August 2007: “From EML to Ontologies” Some members of ILTER have an ontology-based Information Management System, while others use EML Some members of ILTER have an ontology-based Information Management System, while others use EML

IM Workshop Agenda Intro to EML and what we can do with it (Chin and Kristin) Intro to EML and what we can do with it (Chin and Kristin) Intro to Ontologies and how they can be used (Kathi Schleidt and Michael Mirtl, Austria) Intro to Ontologies and how they can be used (Kathi Schleidt and Michael Mirtl, Austria)

ILTER Coordinating Committee Meeting (Beijing) IM Committee will propose that ILTER support formation of an ILTER Interest Group at TDWG (Taxonomic Data Working Group) IM Committee will propose that ILTER support formation of an ILTER Interest Group at TDWG (Taxonomic Data Working Group) EML task group -- to study how to make EML more ontology-likeEML task group -- to study how to make EML more ontology-like IM Committee will propose an ILTER Network Data Access and Use Policy IM Committee will propose an ILTER Network Data Access and Use Policy

What next? IM advances should occur in two phases IM advances should occur in two phases Phase I: Resolve issues identified in survey and strengthen site-level information management systems (years 1-5)Phase I: Resolve issues identified in survey and strengthen site-level information management systems (years 1-5) Training Training Establish web accessible data archives at all sites Establish web accessible data archives at all sites Metadata standards Metadata standards Create cross-site databases (promotes network identity!) Create cross-site databases (promotes network identity!) ILTER data catalogILTER data catalog ILTER ClimDBILTER ClimDB Phase II: Based on ILTER regional and global science questions, guide development of ILTER Information Management Systems to facilitate collaboration and network research (years 6 – ?)Phase II: Based on ILTER regional and global science questions, guide development of ILTER Information Management Systems to facilitate collaboration and network research (years 6 – ?)