Facilitating Next Generation Science Collaboration: Respecting and Mediating Vocabularies with Semantics in Ecosystems Assessments. December 7, 2011, AGU11 IN33E-01 Peter Fox (RPI/ Tetherless World Constellation and WHOI/AOP&E) and Andrew Maffei (WHOI/C&IS) NSF INTEROP ECO-OP project.

What’s ahead/pre-summary Assessing ecosystems among a variety of stakeholders Getting the best science in the assessment Accommodating vocabularies in collaborations Semantic development methodology Respect and Mediation … 2Tetherless World Constellation

Marine ecosystems

Fish, science, decision

Oh yeah… It’s that simple… I could end the talk now but you know it is not… that … simple …

Vision? “Our vision is to develop, facilitate, and maintain sustained multi-way engagement of natural and social scientists and many practitioners in multi- scale local to global networks for LMEs”. –Organization is required so participants can carry out their (respective) mission(s) –Those participants (by defn.) will never be in a single organization -> virtual organization Goal: We want to perform routine assessments of LMEs involving all (or as many) stakeholders and we want robust science data presented in forms that various end-users can consume…

Framework - DPSIR

Semantics of DPSIR?

Drivers/ Pressures Physical Drivers –North Atlantic Oscillation –Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation Human Drivers –Population –Income Human Pressures (Fishery Removals) –Number Groundfish Vessels –Landings, Principal Groundfish –Landings, Other Fish –Landings, Small Pelagics –Landings, Crustaceans –Landings, Molluscs Temperature –Extended Reconstructed SST –Coastal Temperature, Virginia –Coastal Temperature, Woods Hole –Costal Temperature, Boothbay Harbor –Survey sea surface temperature –Survey bottom sea temperature –Thermal Habitat <4 o C –Thermal Habitat >5 o C and <15 o C –Thermal Habitat >16 o C River Discharge –River Flow-Gulf of Maine –River Flow-Middle Atlantic Bight –River Flow-Southern New England Wind Fields –Wind Stress, Cape Hatteras –Wind Stress, New York –Wind Stress, Georges Bank –Wind Stress East-West, Cape Hatteras –Wind Stress East-West, New York –Wind Stress East-West, Georges Bank –Wind Stress North-South, Cape Hatteras –Wind Stress North-South, New York –Wind Stress North-South, Georges Bank Other –Stratification –Survey surface salinity –Survey bottom salinity –Gulf Stream Location –%Labrador-Subarctic Slope Water in GoM

Ecosystem State Variables Plankton Continuous Plankton Recorder Color Index. Zooplankton Ecosystem Biovolume Ratio of Small to Large Zooplankton Nekton/Benthos Relative Abundance, Crustaceans Relative Abundance, Elasmobranch Relative Abundance, Ground Fish Relative Abundance, Molluscs Relative Abundance, Other Fish Relative Abundance, Small Pelagics Relative Abundance, All Species Demography/Trophic Level Mean Trophic Level Catch Mean Trophic Level Survey Primary Production Required, Landings Mean Length Community Composition Thermal Preference Pelagic to Demersal Ratio Elasmobranch to Demersal Groundfish Ratio Impacts Groundfish Fishery Revenue

Partitioning the pie If IEA == {D,P,S,I,R} Then D+P+S comprises, e.g. –Northeast Fisheries Eco. Status Report –Leading to a Fisheries Ecosys Plan And S+I+R comprises –Understanding impacts and responses by managers in a sub-region in Northwest, test in Southwest –Repeat in a regional network in Northwest, test in Southwest Then … DPS ∧ SIR => IEA

Informatics enables a new approach Use cases Stakeholders Distributed authority Access control Ontologies Maintaining Identity

Environmental Assessment

ISO 14050:2009(E/F/R) This International Standard contains concepts and their definitions as used in the ISO series of International Standards related to environmental management. Communication is important in the implementation and operation of environmental management systems. This communication will be most effective if there is a common understanding of the terms used. Many environmental terms and definitions are the result of recently developed concepts. The gradual evolution of these environmental concepts inevitably means that environmental terminology will continue to develop. The purpose of this International Standard is to convey an understanding of the terms used in the ISO series of International Standards. This International Standard is intended above all to provide standards users with a compilation of the terms and definitions in use in the field of environmental management. It is expected, however, that the document will also be of use to standards developers, particularly those involved with translation, as an aid to maintaining consistency.

Northeast Status Report

Respect and Mediation … how

Summary Semantics for DPSIR framework/ relations – OWL ontology Semantics for environmental terminology – ISO and local (SKOS) Community vocabularies, e.g. seavox (SKOS, etc.) Semantics for attributes and relations of stakeholders to connect what’s above Science data in the assessments, routinely!