1. v Alyssa Rosemartin 1, Lee Marsh 1, Ellen Denny 1, Bruce Wilson 2 1 - USA National Phenology Network, Tucson, AZ; 2 - Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 1) Background The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) serves science and society by promoting a broad understanding of plant and animal phenology and the relationships among phenological patterns and all aspects of environmental change. Data management and information sharing are central to the USA- NPN mission. The USA-NPN’s National Coordinating Office develops, implements, and maintains a comprehensive Information Management System (IMS) to serve the needs of the network, including the collection, storage and dissemination of phenology data, access to phenology-related information, tools for data interpretation, and communication among partners of the USA-NPN. 3) Data Entry Interfaces Users access an innovative web interface to enter their observations of plant and animal phenology. Online Interface and Droid App for Nature’s Notebook 7) Web Services We have developed web services to allow controlled read and write access to the National Phenology Database. These services serve as the foundation for the development of mobile applications (including a Droid app and prototype Facebook app), enable the development of dynamic and shared visualizations and support the creation of data entry interfaces on partner websites. Contact Information Alyssa Rosemartin, alyssa@usanpn.org Ellen Denny, ellen@usanpn.org Bruce E. Wilson, wilsonbe@ornl.gov 2) Information Management System Components The IMS includes components for data entry, such as several online user interfaces; data storage on the National Phenology Database; and services and products to accommodate data visualization, data download, and catalog searches for phenology-related information. These services and products are available for researchers, decision and policy makers, educators, and the general public. Our Information Management System facilitates the categorization, ingestion, storage, maintenance, synthesis and use of data. 4) National Phenology Database The National Phenology Database is designed to efficiently accommodate large quantities of phenology data, to be flexible to the changing needs of the network, and to provide for quality control. 9) Conclusions To understand and predict species response to climatic variation and change scientists and managers will rely on secure and flexible information management systems for the organization and analysis of phenology data. The USA-NPN’s IMS can serve the field of ecology directly, through the management of phenology data and indirectly as a model for large-scale integrated data management projects. The USA National Phenology Network’s model for managing diverse data through space and time to inform phenology research and applications Decision support Research Education Products Data Data curation User interface Databases Metadata Ancillary Legacy Partners Contemporary Search Basic Data Output Basic Visualizations Search Synthesis Visualizations Work platform Datasets 6) Visualization Products Dynamic visualization tools enable exploration and download of phenology data collected via Nature’s Notebook. A map interface allows the selection of species and phenophases, geographic area, background climate data and data range. A toolbar then gives users the ability to animate the visualization. A three panel graph interface allows for comparison across species, locations or years. Map or graph selections can be downloaded and shared. Analysis tools and enhanced sharing features will be developed. 5) Quality Assurance & Quality Control To ensure the highest quality data is entered into the National Phenology Database, we have developed several quality assurance procedures, including comprehensive training materials, datasheets which match the data entry interface, and species profile pages with information on species identification. We are also initiating a suite of quality control procedures to review data after it has been submitted. In a preliminary test to see if plants and animals have been recorded outside of their state range (as defined by USDA Plants and NatureServe), we found a 3.7% error rate. Few species are reported outside of their known ranges. 8) Drupal Content Management System The USA-NPN meets the data sharing needs of the network through a flexible and dynamic Drupal website. Our distributed staff and network members can update content. We allow for community generated content including legacy data set descriptions, publications and phenology festivals. Person – Observer/User Station – Location where measurements are made Species at Station – Where a species of plant or animal has been located (for animals this record is at the species level, for plants it is at the individual organism level, as plants can be more readily marked and tracked through time) Species – Plant and animal species to observe, includes taxonomic serial numbers, distributions, and other secondary information Network – Partner affiliation for people, species and stations Protocol – A suite of phenophases and their definitions Phenophase – A defined life cycle stage (for example, emerging leaves or adults in courtship) Observation – For an individual plant or species of animal, observed at a station by a person, the value for the phenophase status (Yes, No, or Uncertain); and abundance (how many animals?) and intensity (what percent of leaf out?) measures Simplified depiction of the data model for the National Phenology Database. Screenshots of map and graph interfaces of the dynamic visualization tool.