NatSigDC’s within Landcare Research

Information Management: towards integration and interoperability

Jerry CooperInformation Services, Landcare Research

Some Information Management Initiatives within LCR

covering the spectrum from non-digital, unstructured data through to highly structured digital data, and focused on internal

requirements

• Database Integration

• Spatial Data Management

• Knowledge Management Strategy - Tiaki Mātauranga

• Biodiversity Informatics Project – a prototype dataset repository

Towards data integration & interoperability

• LCR Database Integration Project

• Related ‘Biodiversity Informatics’ projects– within LCR– national projects– international projects

• Future directions– A National Interoperability Platform, NGI infrastructure,

GRIDs & the Semantic Web.

Database Integration Project

• 5 year, NSOF/FRST funded project (1999-2004)

• Incorporates some LCR NatSigDCs:– CHR: Plant herbarium collections, names & bibliography– PDD: Fungal herbarium collections, names,

bibliography, pathology, descriptions, keys, images– ICMP: Bacterial/fungal culture collections– NVS: Vegetation Survey Databank– NSD: National Soils Database

Database Integration Project

• Mixture of custom applications/databases and ‘off the shelf’ software solutions, e.g.:– custom, web-service based taxonomic/bibliographic editor– Robert Colwell’s Biota data management system for insect collections

• Mixture of data migration/ normalization/integration and interoperability solutions, e.g.:– Integrate names & their applications– Integrate bibliographic information– Ensure collection data is interoperable– Ensure geo-spatial data is interoperable

• Employs/develops appropriate standard schemas and data dictionaries – particularly from TDWG (Taxonomic Databases Working

Group)/CODATA

Database Integration Project• Coordinated by a Reference Group

– consisting of data curators, power users, project management & informatics specialists

• Some guiding principles:– Ensure participants share a common vision– provide dynamic access to managed primary data, not snapshots of

aggregated, secondary data (data applicability too short to maintain such systems).

– work iteratively on manageable, modular sub-projects with defined outcomes (but work towards the bigger picture)

– be flexible and prepared to re-invent as technology changes– incorporate/develop standards (but be flexible as standards change!)– interact/collaborate with other Informatics groups both nationally and

internationally– maintain the ownership of data by the providers/curators– keep things as simple as possible (system lifetime inversely related to

complexity)– empower providers/curators/users to manage and manipulate their own data

(desktop apps and the knowledge to use them)– maintain a strong information-science linkage. Informatics is a specialized

discipline, not a standard IT support function, and not generally available from contractors

Application Development

• Business Systems Development Team (BSDT): – 2 Business Analysts (Cooper & Kolster)– 4 programmer/analysts (Wilson, Spencer, Cochrane [contractor],

Connel [contractor])– 1 web developer (Fuglestad)

• Development environment:– MS Visual Studio .Net– MS SQL-Server– ESRI ARC-IMS/SDE (GIS)– Crystal Reports– MS Access (Prototyping)– TextML (XML Database)

• Emerging technologies:– XML-DBs, XML-schema, XSLT, X-Path (X-Query), Web Services

LCR BSDT recent projects

• NVS– web delivery of metadata & GIS-based plot localities

• Genetically Modified Organisms– bibliography and meta-analysis environment for data on crop

hybridization and pollination systems

• Carbon Monitoring System– pilot study of a data-entry and analysis tool for NZ’s carbon budget

implemented using web-services

• Biodiversity Informatics Platform – a prototype of a metadata/semi-structured data repository and

query/analysis environment for research-related data using XML and MS.Net technologies

• TFBIS/GBIF projects...

Related National Projects - TFBIS

• Terrestrial & Freshwater Biodiversity Information System Programme – managed by DOC and a cross-agency steering group, on

behalf of government, and in support of the NZ Biodiversity Strategy

– TFBIS is funding a number of projects in addition to DOC’s extranet GIS platform

– LCR has 8 projects (maybe) encompassing data/image/flora/fauna digitization, end-user analysis & GIS tools, web delivery of information

– LCR’s emerging ‘biodiversity information systems’

provide a natural backbone for such activities

Related National Projects – GBIF

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility– Based on an MOU signed by many countries

including NZ • including Europe, US, Australia etc • incorporates ITIS/Species2000 cataloging initiatives

– MOU requires, amongst other things, each GBIF participant to:• promote the sharing of biodiversity data in GBIF under

a common set of standards• form a node or nodes, accessible via GBIF, that will

provide access to biodiversity data– The initial GBIF network will be setup during this

year – The biodiversity data within NatSigDCs, and that being

made available through TFBIS, is an important component of the NZ contribution

Related International Activities• GBIF

– Penman: member of GB Governing Board, Chair Finance Committee– Cooper: member Scientific, Technical & Advisory Group for the work

programme on Data Access and Database Interoperability (DADI)– Cooper: member science committee for the work programme on

Electronic Catalogue of Names (ECAT)– Cooper: interim node manager for NZ (work plan for establishment of

the NZ GBIF node in preparation)

• VegBank (US Vegetation Survey Databank)– Proposed FGDC/NSDI standard vegetation classification model – Wiser & Cooper attended VegBank workshop.

• TDWG Standards Development– Cooper & Kolster: contributed to development of CODATA/BioCASE

ABCD XML-Schema (Access to Biological Collection Data)– Kolster: contributed to on-going development of Structured

Descriptive Data standard.– Cooper: chair new committee to formulate a data exchange standard

for biological names

Future Directions?

Effective participation in the knowledge economy requires the interoperability of information resources at the organizational, national and international levels

– through multi-agency, multi-disciplinary, funded, collaborative initiatives that address:

• use of emerging integration enabling technologies– e.g. XML, Web services, UDDI etc

• development of appropriate physical infrastructure– e.g. Next Generation Internet (NZ Broadband Internet)

• development of appropriate application environments– e.g. Computing GRIDs (big news everywhere – except NZ?)

• development of defined, and interoperable standard vocabularies

– e.g. domain ontologies, semantic maps and killer apps– The Semantic Web (major theme in EU Framework VI)