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Motivation Eric Landis elandis@ix.netcom.com. Current Natural Resource Information Management Conditions. Diversity of Information Content Spatial Scale - from genes to ecosystems Temporal Scale – that’s biological science Both biological and non-biological information Numerous Formats
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Motivation Eric Landis elandis@ix.netcom.com
Current Natural Resource Information Management Conditions • Diversity of Information Content • Spatial Scale - from genes to ecosystems • Temporal Scale – that’s biological science • Both biological and non-biological information • Numerous Formats • Napkins to GIS including tabular, graphic, text, video, audio, physical specimens • Providers provide data – Users seek knowledge
Current Conditions (cont.) • Numerous Independent Locations of Holdings • Desktop corners, old floppies, hard drives, libraries, websites, home offices, back rooms • More Mandates Regarding Collection, Management and Dissemination • EO 12906 – “standardized documentation” • NEPA – provide environmental effects of management actions to decision makers & public • FOIA – access to federal documents • Unit and Project “Mandates”
Current Conditions (cont.) • Multiple Stakeholders • Providers - data “owners”, support staff, archivists, budget personnel, webmasters • Users – resource managers, K-PhD, business, policymakers, researchers, public interests • Numerous Controlled Vocabularies & Thesauri • Integrated Taxonomic Information Service Database • Global Change Master Directory Keyword List • NBII Thesaurus (early 2001) • WMC’s Recommended Watershed Terminology • NRCS Climate Glossary • “Local” and Individual Keyword Lists
What the Information User Sees What do I need? Where can I find it? How do I get it? How do I get it? Clara Weaver
What the Information Provider Perceives I’ I really want to make my information available, but at what price? Metadata? Fred the Fish Biologist Controlled Vocabularies? Mandate Citation
Worldwide Web You Say?Look Again • 550 Billion Documents Available - 1 billion indexed through conventional search engines • Quality Assurance? – anyone can contribute and “recontribute” • No Standards for Vocabularies – a “tree” is not always a tree • Is the Information Sustainable? When was it produced, has it been updated?
Challenges • Easy Access for All Levels of Expertise • Turning Data into Knowledge - Usable • Making Contributions Simple • Low Cost • Interoperable Searching • Persistent Information • Provide Quality Assurance • Encourage the Use of Standards