DATA MANAGEMENT 101

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DATA MANAGEMENT 101

• Marlene Doyle Dianne Watkins
• EMAN Coordinating Office

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Outline

• Key data management concepts
• Tools and resources for finding and sharing data
• Tools and resources specific to EMAN recommended
  protocols

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Key Concepts

• Data management is important
• Digitizing your data is important
• Documenting your data is important
• Sharing your data is important
• Archiving your data is important

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How important is it, really?

• Excellent monitoring framework
• Great study design
• Excellent training
• Top of the line equipment
• Intensive study implemented
• Field quality assurance considered

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Early consideration of Data Management

• Hockey Metaphor Early easy
• Ask yourself key questions early
• Who needs the data?
• What kind of data management is needed to meet
  these uses?
• Who else might be able to use your data in the
  future?

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Digitize your data

• Tedious but necessary
• Accuracy is critical
• Store your paper copies for reference
• ..Enough said

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Document your data

• Create metadata records Data about data
• Data descriptors that document the when, where,
  what, why, how and how good of sample
  collection and analysis

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Document your data

• Why is this important?
• Allows your data to live on and be useful in the
  future
• Your data can be discovered, understood and
  possibly used by others
• Defend your results
• Creates credibility, builds trust
• Enable integration with or calibration against
  other data sets

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Key Metadata Fields

• Basic program meta-data
• who, when, sample period,
• Sampling Design
• number and distribution of monitoring stations,
  maps, whats changed since last sampling event
• Detailed Protocol metadata
• Processing steps?
• Whats changed?
• Data quality
• Training of participants, certification,
• Clarify data codes, assumptions, standards used

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Rules of engagement

• Metadata and data are like Siamese twins Split
  them up and the lives of both are at risk

To have and to hold, for richer and for poorer,
in sickness and in health
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Rules of engagement

• Dont compare apples to oranges
• Be careful not to integrate data from different
  sources of mixed methods and unknown quality

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Rules of engagement

• Dont compare apples
• to appels
• to apels.
• Comply to accepted standards for metadata and
  data
• Taxonomic keys
• Pick lists

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Sharing Finding data

• Why would you share data
• How would you find out who was monitoring
• Climate change impacts on sea level?
• Amphibians?
• Permafrost depth?

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Sharing data

• Put your metadata somewhere where others can find
  it. Registries available
• EMAN Site Directory (www.eman-rese.ca)
• Geospatial GeoConnections Discovery Portal
  (www.geoconnections.ca)
• Biological National Biological Information
  Infrastructure (NBII) Metadata Clearinghouse
  Gateway (www.nbii.gov)
• Ecological Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity
  (KNB) (http//knb.ecoinformatics.org//index.jsp)

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Archiving your data -

• Good news! Sharing archiving in many ways
• Do periodic back-ups of data
• Provide complete set of data and documentation,
  reports and maps in hard copy and digital formats
  to your current organization
• Post in applicable metadata registry
• Avoid duplication of data sets!!

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Invest now. Invest for the
future.

• People power and will be required to
• Establish your data management system
• Get your data into the system
• Maintain the system in the long term
• Use your system

Remember me? Im your future data needs. Budget
for me, please!!
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Refresher How to manage data well

• Consider who will use your data and how at the
  design stage
• Digitize your data and ensure its accuracy
• Write metadata files so data sets can be
  understood
• Implement standards Dont mix apples and oranges
  or apples and apels
• Keep your metadata and data together
• Share your metadata files on appropriate
  registries
• Archive your data

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But data management is boring and I dont know
anything about it. Im an ecologist not a
computer scientist. What do I do?

• Good news! Theres some tools out there to help
  you
• But, data management will still require some
  careful consideration on your end.

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Metadata sharing tools EMAN Site
Directorywww.eman-rese.ca

• On-line searchable database of partner sites and
  research
• Form based metadata entry
• Shares data with NBII and GeoConnections
• Will be updated in 2005- 2006
• On-line form
• Sharing metadata tools
• Doesnt host data

Partner metadata
EMAN metadata
Existing
Planned
NBII
GeoConnections
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Metadata registry NBII Metadata Clearinghouse
http//mercury.ornl.gov/nbii/

• Inventory of biological data sets
• Relies on standardized metadata
• Contributors can register metadata directly
• Harvest data from nodes (e.g. EMAN Coordinating
  Offfice)

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NBII Metadata Clearinghousehttp//mercury.ornl.go
v/nbii/
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Metadata Registry GeoConnections Discovery
Portal www.geoconnections.ca

• Accepts standardized geospatial data that uses
  web services
• Less focus on biological aspect

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GeoConnections
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Tools for community groups to contribute and
share data

• EMAN Data Management system http//www.on.ec.gc.c
  a/eman/index.cfm
• OBBN http//obbn.eman-rese.ca
• WIX http//www.ontariowatersheds.ca
• Community Mapping Network http//www.shim.bc.ca/
• Comap http//www.comap.ca/

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EMAN Data Management Tools and Support

• Standardized field sheets
• Metadata forms and tools (2005-2006)
• On-line databases
• EMAN Data Management System
• OBBN/CABIN database Benthos
• NatureWatch database
• Databases can talk to one another through web
  services

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EMAN Data Management THE FUTURE

• A comprehensive, integrated system for acquiring,
  managing, querying, processing, collating and
  archiving data generated by partners employing
  the EMAN suite of Ecosystem Monitoring Protocols

Government data
Community Data
Academia data
NGO data
http//www.on.ec.gc.ca/eman/index.cfm
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EMAN Data Management System

• On-line data entry
• 3 protocols available currently
• Terrestrial Vegetation Biodiversity
• Backyard Call Count
• Roadside Survey
• Allows public to search, map, download data from
  EMAN partners
• http//www.on.ec.gc.ca/eman/index.cfm
• Live demo

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Benthic Macroinvertebrate Database

• Seamless integration of data between the Ontario
  Benthos Biomonitoring Network (OBBN) and the
  Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN)
• System for capturing, managing, analyzing and
  sharing benthic macroinvertebrate data
• Includes analytical tools for report card style
  output and integration with GIS mapping
• http//obbn.eman-rese.ca
• Data to be shared via use of
  common standards for interoperability

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Watersheds InfoXchangewww.ontariowatersheds.ca
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Viewing data using web services

• Ontario Region Information System for the
  Environment http//www.on.ec.gc.ca/ORISE
• Will be EMAN viewer
• Community Mapping Network http//www.shim.bc.ca/
• ResEau (planned) www.environmentandresources.ca

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Phew! You made it to the end

• For more information contact
• Marlene Doyle
• Marlene.doyle_at_ec.gc.ca
• [phone]