ARCSS Data Coordination Center

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ARCSS Data Coordination Center
Arctic System Science (ARCSS) Data Coordination
Center
SBI-2 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS MEETING

• Data Management and Long Term Archive
• An NSF funded data center
• Presenter Rudolph J. Dichtl
• ADCC Manager
• 5-7 March 2002

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Funding and Organizational Chart
NSF
National Science Foundation (NSF)
University of Colorado
Cooperative Institute for Research in
Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
ADCC
SBI-2 PI Meeting, Miami
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Data Flow
Freshwater Initiative
Field Supporting Data
JOSS Web site
Near Real Time field data
ADCC Long Term Archive
Final Data with complete Metadata
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The 18-Wheeler has arrived with the data, but
where is the VW beetle with the metadata?
JOSS Data Delivery
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UPSIDE

• Universal Principle of Sharing Integral Data
  Expeditiously
• any scientist should have ready access to the
  data and materials to verify or replicate a
  published claim.

NAS, see 14 Feb 03, SCIENCE, Vol. 299, p. 990
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What is Metadata?

• It is the what, when, where, why, and how the
  dataset was collected. It includes the name of
  the PI. (search-metadata)
• It is also the explanation of the details and
  background of the dataset, such as, coordinates,
  time/date, definition of parameters, and data
  column headings.
• (use-metadata)

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Metadata Discovery

• Metadata creation is time-consuming and
  expensive (1) and that is why it does not
  get done!
• Some data servers provide only a modicum of
  discovery assistance and no analysis tools
  whereas others offer a Web interface to a
  database for data discovery but only thumbnail
  views of parts of preliminary data for
  visualization e.g., the CODIAC server for SBI
  data. (2)

(1) http//www.sas.com/rnd/eai/openmeta/v9/getstar
ted/metmgnt.html (2) http//www.unidata.ucar.edu/p
rojects/THREDDS/Overview/Home.htm
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Sometimes just getting started on your
Metadata seems hard, let alone waking up in the
morning!
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Peer-reviewed Journals

• One of the underlying principles of scientific
  publication in peer-reviewed journals has been
  the requirement that the authors make available
  the data and materials necessary for a reader to
  reproduce the experiment or analysis and to
  determine whether the data support the authors
  conclusions.(3)

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Data Deposition

• this has evolved into the requirement that the
  data underlying each published report be
  deposited in an appropriate international
  database. (3)
• (i.e., international users)

(3) C. Ball, G Sherlock, H. Parkinson, P
Rocca-Sera, Science, vol. 298, 18 October 2002,
p. 539, Letters
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The Value of your data!

• It should go without stating that this
  information is only of value as long as it is
  available, so every effort should be made to
  provide stable access to published data until
  such time as it is available from a public
  database. (3)

(3) C. Ball, G Sherlock, H. Parkinson, P
Rocca-Sera, Science, vol. 298, 18 October 2002,
p. 539, Letters
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Data Synthesis

• to facilitate the development of novel methods
  of data analysis by providing access to necessary
  primary data. (3)

(3) C. Ball, G Sherlock, H. Parkinson, P
Rocca-Sera, Science, vol. 298, 18 October 2002,
p. 539, Letters
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Data Management

• What is data management?
• Collecting data and making it available long term
• Act as a data repository curator
• Setting standards for data integrity and accuracy
  (i.e., QA, QC is done by the PI)
• Address intellectual property issues
• Attend to citations, security and privacy issues
  related to the datasets

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A Look to the Future

• The need exists for making data not only
  physically accessible, but also intellectually
  accessible
• (data information knowledge)
• Thus the need for complete and thorough metadata
  to make metadata available to future
  cyberinfrastructure machine-to-machine search,
  and comprehensive analysis tools.

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The Arctic System Science Data Coordination
CenterArchiving, managing and integrating
Arctic science data
Our Home Page

• ARCSS investigator contact information is
  available via our Address Book.
• Browse the available ARCSS funded data sets by
• Subject, Investigator, or Project.
• Let us know what you think of our web site
  design.
• A Note from the Program Director of ARCSS,
• Dr. Neil Swanberg.

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Sample Data Web page with graphics
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Things that make us unique

• Support data from time of initial funding and in
  a long term archive (full life cycle)
• Data are distributed with detailed and complete
  metadata
• Provide long-term support for data to all
  potential data users, this includes general
  public, policy makers and K-12, ARCSS and
  non-ARCSS scientists
• Prepare DIFs on behalf of all SBI PIs

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Major Issues the SBI PIs should consider

• Importance of long-term data management to all
  Arctic System research (present and future)
• Importance of meta-data in a long-term archive
• The ARCSS program's push towards synthesis and
  the role of long-term data management (synthesis
  beyond ARCSS and synthesis in the future) 

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Conclusion

• ADCC -
• is the single Long Term Archive for all ARCSS
  related data (e.g., SBI)
• looks forward to providing the user community
  access to ARCSS data sets as long as the ARCSS
  Program exists

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Contact Information Rudy Dichtl [phone]
dichtl_at_nsidc.org
STOP HERE!
Thank you for your attention! Questions please.
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