LTER Technology Committee Meeting March 26, 27 1999

1
LTER Technology Committee Meeting March 26, 27
1999 Review of LTER Technology Efforts John R.
Vande Castle Long Term Ecological Research
(LTER) - Network Office Department of Biology,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM,
87131-1091 Shipping address 801 University Blvd.
Suite 104, Albuquerque, NM, 87106 Phone 505
272-7315 Mobile [phone] Fax 505
272-7080 Email jvc_at_LTERnet.edu URL
www.lternet.edu
2
REPORT OF THE NSF ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL PLANNING FOR
LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECTS H.H.
Shugart , William J. Parton, Gaius R. Shaver,
Susan G. Stafford The report summarizes the
results of two fact-finding meetings of the
committee in January, 1988 to provide specific
recommendations for technological planning for
the LTER network. The primary recommendations
were to 1. Acquire GIS capability across the
network 2. Develop network remote-sensing
analysis capability Augment WAN and LAN in the
LTER system.
3

• TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITIES AT ALL SITES OF THE
  LTER NETWORK, - November 1988
• Carry out inter-site goals of the Network
• Provide all LTER sites with a list of the items
  necessary to achieve an MSI
• Provide some standardization across the network
• Provide NSF with a recommendation for funding of
  MSI's for Scientific/Technological supplements
  for FY 1989 and beyond

4

• DEFINITION OF THE LTER MSI
• GIS SYSTEM
• Arc/Info
• Multi-user computer (8-16 mByte,memory 300 mB
  disc)
• Multi-pen plotter
• Digitizer
• Technical person
• NETWORK CONNECTIONS
• WAN- BITNET,CSNET, or NSFNET
• Dedicated server (a 386 PC)
• LAN network cards and cabling for 4 PCs
• Network software - 3COM, Novell, etc
• HIGH-CAPACITY DATA STORAGE SYSTEM
• Secure storage of long-term data sets - WORM or
  erasable

5
LTER Technology Report for the LTER Strategic
Plan by James Gosz, Stuart Gage, Mike Inglis,
Jerry Melillo, Ross Virginia, Pat Zimmerman The
report follows the Shugart Committee Report which
identified the scientific issues being addressed
by the LTER sites and made recommendations for
network-wide capabilities to address those
issues.
6
Issues of the Gosz Report 1. The primary
research goals driving the technology
requirements across the LTER network are a.
assessment of global change b. comparative
studies of ecological phenomena and theories 2.
Network technology needs should be developed
based on the ability to a. communicate and
transmit data b. manage large data sets c.
conduct complex spatial analyses 3. The network
should look beyond computing abilities identified
in the Shugart Report to a. advanced
instrumentation b. remote sensing
7

• Gosz Report Recommendations
• 1. ACQUISITION OF SATELLITE IMAGERY FOR ALL SITES
  
• Acquire satellite data, preprocess the data,
  archive the data, and establish a remote sensing
  network to implement the program
• 2. BlOSPHERlC/ATMOSPHERIC INTERACTIONS AND
  MEASUREMENT
• Technologies to Incorporate Biosphere/Atmosphere
  Interactions into LTER Sites.
• 3. PROCESS MODELING AND SPATIAL ANALYSES
• Process Modeling with Emphasis on Spatial
  Modeling, Geostatistical Analysis,and High-Speed
  Computing in Ecosystem Research at LTER Sites
• 4. COMPARATIVE EXPERIMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES
• Research Facilities to Determine Biological
  Responses to Climate Change
• 5. ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES TO COMPLIMENT RESEARCH
  THEMES
• STABLE ISOTOPE TECHNOLOGIES FOR LTER
• SUBSURFACE TECHNOLOGIES - Minirhizotron,Subsurfac
  e imaging - Ground penetrating radar,
  Computer-assisted tomographic (CAT) scanning
• TECHNOLOGIES FOR INTERMEDIATE SCALES OF
  RESOLUTION

8

• Technology Development in the LTER Network
• Status Report on Geographic Information Systems,
  Remote Sensing, Internet Connectivity, Archival
  Storage Global Positioning Systems
• David Foster Emery Boose - Harvard Forest,
  Harvard University
• Petersham, Massachusetts
• Published by the Long-Term Ecological Research
  Network Office
• LTER Publication No. 12 - March 1991
• Summary of LTER MSI as of 1991

9
Technology Development in the LTER Network
(Foster and Boose, 1991) RECOMMENDATIONS
INTERNET CONNECTIVITY - Essential for
Network-wide activities, including real-time
exchange of manuscripts and data and real-time
access to distributed data bases or
remotely-mounted satellite image files. REMOTE
SENSING - The sites that lack remote sensing
capability - (software and imagery) should
acquire it. Network acquisition of remote sensing
data, should be supported on an annual
basis. ARCHIVAL STORAGE - High-capacity data
storage systems, in most cases optical disk
systems, are rapidly becoming essential at all
sites to handle the volume of data associated
with large databases, GIS, and remote
sensing. GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS - Additional
GPS units to improve Network-wide
accessibility DATABASE SOFTWARE - The need to
acquire new database software, such as SQL to
participate in Network projects such as the
distributed climate database. AUTOMATED DATA
ENTRY - Hardware and software for the automated
collection of field data in electronic format and
direct transmission and entry into LTER computers
to improve speed and accuracy of data
collection.
10
LTER/NASA Remote Sensing Workshop Report of a
workshop between participants of the Long-Term
Ecological Research Network, a program of the
National Science Foundation, and the National
Aeronautic and Space Administration. John R.
Vande Castle and Richard H. Waring, Editors
A workshop held in November, 1992 at the
Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
Scientists from both the ecological and remote
sensing community participated, as did
administrators from NSF and NASA. In addition,
other members of the LTER community were called
upon to document current and future interests for
collaborative ventures. This (a) identifies
potential areas for mutual studies, (b) sets an
agenda for advancing joint studies, and (c)
indicates key individuals to contact. As a result
of the workshop, new instrumentation was proposed
for LTER sites to improve the interpretation of
remotely sensed data under changing atmospheric
conditions. To initiate interaction beyond the
workshop, NASA scientists and administrators were
invited to participate in the LTER "All
Scientists" meeting at Estes Park in September of
1993. NASA representatives requested attendance
of LTER representatives in meetings for the
testing of next generation satellite sensors, in
particular of MODIS.
11

• Report from a meeting Between LTER and NASA/MODIS
  Scientists - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
  3/22-3/23 1993 - John R. Vande Castle
• Follow up from 1992 LTER/NASA workshop
• Resulted in
• 1992-1993 Landsat-TM data
• NASA/LTER Global Change Research Agreement
• Implementation of Sunphotometer Installation
• Initial discussion of LCC, LAI and NPP
  verification needs

12
Opportunities for Technology Development are
available from many sources, including Biological
Instrument development through NSF/BIO funding -
Annual proposal and deadline information can be
found at http//www.nsf.gov/bio/progdes/nsf98119.
htm The NRA below is just one example of new
initiatives from NASA funding sources From
NASA OES Evaluations mailtooeseval_at_hq.nasa.gov
Sent Thursday, March 25, 1999 849 AM Subject
Opportunities to Participate in the New
Millennium Program -Earth Observing-1 Mission
Instrument Performance Evaluation and Data
Validation Solicitation Number NRA-99-OES-01
NAIS Posted Date Mar 17, 1999 Response Date
Jun 17, 1999 Classification Code A -- Research
Development. - The NRA will be posted in full
on the release date of April 2, 1999. The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) of
the Department of the Interior (DOI) announce the
joint solicitation of proposals for scientific
investigations to validate the NASA New
Millennium Program's (NMP) Earth Observing-1
(EO-1) mission technologies and to assess EO-1
spectral imaging for science and applications
research. Proposals to address the following
objectives are solicited 1) to evaluate the
selected EO-1 technologies with respect to their
ability to meet the needs for future
Landsat-class observations at reduced cost and
with enhanced quality, 2) to evaluate space-based
imaging spectrometers for potential future NASA
and USGS scientific, applied, and commercial uses
of hyperspectral data, and 3) to evaluate the
implications for data correction and calibration
of new ways of conducting missions such as
formation flying with other satellites,
approaches to inter-satellite and lunar
calibration and atmospheric correction, and
autonomous navigation/instrument operation.