The Gulf of Maine Biogeographical Information System (GMBIS) Project

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The Gulf of Maine Biogeographical Information
System(GMBIS) Project
A spatial data management framework in support of
OBIS
Vardis M. Tsontos Dale A. Kiefer University of
Southern California tsontos_at_usc.edu
COD Conference Brussels, 25-27/11/2002
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The Gulf of Maine Biogeographic
InformationSystem Project (GMBIS)

• 2 year project funded May 2000 by ONR via NOPP

• Partners
• - University of Southern California (USC)
• - DFO Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO)
• - Atlantic Reference Centre (ARC)
• - System Science Applications (SSA)

• - demonstrate the viability of the assembled
  information system via a pilot
• application for the Gulf of Maine
• use extensive BIO ARC survey databases
• thematic context structured scientific
  storylines

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GMBIS Thematic Approach

• Show utility of system in addressing
  biogeographic questions

• Developed by DFO longstanding research
  activities in GoM (eg. GLOBEC G.Bank)

• Resulted in a form of synthesis (Atlas data
  gaps)

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Summary of electronically archived data
maintained by BIO ARC

• Diverse types of oceanographic biogeographic
  data

• GMBIS tapped a representative range of data and
  archival systems

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GMBIS Information System Design Components
Information flow
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Environmental Analysis System (EASy GIS)

• PC/WinNT/XP/00/98 system

• 4D (lat/lon/depth/time) internal data
  representation

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EASy Netviewer GIS Web Server

• Web-enabled EASy GIS applications with
  Netviewer plug-in

• Deploy multiple GIS applications from single
  server

• Clients access with Web-browser (MS I.Explorer)

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Diverse Imagery Supported

• Multiple types / formats (eg. HDF, NetCDF,
  Binary, DOQQ, Shp)

• Automated imagery ingestion/georeferencing
  FTP , DODS sources

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Virtual Database Utility

• Save mapping configurations for reuse/automation

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Linking to Online Databases Webpages

• Interactively browse web pages with either
  static or dynamic content

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Conclusions
GMBIS has produced a range of products of
relevance to CoML/OBIS

• Generic approach for biogeographic/oceanographic
  information system
• design implementation

• Reusable software tools (EASy ACON) for the
  assimilation, integration, visualization
• dissemination of the full range of likely
  CoML data types (biological environmental)

• Assembled information system precursor to a
  dynamic, electronic Atlas for the GoM