TITLE:     Tools for Managing Ecological Data
AUTHOR:    JH Porter, RW Nottrott, KS Baker
DATE:      4-7 November 1996
PLACE:     Presented at Eco-Informa '96, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
   Proceedings

ABSTRACT

The Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program is set of 18 
ecological research sites and a Network Office funded by the U.S. National 
Science Foundation. From the inception of the program in 1980, the LTER 
program has included a strong emphasis on data and information management 
as a crucial component of long-term research. Each LTER site operates its own 
data and information management system and the LTERnet Network Support 
System facilitates network-wide electronic communication, data and 
information exchange between sites. At each LTER site there is a broad range 
of data collected using both high and low technology techniques. The diversity 
of LTER sites (varying from arctic tundra to tropical rain forest), research 
questions and data collected (varying in size from <1 KB to >300 MB) 
demands a philosophy and structure which promotes flexibility and 
development of innovative solutions. Although some software tools and 
approaches are site-specific, a subset of tools, ideas and solutions evolve and 
propagate across sites depending upon their robustness, generality and cost. 
This presentation will focus on software tools which have become widely used 
within the LTER network. These include network information servers, 
geographical information systems, database and statistical packages as well as 
the myriad of smaller tools which link them together to work as an integrated 
whole. We will also discuss tools and approaches that we expect to become 
emergent standards in the future.