TITLE: Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research Information Management Update
AUTHORS: Karen S. Baker
DATE: 1998
PLACE: in Data and information management in the ecological sciences: a
resource guide; Proceedings of workshop, held at University of New Mexico, Albuquerque: New Mexico, 8-9 August, '97; W Michener, J Porter and S Stafford, 1998

Introduction

The Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network has emphasized data 
management (Michener, 1986; Michener et al, 1994) as part of its
initial vision.  Individual sites have met data management challenges 
with a variety of approaches (Baker, 1996; Benson, 1996; Briggs and Su, 1994; 
Ingersoll et al, 1997; Porter, 1996; Spycher et al, 1996; Veen et al, 1994). 
The Palmer LTER, established in the fall of 1990, began co-ordination 
of individual research component data groups with the appointment of 
a data manager in 1992.   The Palmer LTER  fulfills the data requirements 
of being a long-term study site by requiring that information be recorded 
consistently, archived digitally, and accessable online (Baker, 1996).
The advent of the internet and reliable software plays a critical role 
since the Palmer participants reside at different home institutions across
the country and conduct research in the Antarctic either on station or
aboard ship. 

Funding limitations have dictated the need for a simple system taking
advantage of technology while minimizing high technology costs.  
Delegation of responsibility for documentation and data 
maintenance to the data source avoids the need for a central librarian.
Further, files are kept in unformatted text in order to avoid the need 
for individual users or a data librarian to learn special (mark up) 
languages.  The world wide web (www) is used to co-ordinate and highlight 
topics while a hierarchical data and documentation (metadata) structure 
implemented for a gopher organization is preserved (Figure 1).

Datasets are organized by studies where each dataset may consist of one 
or a collection of datafiles.  Each PI has an account on the central 
computer and may access either of the parallel, hierarchical metadata 
and data directories.  It is the responsibility of the individual investigator 
to document qa/qc and transfer online datasets. Both study and dataset template 
forms are maintained online.  Once files are uploaded and privileges turned
over to the data manager, the files are added to the list of those
served through a web browser.  Files are maintained and updated by the 
individual principal investigators.