The LTER data managers meeting took place in Toronto, Ontario, August 4-6 prior to the Ecological Society of America meetings. In two days of productive discussion the group addressed data and information management problems that have come up during the last year or that have plagued the Network for some time.
Among the topics discussed were:
- Long-term goals for research data management and information resource development
- The state of network connectivity (see article, page 4)
- Sharing of information and databases
- Special interest subjects (including database software, optical disk storage, and developments in computer workstations)
- GIS/data management integration
Recommendations
The following recommendations were developed in discussion subgroups and synthesized by the data managers as a whole. They will be outlined in more detail at the fall 1989 Coordinating Committee meeting at Harvard Forest
- Establish a bimonthly newsletter to be distributed to site data managers electronically and by regular mail.
- Establish a one-year task force to
- Formulate, with data managers’ input, the agenda for a 1990 meeting
- Provide a liaison to the LTER/CC
- Begin development of future data management priorities and goals
- Facilitate exchange among data managers
- Develop an all-site catalog of key, long-term core data sets
- Develop an all-site bibliographic database.
- Establish research data management as a sixth LTER core area.
- Compile a set of LTER data management-related documents to provide background information for new data managers and increase continuity among the Forest.
- Develop, with the LTER GIS Working Group, documentation standards for GIS products.
- Develop a UNIX system administration workshop to facilitate rapid development of UNIX expertise at each site.