Environmental Data Management at NOAA Archiving, Stewardship, and Access (2007) / Chapter Skim
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6 Data Discovery, Access, and Integration
6 Data Discovery, Access, and Integration
Pages 69-84
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From page 69... ...
The utility of any data archive is ultimately defined by the ability of users to make use of the data it contains. Improving access to the environmental data in NOAA's archives is, justifiably, the main focus of many current data management activities.
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From page 70... ...
For example, the technical capabilities and scientific sophistication of NOAA's user base ranges from elementary school children looking for temperature data near their house for a school project, to inexperienced users seeking highly specific weather and climate information for legal or business purposes, to experienced modelers looking for a large volume of well-calibrated data to test a physical parameterization, to multidisciplinary scientists seeking to project the combined effect of multiple environmental stresses on a particular ecosystem. Users may also prefer data in a particular format: ASCII data to import into a spreadsheet, JPEG images, or GIS-compatible formats, to name but a few.
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From page 71... ...
Likewise, usage metrics can be used to capture the net activity of the data user population; NOAA should consider collecting a set of standardized metrics enterprise-wide to help expose data discovery, access, and integration gaps. To be most effective, the feedback collected from a broad range of users should be accompanied by more formal, focused feedback from external advisory groups or user panels.
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From page 72... ...
Additional methods for incorporating user feedback to improve data discovery, access, and integration are described in the sections that follow. DISCOVERY Guideline: Environmental data should be easily discoverable by a broad range of users.
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From page 73... ...
While the committee member may have eventually discovered this procedure, the inability to successfully locate the intended data in a reasonable amount of time suggests that significant improve ments in data discoverability are possible. current maze of data access entry points should also be better organized and connected as part of an enterprise-wide effort to enhance discoverability for a broad range of users who only want to keep track of a single portal to obtain environmental data.
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From page 74... ...
In addition, users may want other information related to a particular data set such as data quality attributes, activity logs, and user feedback. This sort of information can be very valuable to a user assessing the appropriateness of a data set for a specific application, as discussed in additional detail in the next guideline.
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From page 75... ...
An additional, especially important application of metadata is to promote the discovery, access, and integration of different environmental data streams for a variety of users. The spectrum of useful metadata is large and diverse.
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From page 76... ...
Capturing user feedback in logs and incorporating these logs into standard metadata would thus yield benefits in data stewardship, discovery, access, and integration. A critical concern for NOAA is assuring that at the end of the data discovery exercise, a user has been made aware of all relevant and helpful data offered by the agency.
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From page 77... ...
Many of these users probably do not even know about the broad range of environmental data that might be available to address their needs, while others may have encountered obstacles while trying to access NOAA data. Enhancing data discovery, providing easier data access, and promoting more extensive usage of archived data are all steps that would significantly increase the realized value of NOAA's data holdings.
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From page 78... ...
Such a policy, while not draconian, does place certain barriers on the broad use of NOAA data holdings. Full and Open Access: Since the advent of the Internet, full and open access to all types of digital information, including environmental data, has been the subject of considerable discussion among a variety of stakeholders and interests, including educators, researchers, librarians, publishers, sponsoring agencies, commercial enterprises, and government officials.
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From page 79... ...
The provision of full and unrestricted (or minimally restricted) access can greatly enhance the utility of NOAA data holdings: it advances not only scientific discovery but also goals in the realms of commerce and policy making, among other benefits to society.
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From page 80... ...
Similarly, the use of common protocols and conventions for data access and formats can lead to more effective and broader utilization of NOAA's environmental data. As an example, many teachers in the K-12 community routinely use spreadsheet applications such as Excel, but these same professionals may be less familiar with or reluctant to use the more specialized scientific application tools favored by educators and researchers in higher education.
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From page 81... ...
Thus, in addition to promoting the discovery and access of environmental data, NOAA's data management system should allow for and facilitate the integration of data and other information. This integration may entail the sequential or simultaneous access of original data from a variety of different platforms, such as satellites, ground sensors, and buoys, or it may be facilitated by Web-based portals that assemble related informational products from different data centers at a single location or specified time.
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From page 82... ...
Guideline: Practical considerations require a distributed data system architecture and access infrastructure for environmental data. Ideally, all environmentally relevant data would be easily discoverable and readily accessible from a single portal or access point that facilitates the integration of multiple data sources and meets the needs of all
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From page 83... ...
The nature and justification for these steps are described in more detail in the next guideline, and the next chapter describes how a system-of-systems approach to data management could provide the distributed access infrastructure demanded by NOAA's diverse data holdings and user groups. Guideline: A distributed data access infrastructure can and should support improved data discovery and seamless integration.
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From page 84... ...
With respect to drought, work is under way through the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) program to develop a Web portal that will provide a link to connect the data, scientists, and decision makers.a It is hoped that this portal, as it develops, will serve as a model for other meteorological and climatological phenomena.
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