Stimulating and Facilitating Collaborative Long-Term Ecological Research: A Proposal for Continuing Support of the LTER Network Office

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The Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program has transformed itself from a loosely affiliated collection of sites to an integrated network. Recent accomplishments include: development of an effective electronic communication system; creation of data catalogs and shared data sets, including comprehensive satellite imagery for the network of sites; stimulation of cross-site syntheses and experiments; and linking with other scientific centers and federal agencies. Collectively, the LTER Network has expanded its focus to include larger spatial dimensions (regional and global) and has assumed a leadership role in ecological research involving long-term experimentation and observation and multi-site synthesis. The networked activities of LTER had allowed scientific collaboration far beyond the formal LTER Network. Initial collaborations with the general ecological community and other research organizations and agencies have involved research planning and electronic communication. During the next two years LTER expects to forge new linkages with such diverse entities as the NSF-funded supercomputer and GIS centers, NASA, and LTER-like programs in other countries. This project will presents the continuation of activities which facilitate collaborative research in the LTER Network and provide the linkages to other long-term research networks (domestic and international), agency programs, and scientists. Most of the resources will be used to support the infrastructure of the organized, electronically-linked group of scientists working on multi-site research and synthesis within and beyond the formal LTER Program. Support of Network communication, information and data exchange continues as a primary focus for the Network Office. A major element is electronic access and information exchange, ranging from electronic mail services to on-line databases and data sharing. A special project during this proposal period (1993) is the third LTER All Scientists meeting and an associated international LTER summit. The major strategic emphasis in the next two years is building working linkages with other agencies, institutions, research programs, and scientists with interests in long-term ecological research, including other NSF-funded science centers. Proposed activities include: (1) Expansion of the existing communication network, data catalog, and on-line databases and development of a bibliographic database; (2) Acquisition, archiving, and analysis of an array of remotely sensed data from collaboration with NASA and the Supercomputer Centers; (3) Maintenance of the facilitating structure and publication program associated with the Coordinating Committee and LTER Network; and (4) Increased involvement with other long- term research programs both domestically (e.g., sponsored by USGS, USDA, and NPS) and internationally. Research and development efforts by the network staff will occur in areas of database management, remotely sensed data, geographic information analysis, and intersite comparisons.