Advancing cyberinfrastructure for accessing ecological data

新的信息学工具和资源有可能促进我们对生物过程如何在多个空间和时间尺度上相互作用以构建自然群落和生态系统的理解。这一项目将通过增加获取长期生态数据的机会，加强长期生态数据的再利用和整合。这些改进可促进数据综合，并通过建立一个记录良好和易于获取的长期环境数据库，提出新的调查途径。两项相辅相成的活动将通过原产地感知综合跟踪架构（PASTA）数据储存库稳定长期生态研究数据的获取。上传到PASTA的数据包（数据加元数据）符合与社区标准一致的高质量和完整性标准。 第一个任务是确定一个可扩展的基于性能的元数据搜索引擎，并将其部署到PASTA中，作为当前使用但老化的Metacat存储库的替代品。一旦选择了搜索引擎方法，将研究和测试用于生态元数据语言中存储的内容和PASTA框架内使用的示例。Metacat的最终更换将需要一个过渡战略，以最大限度地减少PASTA的停机时间。性能和稳定性都将通过删除导致搜索“瓶颈”的旧技术，并将其替换为经过广泛社区使用测试的更快的搜索算法来提高。第二个任务是完成新PASTA成员节点的测试，以便与DataONE一起使用。这一新节点将通过全球数据网络传播数据产品，从而提高长期生态数据的可用性。 一旦确定了合适的元数据搜索引擎，当新的数据包上传到PASTA时，PASTA成员节点将与DataONE基础设施同步。一旦发生同步，将测试DataONE协调节点元数据存档，以确保所有可用的数据包（包括元数据和数据）都已在DataONE中注册。这一项目将增加综合的机会，并将通过改善获得高质量、长期数据的机会，增进对自然生态系统的了解。来自各个学科的研究人员、教育工作者、学生、政策制定者和管理人员都可以随时访问数据。

New informatics tools and resources have the potential to advance our understanding of how biological processes interact over multiple spatial and temporal scales to structure natural communities and ecosystems. This project will enhance the reuse and integration of long-term ecological data by increasing its accessibility. These improvements could stimulate data synthesis and raise new lines of inquiry by creating a well-documented and readily accessible repository for long-term environmental data. Two complementary activities will stabilize access to long-term ecological research data through the Provenance Aware Synthesis Tracking Architecture (PASTA) data repository. Data packages (data plus metadata) uploaded into PASTA meet high standards of quality and integrity consistent with community standards. The first task will be to identify a scalable performance-based metadata search engine and deploy it into PASTA as a replacement for the currently-used but aging Metacat repository. Once a search engine method is selected, examples will be researched and tested for use with content stored in the Ecological Metadata Language and for use within the PASTA framework. Final replacement of Metacat will require a transition strategy to minimize downtime of PASTA. Both performance and stability will increase by removing older technology that results in search 'bottlenecks' and replacing it with faster search algorithms that have been tested through extensive community use. The second task is to complete testing of a new PASTA Member Node for use with DataONE. This new node will improve usability of long-term ecological data by disseminating data products through a global data network. Once a suitable metadata search engine is identified, the PASTA Member Node will be synchronized with DataONE infrastructure as new data packages are uploaded into PASTA. Once synchronization occurs, the DataONE Coordinating Node metadata archive will be tested to ensure all available data packages, including metadata and data, have been registered in DataONE. This project will increase opportunities for synthesis and will improve understanding of natural ecosystems by improving access to high quality, long-term data. Data will be readily accessible by researchers from a broad range of disciplines, educators, students, policy makers, and managers.