Advances in data management practices and technologies for ecosystem science

A workshop for the Ecological Society of Australia Annual ConferenceAlice Springs, October 1 2014: 1300 – 1630 hrs

Presentation AimsTo provide researchers who collect and re-use multiple types of ecosystem data with a practical overview and demonstrations of data collection, storage, management, publication and sharing practices for use in ecological sciences and management.

To recognise different needs of researchers in different position and stages in research careers.

Presentation Learning Objectives

• What do we want people to walk away with?

- high level of knowledge of what ecosystem data is available and how to get it;

- understanding of why good data management matters and what the benefits are for you;

- understanding of spectrum of options for data collection and management;

- understanding of how TERN and similar facilities fit into that spectrum;

- understanding of data collection, publishing and sharing options; and

- entry level appreciation of what new things are possible with this advanced infrastructure.

Expectations for Workshop?

• Increase research impact and capability

• Enable transition to more open, transparent scientific culture

• From a technical side - Data Collection, Data Assurance, Data description, Data preservation and Access, Data discoverability, Data re-use, Analysis and Integration.

• From an ecological side: improved data collection, use, re-use, applications, solutions, publications, collaborations and impact

Review Pre Workshop Surveys

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14jdfBjv_QjwxqpkVE3T99yXfHmmgkWfBYkWNjp25qTU/viewform?usp=send_form

1. What is your area of work, research or teaching, and what is your involvement with ecosystem research and data management?

2. Have you previously searched for and downloaded ecosystem data using an online data repository or portal?If yes, please tell us which repositories or portals you have used:

3. Have you downloaded or used –on-line tools for data collection and processing ?If yes, which one(s):

Review Pre Workshop Surveys

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14jdfBjv_QjwxqpkVE3T99yXfHmmgkWfBYkWNjp25qTU/viewform?usp=send_form

4. Have you ever deposited your research data in a publicly accessible repository ?If yes, which one(s):

5. Have you ever written metadata to describe your research data?If yes, which metadata standards and authoring tools were used?

6. Have you used another scientist's data to conduct your research?If yes, briefly outline the benefits and challenges you experienced:

7. What are you hoping to get out of the workshop?

8. Are there any specific topics or questions that you would like to be covered?

Your Presenters!• TERN - Stuart Phinn

• TERN Ozflux – Peter Isaac

• TERN Ausplots – Andrew Tokmakoff

• TERN Ecoinformatics – Anita Smyth

• TERN Auscover - Matt Paget

• ANDS – Angeletta Leggio

• Nectar BBCVL Virtual Lab – Willow Hallgren & Hamish Holewa

Workshop OutlineTime Title Presenters

13:00 – 13:20 Introduction and Context Stuart Phinn13:20 – 13:50 Adding Value to Data: A Rake’s

ProgressPeter Isaac

13:50 – 14:10 Collecting Data: Mobile field data collection with prescribed methodologies

Andrew Tokmakoff

14:10: 15:00 Data management and publishing for ecologists

Anita Smyth and Matt Paget

15:00 – 15:20 Coffee BreakCoffee/tea Provided

15:20 – 15:40 Preservation and Data Angeletta Leggio15:40 – 16:10 The Biodiversity and Climate

Change Virtual Laboratory (BCCVL): Where Ecology Mets Big Data

Willow Hallgren

16:10 – 16:30 Wrap-up and close Stuart Phinn

Introduction – Ecological Data Collection and Sharing

Data Collection: • Methods, protocols and technologies• Manual, visual, instrumental, semi-automated, and automated• Quality checking, assurance and standards

Data Sharing:• A range of approaches can be used for this!• Data curation, meta-data, licensing and data publishing

• A Data Publishing Continuum?

http://www.tern.org.au/Data-publishing-pg26249.html

Introduction – Ecological Data Collection and Sharing

Data Collection: • Methods, protocols and technologies• Manual, visual, instrumental, semi-automated, and automated• Quality checking, assurance and standards

Data Sharing:• A range of approaches can be used for this!• Data curation, meta-data, licensing and data publishing

Relevant national data infrastructure:• Covering TERN, ANDS and Virtual Lab Program today….• Focus on Australia’s Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network

• National infrastructure for Australian ecosystem data

What is TERN?

• Infrastructure and networks to support coordinated, collaborative ecosystem science community

• Enabling sustained, long-term collection, storage, synthesis and sharing of ecosystem data

• Connecting science with policy and management

• TERN’s infrastructure for ecosystem science

Instruments + Sensors

Policy + Management

Analysis + Synthesis

Modelling

Data Searching

Data Sharing

Data Curation + Publishing

Data Storage

Processing + Analysis

Collection Methods

Eciencygain

Increasedeectiveness

Storage,preservation anddiscoverability

of data

Data analysis,integration and

synthesis

r

Ecosystem Science

Data + meta-data,

licensing

Research output:

new data and publications

Enables large scale and coordinated data collection, sharing and

multiple re-uses

Enhanced ability to revise, question and expand knowledge

Knowledge gap: research questions

Proposal and planning

Data collection, verification,

quality assurance and

control

This afternoon……..

TERN’s data portals and meta-data structure:

Auscover

Ozflux

Ausplots, and Transects

Coasts

Soils

Supersites Network and LTERN

eMAST

AeKOSEcoinformaticsTERN Data

Discovery Portal

TERN Data:TERN facility Kind of data available Where can I access [+ submit] data ?AusCover Remote sensing data and derived

products covering: land cover; ecosystem variables; fire; surface radiation, meteorology; base satellite data and inputs to satellite processing; site-based datasets.

Via TDDP or AusCover portal:www.auscover.org.au/data/product-list [Submit - matt.paget@csiro.au]

AusPlots Vegetation and soil surveys and samples; photopoints.Over 330 sites sampled so far. As at March 2014: data from ~130 rangelands sites available, with more coming soon.

Via AEKOS data portal www.aekos.org.au or Soils to Satellites soils2sat.ala.org.au/(In future will also be searchable from TDDP) Specimens (vegetation voucher samples and soils) ian@ausplots.org.auPhotopoints: Contact ben@ausplots.org.au

ACEAS(Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis)

Synthesised data products from ACEAS working groups.

Via TDDP or ACEAS portal:aceas-data.science.uq.edu.au/portal/ [Submit – s.guru@uq.edu.au]

TERN Data:TERN facility Kind of data available Where can I access [+ submit] data ?ACEFAustralian Coastal Ecosystems Facility

Key datasets include coastal bathymetry, coastal habitats, water quality, beach morphology, turtle distribution and habitat

Via TDDP or ACEF portal:acef.tern.org.au/portal/ [Submit – jonathan.hodge@csiro.au]

Australian SuperSite Network (ASN)

Vegetation composition, structure and cover; fauna surveys; soil properties; gas and energy flux (see OzFlux below); meteorology; surface, ground and soil water

Via TDDP or ASN portal:www.tern-supersites.net.au/knb/ [Submit – shiela.lloyd@jcu.edu.au]

Australian Transect Network (ATN)

Vegetation and soil surveys, including specimens.

Via AEKOS data portal www.aekos.org.au or Soils to Satellites soils2sat.ala.org.au/(In future will also be searchable from TDDP) Specimens (vegetation voucher samples and soils) stefan.caddy-retalic@adelaide.edu.au

Eco-Informatics

Ecological data from individual sites, and from broadscale surveys. Data from AusPlots and the Australian Transect Network, alongside key data from State and Federal partners.See AEKOS data publication schedule for more detail.

www.aekos.org.au(In progress of submitting metadata to TDDP) [submit - www.aekos.org.au/access_shared]

TERN Data:TERN facility Kind of data available Where can I access [+ submit] data ?eMASTEcosystem Modelling and Scaling Infrastructure

Modelled climate and land surface data derived from surface observations.

Partially available via eMAST: www.tern.org.au/e-MAST-Data-Products-pg26355.html(In progress of submitting metadata to TDDP) [Submit - bradley.evans@mq.edu.au]

LTERN Long-Term Ecological Research Network

Vegetation composition, structure and cover; fauna surveys; surface, ground and soil water

Via TDDP or LTERN portal:www.ltern.org.au/knb/ [Contact emma.burns@anu.edu.au ]

OzFlux CO 2 and other gas concentration and fluxes; evapotranspiration; surface energy balance; carbon and water cycles

Via TDDP or OzFlux portal:ozflux.its.monash.edu.au/ecosystem/home [Submit -pisaac.ozflux@gmail.com ]

Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia

Functional soil attributes and key landscape features.

Under development. Best available data products via TDDP:http://portal.tern.org.au/search#!/q=soils/p=1/tab=collection/group=Soils/num=10 [Submit - mike.grundy@csiro.au]

• Other data stores and sources?

• Other data stores and sources?

• Other data stores and sources?

Data Collection Examples of Open Data Collection Options and Tools

• Open Data Kit and Google Tables/Maps/Engines• TERN Auscover applications• ALA applications• Other government examples for citizen science

Data Collection Examples of Open Data Collection Options and Tools

• Open Data Kit and Google Tables/Maps/Engines

Data Collection Examples of Open Data Collection Options and Tools• TERN Auscover applications -

http://www.auscover.org.au/xwiki/bin/view/Field+Sites/ODK+Forms

Data Collection Examples of Open Data Collection Options and Tools• TERN Auscover applications https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=1Cy-tes5-

za7XAGfYueIgwZWUDecRzETT4KZFM6Fk#map:id=3

Data Collection Examples of Open Data Collection Options and Tools• Other government examples for citizen science https://ir3h5.enketo.formhub.org/webform

Topic Presentations

Summary and Exit Survey

Australian Ecosystem Science Long Term Plan – six key directions

Summary and Exit SurveySummary: Learning objectives - revisited• What do we want people to walk away with?

• high level of knowledge of what ecosystem data is available and how to get it;

• understanding of why good data management matters and what the benefits are for you;

• understanding of spectrum of options for data collection and management;

• understanding of how TERN and similar facilities fit into that spectrum;

• understanding of data collection, publishing and sharing options; and

• entry level appreciation of what new things are possible with this advanced infrastructure

Summary and Exit Survey

Exit Survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G5KSGCV

International Partners

TERN is supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and the Super Science Initiative

Questions?

Stuart Phinns.phinn@uq.edu.au

Siddeswara Gurus.guru@uq.edu.au

www.tern.org.au