The Marine Metadata Interoperability Project

A Model for Community Collaboration

September 23, 2010

Nan Galbraith

WHOI

Mission

"Promoting the exchange, integration and use of marine data through enhanced data publishing, discovery, documentation and accessibility.”

Goals

• Support collaborative research• Provide guidance on metadata practices• Identify and describe existing standards, tools• Develop tools and services when needed • Community outreach and engagement

MMI Participants

• Workshop Planning – TAMU• Website Development – WHOI • Metadata Guides – SDSC (SIO)• Technology and Services – MBARI• Interoperability Demonstration – SURA, IOOS• Strategic Planning - MBARI

Funded by NSF, SURA, NOAA

Main MMI Projects

• Website: Resources & References

• Metadata Guides

• Ontology Development

– Ontology Registry and Repository

• OOSTethys Demonstration Project

Website: Web Resources & References

• Documenting existing standards, tools etc.

• Emphasis on user-supplied content– Lots of volunteer labor– Team approach

• Constant feedback from users– User testing, surveys, analytics

Website: Community Building

• Provided workspace for groups– External and within MMI– Integrated email services, group documents...– Varied success with external groups

• Used Plone and then Drupal (CMS)

Website: Community Building

Metadata Guides

• Web-based textbook (Drupal “book”)

• Readable metadata information

• Basic principles, best practices

• Options for documenting and sharing data

• Authored by Guides Team, 11 co-authors

Metadata Guides: Contents

• Introduction to Metadata

• Metadata Standards

• Vocabularies: Dictionaries, Ontologies

• Technical Tools

• Case Studies

• Interactive Dictionary

Ontology Work

• Document existing ontologies• Create mapping tools• Develop ontologies where needed• Hold workshops

– vocabulary mapping exercises

• Work with existing groups – SWEET, OGC, W3C

Ontology Development

• Platform Ontology– Stable, if not complete, possibly best available– Available on MMI ORR

• Device Ontology– Thorough model of attributes of data sources– Grew out of a 2005 mapping workshop – In development, but available on ORR

MMI Ontology Registry and Repository

• Serves environmental science vocabularies• Supports cross-community use of terms• Leverages MMI’s library of semantic resources

• Built on BioPortal (National Center for Biomedical Ontologies)

MMI Ontology Registry

• Ease of input a priority – User-input CSV to automatic network updates

• Currently 153 vocabularies – Each term has unique URI– Versioning enabled

• Associated semantic framework – infrastructure (tools, processes)

Sample Vocabulary Metadata

Sample Vocabulary Versions

Sample Vocabulary – RDF View

Interoperability Demonstration

OOSTethys

• Provides users fast data publication

• Test bed for Semantic Framework

• Collaboration with SURA

• Next, working with OGC on Oceans IE

The Marine Metadata Interoperability Project

What are our results?

How do we judge our success?

What’s next for the project?

MMI Results

• 453 members (> 300 active in last 2 years)

• > 100 presentations & posters

• > 4,600 documents on website

• 153 ontologies registered on ORR

• Hosted several workshops, tutorials

MMI Results

• Engaged domain scientists, technologists, data managers

• Involved most major US marine science institutions & many agencies

• Attracted some international participation

• Lots of volunteer labor

MMI Results

• Many groups produced lasting products

• Required intense commitment of PI

• Major challenge: long term funding – Longevity is critical for community projects– Really crucial for ORR– Difficult (and important!) for volunteers

The Marine Metadata Interoperability Project

Marinemetadata.org

Thanks!