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A DATA SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATING DATA FROM LANDSCAPES, STREAMS AND ESTUARIES
Citation:
Hale, S S. AND J F. Paul. A DATA SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATING DATA FROM LANDSCAPES, STREAMS AND ESTUARIES. Presented at National Research Council Conference-"Data For Science And Society", Washington DC, March 13-14, 2000.
Description:
Estuaries are natural integrators of substances and processes that occur internally and externally (watersheds, ocean, atmosphere). Watershed activities that contribute fresh water, nutrients, contaminants, and suspended solids have a strong effect on the health of estuaries. Researchers trying to understand the condition of estuaries must do a similar integration, using data from many scientific disciplines. Because these data come from numerous databases, operated by different organizations in various formats, it is often a challenge to find and integrate them. The Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA), a pilot for projects of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, gathered data from many sources in the U.S. mid-Atlantic coastal region and integrated them with MAIA data from landscapes, streams, and estuaries. The purpose was to assess current conditions and to establish a data system that will support continuing assessments. Problems in finding and using data from diverse sources were approached with a variety of data management tools including data directories, inventories of monitoring programs, analytical databases, GIS, data clearinghouses, and data warehouses. Encouraging data owners to move toward common standards, directories, and data descriptions for databases with distributed ownership has made it easier to find, download, understand, and integrate data.