Data Management Report

### Program Services and Data Management for the U.S. GLOBEC Northwest Atlantic Georges Bank Program

    INVESTIGATOR:

    Peter H. Wiebe
    Biology Department
    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    Woods Hole, MA 02543

    GRANT PERIOD:  September 1, 1994 - September 30, 1996

#### STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES:

The U.S. GLOBEC Georges Bank Program requires effective leadership and data management to successfully conduct the proposed research. To assist in this process, the Georges Bank Program Service and Data Management Office was created. The primary objective of the office is to provide the basic common services, logistical support, and data management required by the scientific investigators (and the Program) as they conduct their field research, analyze the data from their individual efforts, and integrate the results with those from other research components. The office is currently staffed by the program and data management administrator, Bob Groman, and a part-time staff assistant, Chip Clancy.

The Georges Bank Data Management activities are focused on the newly established distributed Georges Bank Information System (GBIS) for the NW Atlantic Study.

#### STATEMENT OF WORK:

The Georges Bank Information System (GBIS) for the NW Atlantic Study is based on the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) data management software system. This software is a distributed, object-based data system, with the primary data sets residing with the responsible scientists when possible. It is built upon a standard protocol (National Center for Supercomputing Application's HyperText Transmission Protocol) and uses NCSA's HTTP Daemon (HTTPD). The data serving software is installed at three additional sites (MIT, NMFS at Woods Hole and Narragansett). At WHOI, the Web server resides on a Sun SPARCstation 20 UNIX based workstation. Electronic access and viewing of both data and information is done via World Wide Web software such as MOSAIC and NETSCAPE. Anyone with a computer connected to the network and the browser software can access the Program's information, documentation and data with the uniform resource locator (URL): http://globec.whoi.edu. The system now averages more than 600 accesses per month. Core data are maintained on the distributed database and accessible to all the scientific investigators. These data include measurements of physical and chemical parameters from discrete samples and continuous probe measurements. Data which are not readily placed in standard digital format, such as the results of physiological experiments will be indexed with information about their location and status for use by the investigators. The Office is assisting investigators in entering their data onto the database, gaining access to data sets once they are on the database, and arranging for the transfer of data to the Gulf of Maine (GOM) regional data center and NODC. The central tasks of the office are to:

- Track data sets from the initial data gathering through final submission;

- Accept "submission" of data (object name and inventory; information or data set) in a format which the office can handle;

- Work with PI's on quality control and assurance;

- Ensure data are documented;

- Maintain inventory/global dictionary;

- Provide information on proper procedures for submitting data;

- Disseminate information on GLOBEC data set, such as additions and changes;

- Ensure final submission to data centers; and

- Facilitate international exchange.

In addition, the office is assisting in the development of new software specifications; the flow of information products and related programs into the system; local data base maintenance, with special attention to the scientific users and data sources represented; and supporting the U.S. GLOBEC Georges Bank Executive Committee meetings.

The office works closely and coordinates with the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) office since we share the same data management software. Issues discussed during this past year include:

- Specifications for new methods (data access software);

- Enhancements to the database software;

- Data access security;

- Training; and

- Data inventory mechanisms.

The office provides information to the GLOBEC newsletter which is distributed by the National GLOBEC Office to inform the investigators of the program status and provides a convenient mechanism for rapid reporting of results within the program to other interested parties. We also interface with the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM).

Communication among the investigators is an important factor in maximizing interdisciplinary synthesis. To ensure the rapid and extensive dissemination of data and results, the program office provides the basic support in organizing and running workshops, and helps see that manuscripts and technical reports are prepared and distributed on a timely basis to other investigators and collaborators in the program. The office also organizes a scientific program meeting and data workshop once per year to provide opportunities for the principal investigators to carry out the very essential collaboratory activities of exchange of ideas and integration and synthesis of the data.

During the field portion of the program, the office is providing logistical support for the multi-ship operations including assisting in the coordination of the outfitting of the ships, and scheduling pre- and post-cruise activities. Following each cruise, the office assists the chief scientist in preparing an initial assessment of the field activities and acquired data (a cruise report) so that the principal investigators will have a common record of navigational data, and general information on the Georges Bank environment based on shipboard satellite imagery and remote sensing observations. During the first year of this project, we are supporting twenty-five (25) cruises to accomplish the broad-scale, process and mooring field work of the program. To date, twenty cruises (20) have been completed. Initial event log, sea surface sensor, volume back scattering and along track (CTD, meteorological, and navigation) data are accessible on-line.

#### SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS:

The Georges Bank Information System (GBIS) is installed and operational on a SPARCstation 20. This system provides the central directory of available on-line data, as well as providing information about the Program, including reports, data acquisition procedures and protocols. This information is made available through the World Wide Web at URL http://globec.whoi.edu. Additional data servers were established at NMFS/Woods Hole and NMFS/Narragansett and MIT. Together, the data servers provide access to CTD data, volume backscattering data; alongtrack CTD; meteorological and navigation data; model data; mooring sea surface data; and drifter data, images and movies.

The office supported the 1994-1995 field program with logistical support for 25 cruises to Georges Bank. Event logging (Quattro Pro) and display (Matlab) programs were provided to each Chief Scientist as part of a "Chief Scientist Package", which also includes documentation about data acquisition and processing protocols, data reporting requirements and other information.

To date (6 July 1995), the office distributed cruise reports for eighteen of the cruises.