Title: The Long-Term Ecological Research community metadata standardisation project: a progress report

Authors: Inigo San Gil, Karen Baker, John Campbell, Ellen G. Denny, Kristin Vanderbilt, Brian Riordan, Rebecca Koskela, Jason Downing, Sabine Grabner, Eda Melendez, Jonathan M. Walsh, Mason Kortz, James Conners, Lynn Yarmey, Nicole Kaplan, Emery R. Boose, Linda Powell, Corinna Gries, Robin Schroeder, Todd Ackerman, Ken Ramsey, Barbara Benson, Jonathan Chipman, James Laundre, Hap Garritt, Don Henshaw, Barrie Collins, Christopher Gardner, Sven Bohm, Margaret O'Brien, Jincheng Gao, Wade Sheldon, Stephanie Lyon, Dan Bahauddin, Mark Servilla, Duane Costa, James Brunt

Addresses: Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, LTER Network Office, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. ' Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. ' Hubbard Brook LTER, USDA Forest Service, 271 Mast Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA. ' Hubbard Brook LTER, USDA Forest Service, 271 Mast Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA. ' Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Sevilleta LTER, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. ' Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Station, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 909 N. Koyukuk, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA. ' Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Station, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 909 N. Koyukuk, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA. ' Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Station, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 909 N. Koyukuk, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA. ' University of Applied Sciences, Hochschulstrasse 1 E210 A-6850, Dornbirn, Austria. ' Luquillo Experimental Forest LTER, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, San Juan, PR 00931, USA. ' Baltimore Ecosystem Study LTER, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, 2801 Sharon Turnpike, Millbrook, NY 12545, USA. ' Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. ' Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. ' Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. ' Short Grass Steppe LTER, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. ' Harvard Forest LTER, Harvard University, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. ' Florida Coastal Everglades LTER, Florida International University, University Park, Miami, FL 33199, USA. ' Central Arizona Phoenix LTER, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. ' Central Arizona Phoenix LTER, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. ' Niwot Ridge LTER, University of Colorado, 1560 30th Street, Boulder, CO 80309-0450, USA. ' Jornada del Muerto LTER, Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Jornada LTER, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA. ' Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, North Temperate Lakes LTER, 680 N. Park Street Madison, WI 53706, USA. ' Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, North Temperate Lakes LTER, 680 N. Park Street Madison, WI 53706, USA. ' Marine Biological Laboratory Ecosystems, Arctic LTER, Center Woods Hole MA 02543, USA. ' Plum Island Ecosystem LTER, Marine Biological Laboratory Ecosystems, Center Woods Hole MA 02543, USA. ' Andrews Forest LTER, USDA Forest Service Pacific NW Research Station, 3200 SW Jefferson Way Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. ' Anthropology Department, Coweeta LTER, Ecolaboratory, 251 Baldwin Hall University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA. ' McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER, Byrd Polar Research Center, 1090 Carmack Rd Columbus, OH 43210, USA. ' Kellog Biological Station, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. ' Santa Barbara Coastal LTER, Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93116, USA. ' Konza Prairie LTER, Division of Biology, Kansas State University 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA. ' Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. ' Cedar Creek Natural History Area LTER, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA. ' Cedar Creek Natural History Area LTER, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA. ' LTER Network Office, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. ' LTER Network Office, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. ' LTER Network Office, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA

Abstract: We describe the process by which the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network standardised their metadata through the adoption of the Ecological Metadata Language (EML). We describe the strategies developed to improve motivation and to complement the information technology resources available at the LTER sites. EML implementation is presented as a mapping process that was accomplished per site in stages, with metadata quality ranging from |discovery level| to rich-content level over time. As of publication, over 6000 rich-content standardised records have been published using EML, potentially enabling the goal of machine-mediated, metadata-driven data synthesis.

Keywords: metadata management; standardisation; EML; ecological metadata language; Long-Term Ecological Research Network; LTER Network; metadata-driven data synthesis; machine-mediated data synthesis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMSO.2009.027750

International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies, 2009 Vol.4 No.3, pp.141 - 153

Published online: 10 Aug 2009 *

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