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<br>
IMs, and select data center supporters,<br>
<br>
I was telling Mark the day before yesterday, the first thing when I
read this lousy budget (and tell you about it) is apply for a new
job. and then, interview. Not kidding, ask Tina about receiving
calls for references.<br>
<br>
For the benefit of all, and particularly, to make IMs aware (since
we seem to insist in keeping IMs in the dark). <br>
<br>
The budget circulated over a week ago, reflects a level of work that
mimics what the LNO data-center operations does, 1 FTE, 1/2
sysadmin. and 10k for infrastructure, computers, equipment (?). <br>
<br>
What we need, in no specific order is a real system administrator,
two or three programmers, a content strategist, an IT architect, a
dev-ops specialist, two data curators, a data entry, two content
editors, a data analyst, a front end designer, a database
administrator, a program manager, an evangelist (pr person), and two
full stack developers. Such team, well guided, using a real agile
framework may be able to take LTER where it needs to be. <br>
<br>
Yes, there is simply no budget for this. But it is what we need to
stay relevant and making a difference. The mentality of 'let a
graduate student do this', infuriates me. It is unfair to the
student who is working on a thesis project, and it shows the
deficient level of attention to the IT needs of a network the size
and scope of LTER. <br>
<br>
I look around and I see many persons who would fulfill those roles
from our own network sites. Most of the folks I think about, are
already in the LTER payroll, as IMs. We just failed to adapt to
being a distributed and coordinated network, but it is not too
late. Not acting on it, and being silent about these realities, or
intimidating, or bullying or condescending attitudes will not help
the network either. <br>
<br>
The proposed budget which is not yet shared with the IMS (you had an
entire week to do so), allocates a disproportionate amount of the
budget for management (compensation of leadership). That is not
what I recommend and what we have been discussing through the summer
and at the ASM. Given the paltry allocation, I would put one person
overseeing (not three + a paid committee). A helpful group would
revise and prioritize tasks for the decision maker to give the
go-ahead. The task and projects would come already pre-selected by
the larger community. Simple and effective, the rest of the
leadership time would be committed to assisting NSF, gov. agency
reps, NGOs and philanthropist about why LTER matters, and
specifically, the role of the information management, which is what
facilitates the concept of "network" in LTER. <br>
<br>
As a group, we did not succeed articulating any of that before EB
(and NSF, and let alone other instances of science and society ). It
is undeniable that the current folks also did not succeed in making
the case (there is enough money in NSF to fund a solid team
properly). I know you tried, but for whatever reason, it did not
happen. <br>
<br>
We need an adequately funded team (not just one person, or three for
that matter) to entrust the network future. You and me had this
responsibility, specially those of you in positions of leadership.
Consuming your energies speaking about tech. details (PASTA, DEIMS
or the likes), would not make the case (and consequently, not a
budget). LTER and NSF needs to understand that most of information
and data services are not sustainable with the current proposition.
Not just the money, but the draft plans laid out. The insistence on
hiding, being silent or not addressing these concerns any of this
would not solve it either.<br>
<br>
For example, even though the DEIMS project is mentioned, there is
not a single mechanism or a dollar amount pegged to the DEIMS
project. DEIMS is the kind of project that has penetrated and
galvanized the network as never before, using a tiny fraction of the
network funds . Look beyond LTER, you will find adoption within
ILTER: Asia and Europe are using these tools, which actually help
the sites and networks out there. OBFS sites, and other gov. sites
are using it. Yet, somehow, the opportunity to keep the flag at
US-LTER is not carefully stated in your plans. You mention the
project in the narrative, but you do not allocate a dollar towards
it. <br>
<br>
I think the budget forces one project against the other, as if there
was one thing better or more needed that the rest. That is not the
case. The current PASTA project and plans alone will not do squat,
it needs help from all fronts, not just technical. Likewise for
other great initiatives, DEIMS, the GCE toolbox, the unit
dictionary, and the basic services proposed as early as 2004.
approved but never saw the light of day. <br>
<br>
I know in the mind of some PIs, if NIMO goes, we do not loose
anything. All that tells me is that the current leadership failed
to articulate a vision of future of the network in Information
Management before everybody. Perhaps we consumed our time talking
about EML cylinders, and other audience-inappropriate silly details,
and overall, time spent talking to the wrong people. The reasons why
we failed are important, they contain valuable learning lessons. <br>
<br>
Cheers, Inigo<br>
PS: Saw the force awakens last night. For the fans out here, this
one is awesome.<br>
<br>
<span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CO2PR06MB52259C7154749E79A21F627A8E10@CO2PR06MB522.namprd06.prod.outlook.com"
type="cite">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">These
kinds of specific recommendations and insights are exactly
the kind of feedback we were hoping to get. There is no
doubt we need to better align the goals and strategies with
the budget, as you have pointed out. Thank you for your
thoughtful and helpful remarks. We will indeed take them
seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Paul
and Corinna<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
Mark Servilla [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:mark.servilla@gmail.com">mailto:mark.servilla@gmail.com</a>]
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, December 17, 2015 3:56 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Paul Hanson<br>
<b>Cc:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:groffmanp@ecostudies.org">groffmanp@ecostudies.org</a>; <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:debpeter@nmsu.edu">debpeter@nmsu.edu</a>;
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dan.reed@lifesci.ucsb.edu">dan.reed@lifesci.ucsb.edu</a>; <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:sherri.l.johnson@oregonstate.edu">sherri.l.johnson@oregonstate.edu</a>;
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:vanderbi@sevilleta.unm.edu">vanderbi@sevilleta.unm.edu</a>; Inigo San Gil; Margaret O'Brien;
Philip Tarrant; Boose, Emery; John Porter; Corinna Gries<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: LTER NIMO proposal, draft 1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Dear
Corinna/Paul,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">First,
thank you for this opportunity to be a part of the LTER
NIMO future. I have read through the draft proposal and
will provide you with my comments as inline marginal notes
in a separate email as a scanned copy of the document.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">It
is my opinion that the current draft proposal has not
matured sufficiently for an earnest review of the proposed
goals and how such goals and strategies are aligned to the
draft budget. My initial reaction, like others, is that
the scope of this proposal is far greater than the
$700,000 you have targeted in the budget. I glean from one
or two statements that prioritization is centered around
the “core” infrastructure, but the “core” infrastructure
is not adequately described in a sufficient degree as
compared to other sections of the proposal. Note to self:
this may be what my contribution would entail.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">More
to the point, it is not clear how you see that the present
Network Information System and PASTA will be maintained
into the near future (2-3 years). The proposal is vague on
the mechanism to maintain PASTA. For example, a
sub-contract to UNM is not mentioned, although reviewers
will certainly want full details on the tasks to be
completed under that sub-contract.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">In
the proposal, you state the following:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0
level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“Certain
technical services are designated as “core” and will be of
highest priority overall because they ensure continued
data security and availability, and provide a foundation
for all other services.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0
level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“The
PASTA software stack and associated web services comprise
the central repository, for data and metadata storage,
preservation and Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
management.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0
level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“The
Project Manager will field these requests into categories
of (1) needing immediate attention…”, “Examples for (1)
are: day-to-day support questions (system malfunctioning,
operational questions for centrally supported technology,
etc.)”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0
level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">4.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“Scale
up the LTER Network Information System to allow
environmental data collected outside of LTER to be curated
and published in the system on a ‘for fee’ basis.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p
style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0
level1 lfo1;vertical-align:baseline">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">5.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“In
regards to the third goal, many LTER site information
systems, as well as the NIS, are already accommodating
data from non-LTER projects, such as LTREB and MSB.
However, this support is usually provided and funded
informally and the supported projects frequently have some
connection to an LTER site (e.g. research done at the site
with additional NSF funding and LTER PIs involved).
Formalizing and opening this service more widely will
allow NIMO to grow and for curation services to be offered
to a wider range of environmental research projects.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">From
these references, I infer that the NIS and PASTA
contribute substantially to the “core” infrastructure and
that its operation and stability are paramount to this
transition proposal. However, the operation and stability
of the NIS and PASTA cannot be guaranteed on a single 0.5
FTE position - in other words, a problem or maintenance
issue would not be addressed in any off-NIMO time of this
position. I fully understand that maintenance does not
consume 100% effort, but issues do not and will not abide
by a schedule. It is my recommendation that you reconsider
the role of this position and build into the budget 0.5
FTE for myself and 0.5 FTE for Duane Costa. In addition,
from items 4 and 5, it appears that new software will need
to be developed or integrated into existing infrastructure
to support the addition of external communities. If this
software is to be integrated into the NIS and PASTA on top
of the maintenance requirement, there is absolutely no way
a 0.5 FTE position will fulfill this goal. With both
myself and Duane Costa dedicated to supporting the NIS and
PASTA, NIMO will benefit by having complete and redundant
coverage for the operation and stability of its core
infrastructure and a breadth of expertise that would
support maintenance (e.g., updates and bug fixes), as well
as the development or integration of new software (i.e.,
to support an external user base or LTER IMC needs) into
this infrastructure.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">To
achieve this adjustment, I recommend reducing the role of
the system administrator by half or more, because at
present, it is not clear in the current draft what
infrastructure needs to be administered. If this system
administrator is to provide coverage for the NIS and
PASTA, as I stated in an earlier conversation, I perform
the majority of system administration for all NIS and
PASTA related systems myself, with Duane Costa providing
the remainder of administration. Alternatively, you could
reduce the role of the IM support person by half, as this
role is not clearly defined in the draft proposal either.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Also
note that there is no confirmation that UNM will agree to
an “off-site” overhead rate for the sub-contract. If
Wisconsin has agreed to an off-site rate, a statement to
that effect and the rationale for providing an off-site
rate would be helpful in discussions here. The current
budget line item for me in the UNM subcontract also
under-estimates fringe benefits.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Finally,
you make the following remark:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">“However,
despite this high degree of availability, synthesis
projects still report problems with data discovery and
reuse, and external evaluation of LTER has been critical
of the NIS for falling short on data discovery.”</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">This
negative (and in my opinion, incorrect) perspective of
existing LTER information management practices and
services seems to pervade this entire draft. Although I do
not dispute that all technology can be improved, I have
never been alerted to problems occurring with data
discovery and reuse by any synthesis project nor have I
seen an external review that has been critical of data
discovery through the present NIS. Within the past year,
the search and discovery capabilities of the NIS Data
Portal have improved dramatically both in terms of
features and performance. Furthermore, my recollection is
that the McKnight and Ellison report on PASTA and the NIS
was quite favorable. If you believe that your statement is
true, you should support it with citations or other
documentation. In contrast, I would build on the progress
LTER has made in the realm of information management and
promote it as a platform on which to extend the NIMO
vision.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">In
closing, I offer my knowledge and expertise about the NIS
and PASTA for consideration on key components of this
proposal, but please give serious consideration to my
comments and recommendations above.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Respectfully,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Mark</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br clear="all">
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
---<br>
Mark Servilla<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:mark.servilla@gmail.com" target="_blank">mark.servilla@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 12:55 PM, Paul
Hanson <<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:pchanson@wisc.edu" target="_blank">pchanson@wisc.edu</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Dear
LTER Colleagues:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">[On
behalf of Corinna, who is out of the office until Dec
18.]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">All:
Please return your edits by Friday, December 18<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">EB
members: Please edit and return the attached Word
document.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">IM
members: Please edit directly the online Google Doc:
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZBzRDaLwdvzkqQUGlIz7EMBMrjHHkzySHJmMMmC8wvM/edit"
target="_blank">
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZBzRDaLwdvzkqQUGlIz7EMBMrjHHkzySHJmMMmC8wvM/edit</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Thank
you in advance for your help with the proposal. While
it still needs a lot of work, we hope that it includes
enough content for you to evaluate the main objectives
and approaches. Please keep in mind that the scope
has changed in the past few months. This proposed
project, which would be only three years in duration,
is a transition between the current LNO and what an
LTER data center might be under a future competition
that likely will occur in 2-3 years. We are writing
the proposal with an anticipated budget of $700K/y.
There are essentially no prospects for raising that
budget, and it might be the case that the budget gets
reduced. Three years will go very quickly, so we are
trying to be realistic about what might be
accomplished. Perhaps we’re overly optimistic.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Here
are a few things we ask of you while reviewing and
writing:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>(1)<span style="font-size:7.0pt"> </span>Does the
scope of activities map onto a 3 year project of the
stated funding level?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>(2)<span style="font-size:7.0pt"> </span>Are the
goals about right, and if so, do the proposed
activities help meet those goals?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p>(3)<span style="font-size:7.0pt"> </span>Will
LTER likely be in a better place 3 years from now
because of these efforts?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Please
do not wordsmith, but do identify problems and gaps
and recommendations for fixing them. Do not hesitate
to add material, as some of the current content might
be moved to other supporting documents.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">With
great appreciation,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Corinna
and Paul<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">____________________________<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Paul
C. Hanson<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Distinguished
Professor of Research<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">University
of Wisconsin<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">Center
for Limnology<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
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