[LTER-im] International LTER database info

Wed Jul 13 08:54:34 MDT 2016

Dear IMs,

First, allow me to apologize for some of the disjointed communications
around the ILTER database process. Many factors conspired to create the
situation, but I know it was less than ideal. In any case, here's the
bottom line.

The International LTER organization is developing a database of member
sites, based on the European LTER database. (They had to start with
something and E-LTER comprises over 600 sites). They are requesting that US
sites enter their information here: https://data.lter-europe.net/deims.

It's not a perfect system -- data won't be updated automatically -- but can
you imagine the effort required to create database links for almost 50
different networks with different standards?

We are asking each US LTER site to complete their own information using
this login info:

Kristin Vanderbilt filled out the form for FCE and SEV and reports that it
only took about 15 minutes per LTER site. A pdf of the FCE information is
attached so you can see what type of information is requested and have the
opportunity to gather it before you login.

Thanks so much for your help.
Marty

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mirtl Michael <michael.mirtl at umweltbundesamt.at>
Date: Sat, Apr 30, 2016 at 2:05 PM
Subject: [LTER-All-lter] [ilter_all] ILTER site registration and
documentation now open: DEADLINE 30th June 2016.
To: "ilter_all at list.ilternet.edu" <ilter_all at list.ilternet.edu>

Dear ILTER colleagues,

*this is a message of high relevance  for primary LTER investigators,
scientific site coordinators and institutions operating formal LTER sites.*

Please, read it carefully before getting back to us with questions.

*Background:*

According to the feedback on the “ILTER Futures” survey last year and the
discussions we had at the 2015 ILTER CC in Italy one of our key ILTER
assets consists in a global network of in-situ sites.

However, inspite of the unquestioned existence and value of this site
network we´re lacking a quantitative overview and consistent documentation
at the global level (sites, research questions, available data).

*Status:*

Some country networks and some regional groups have made significant
progress in achieving such documentation, but we identified the priority to
bring all this together and agreed on a basic list of site attributes.

These attributes have now been implemented in a new version of the global
web-services for ecosystem research site documentation DEIMS:

https://data.lter-europe.net/deims

*The time for registering your LTER sites has come!*

*Implications:*

*Proper documentation of your LTER site(s) by filling the mandatory
attributes is a prerequisite for formal acknowledgement (DEADLINE:
30th June 2016).* Still, we´d recommend full documentation to provide the
full value and potential of your sites to a global community of users and
stakeholders.

In the future only properly documented sites will show up in ILTER site
statistics and maps.

For some regional groups (e.g. LTER Europe) this will be a minor effort
(mainly  update of a few attributes). Some regional groups or countries
will have to register and document  their sites from the scratch.

Even for sites with no documentation up to now, the effort should be in the
range of a couple of hours maximum (mandatory attributes).

We will send regions/country specific information in addition to this
general call to the affected regional groups (or countries), inter alia to
indicate a small set of attributes, which have to be updated in any case
due to recent standardization.

*Technicalities:*

Website and basic introduction

·         Go to: https://data.lter-europe.net/deims

·         Watching a  video demonstration for "newcomers“ might be the
first step: Video demonstration on How to Add a Site.
<https://player.vimeo.com/video/163536371>

·         There is some help text at:
https://data.lter-europe.net/deims/article/2016/03/15/whats-new-and-general-help

·         As an example for a appropriate site documentation you might have
a look at https://data.lter-europe.net/deims/site/LTER_EU_AT_003

Access:

·         The following are the country login names (country “user” = one
user name and password per country):
Australia,China,Japan,Korea,Malaysia,Mongolia,Philipines,Taiwan,Thailand,Austria,Bulgaria,Czech,Finland,France,Germany,Hungary,Israel,Italy,Jordan,Latvia,Lithuania,Netherlands,Norway,Poland,Portugal,Romania,Serbia,Slovakia,Slovenia,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,UK,Ukraine,Canada,Mexico,US,Malawi,Mozambique,Namibia,saeon,Zambia,Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Costa,Uruguay,Venezuela,Malaysia

·         National reps should know their country password. If anyone needs
their password, they can email dblankman1 at gmail.com.

·         All SITE editing should be done with the “country user”.

·         We suggest, that you clarify and stay in close contact with your
LTER country representative in order to register and document sites
according to the national agreement about the elements of your national
LTER network (what sites form part of the national network according to the
national agreement).

·         National acknowledgment of sites is a prerequisite for global
acknowledgement. For both steps special attributes were introduced  (there
will be a separate email to national LTER coordinators on this issue).

Global support:

·         Technical support, bug fixing and suggestions for technical
improvements: Christoph Wohner  christoph.wohner at umweltbundesamt.at
<christoph.wohner at umweltbundesamt.at>(Austria)

·         Contents: Johannes Peterseil johannes.peterseil at umweltbundesamt.at
  (Austria)

·         General supportL: Davied Blankman dblankman1 at gmail.com (Israel)

·         Support regarding assignment of LTER sites to the agreed site
categories (LTSER platform, Master, Regular, Satellite):
michael.mirtl at umweltbundesamt.at (mainly for national LTER coordinators)

Regional support:

·         Inigo San Gil  isangil at lternet.edu (US)

·         Margaret Koopman (SAEON) margaret at saeon.ac.za (Africa)

* DEADLINES*

·         *Please, finish your site documenation by 30th June 2016!*

·         *After June 2016 we´ll start to formally acknowledge sites
according to their documentation.*

*Global statistics of LTER sites and derived products such as maps will
only consider properly registered and documented sites.*

With this step we´re entering a new era in terms of presenting our ILTER
network and infrastructure in a consistent and objective manner to a global
audience of researchers and stakeholders.

This is the time & place to thank the DEIMS team and developers group for
the engagement and great progress since the ILTER CC in Italy:

Christoph Wohner, David Blankman & Johannes Peterseil

Good luck & looking forward to presenting the fruits of your efforts at the
ILTER Open Science Meeting in South Africa!

Michael Mirtl

(Chair of ILTER)

*Michael Mirtl, DI Dr.*
Head of Unit

     *Abteilungsleiter*

Ecosystem Research
& Environmental Information Management

*     Ökosystemforschung & Umweltinformationsmanagement*

Phone: +43 - (0)1 - 31304 - 3410

Fax: +43 - (0)1 - 31304 - 3533
michael.mirtl at umweltbundesamt.at

*Umweltbundesamt GmbH*
Environment Agency Austria (EAA)
Spittelauer Lände 5
1090 Wien
Österreich/Austria
http://www.umweltbundesamt.at

Firmenbuchnummer (Identification-No): FN 187010s
Firmenbuchgericht: Handelsgericht Wien

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-- 
Marty Downs
Communications Officer
LTER Network Communications Office (LTER NCO)
t: @USLTER
f: USLTER

National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)
University of California, Santa Barbara
Office: 805-893-7549
Cell: 617-833-7930
downs at nceas.ucsb.edu
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