Controlled Vocabularies (Term Lists)

Controlled Vocabs

Literally - A list of terms to choose from

Aim is to promote the use of common vocabularies so it makes it easier to transfer data between different parties

Promoting use of vocabs in specific themes via data guidelines and deriving new vocabs where required

Vocabs are available through 3rd parties or alternatively ‘served’ using the NERC vocab server developed in coordination with the european project SeaDataNet.

NERC/BODC Vocab Service: http://vocab.ndg.nerc.ac.uk/client/vocabServer.jsp

Controlled Vocabs

• Also available via SeaDataNet client at: http://seadatanet.maris2.nl/v_bodc_vocab/welcome.aspx/

• Units, Instruments, platforms, sea areas etc etc

Controlled Vocabs

http://seadatanet.maris2.nl/v_bodc_vocab/vocabrelations.aspx

Controlled Vocabs

Parameter relationships and discovery

Controlled Vocabs

http://www.ices.dk/datacentre/reco/

http://www.epsg.org/

Marine Species of the British Isles and Adjacent Seas (MSBIAS). http://www.marinespecies.org/msbias/index.php

Website

How to add?

E-mail Claire Postlethwaite cfpo@bodc.ac.uk – Who will check with appropriate governance group.

MEDIN Data Guidelines

Data Guidelines

Documents with tables and Excel versions of tables which are organised on a thematic basis which consider the actual data

• Instill good practice amongst users

• Allow contracting organisations to specify a format that data should be returned in that can be readily used and includes all relevant attributes

• Provide a consistent format for contractors to work to (rather than a different format for each contract)

• Allow easy ingestion of data to Data Archiving Centres

• Improve interoperability between organisations by providing a format which can be used  to import and export data

Data Guidelines

Seabed geophysical surveys to be released in April.

Data Guidelines

Data Guideline Structure

The structure of the tables in the MEDIN Data Guidelines have been created to conform to many of the key concepts in marine data acquisition and management.

For example the concepts of a project, sample methods (data production tools) and a sample event are very strong and can be mapped to most marine data.

Each table refers to a specific component and some tables are common to all data guidelines. The tables are:

*Project - a collection of surveys that have been completed for a common purpose*Survey - a uniquely identifiable programme of data collection such as a research cruise, moored instrument deployment or survey*Fixed Station – a target location used as the basis for replicate sample events and for repeat monitoring surveysSample Event – a sample specific event of data collection Sampling Methodology (Data Production Tools) – Details of any method or instruments used to collect the dataSample Data – the data

Data Guideline Structure

2. Survey

1. Project

4. Sample Event

6. Sample Data

linking field: Project Code

linking field: Sample Event identifier

linking field: Survey Code

linking field: Fixed Station Identifier

3. Fixed Station 5. Data Production Tools(Sample methods)

linking field: Method Identifier

•Survey X•2. Survey Data

•4. Sample Event Technique = Trawl and Tow

•1. Project

•Offshore Litter6. Sample Data

•Fish Abundance and Biomass6. Sample Data

•4. Sample Event Technique = Oceanographic Profile

•etc

•Oceanographic Vertical Profile6. Sample Data

•5. Data Production Tools

•3. Fixed Station

•5. Data Production Tools

Data Guideline Structure

History of development

Initial thoughts to keep the data guidelines at a technically simple level. No use of xml, schemas, databases. Document and Excel chosen as preferred format

Drafted first guideline ‘Sediment sampling by grab or core for benthos’ then revised, revised until MEDIN Standards WG were happy and then extended to other themes.

1 year ago 3 contracts let to use the data guidelines in ‘real world’

Feedback is now incorporated into new versions. New versions are available as a zip file which includes the full guideline (pdf) a ‘read this first’ document and document on the structure and the excel template.

Alignment with INSPIRE (O&M) and tooling to be central to 2012 development

New Data Guidelines developed by request of stakeholders and other drivers

• All guidelines are reviewed internally and by the relevant Data Archive Centre before publication

• Wherever possible we have built upon existing standards. E.g. ICES guidelines

Data Guidelines – developments and links to other standards

Relationship to Discovery Metadata

The MEDIN discovery metadata format is aimed at allowing the non-informed user to discover data sets and it is likely that one ‘discovery’ data set record will contain a large range of data types that are in turn covered by a range of data guidelines.

Some of the information which is collected at the Survey Level in a data guideline is also required to create a discovery metadata record. It is intended that the information collected at the ‘Survey Information’ level is reused for creating a MEDIN discovery metadata record.

Exceptions

• If transferring historic data then some mandatory fields may be omitted

• If there is a specific need for transferring data then users can customise the Guideline

• The guideline can be extended to suits specific requirements