Information Management

Credit: PIxabay CC-0

Purpose

The Long Term Ecological Research Network includes research sites inside and outside the U.S. representing a wide variety of ecosystems and research emphases. At each site an information manager or information management team is concerned with technologies that improve collaborations between researchers and technological solutions that enable data collection, discovery, access, integration and analysis across disciplinary and scale boundaries.

The Information Managers Committee is a network-wide standing committee, and includes at least one information manager from each LTER site.

Meeting Frequency

• The Executive Committee of the IMC meets monthly via video conference to plan events and coordinate cross-site activity.
• The IMC meets in person annually, including every three years at the LTER All Scientists’ Meetings and typically in conjunction with a related meeting (e.g., Earth Science Information Partners or Ecological Society of America) in non-ASM years.
• In addition to the annual in-person meeting, the IMC meets monthly via video
  conference to discuss key network topics. Information Managers from all LTER
  sites are invited and encouraged to participate in these meetings.

Finding Information management-related content

• For LTER-specific policies, practices, and communications, visit the LTER IM manual, hosted on GitHub.
• LTER organization on GitHub: for active and archived coding projects at the cross-site or network level.
• Shared google drive for collaborative documents that are under active development. If you believe you should have access to the google drive and do not, please contact the LTER Network Office.
• IM Document archive of the LTER Network website for completed documents and policies.
• Many LTER contributions to general information management resources are found among the resources and best practices posted at the Environmental Data Initiative.
• Many LTER information managers also contribute to developing resources available through DataONE and Earth Science Information Partners.

Active Projects (as of May 2025)

• EML Best practices WG. Updating the description of best practices for creating Ecological Metadata Language (EML) to accompany a dataset.
• Climdb 2.0/HyMet WG. This working group seeks to migrate the existing ClimDB/HydroDB databases from their aging infrastructure to an appropriate archive, and to develop a path forward for ongoing additions to these valuable resources.
• Unit Dictionary WG. Ensuring that units used in LTER data are included in QUDT and developing and updating a look-up table (UnitsWithQUDTInfo.csv,  posted to GitHub) for seamless conversion.
• Databits. Solicits and edits stories for the LTER IM publication, DataBits.  Marina Frantz and are the current editors.
• Keywords. Developing a new and improved, faceted keyword search with EDI.
• AI group. Exploring applications of Artificial Intelligence/Large Language Models for making the work of data documentation and discovery more efficient and accurate.

Past Projects

• Zotero. This WG seeks to develop best practices for using Zotero as a reference manager for LTER sites to facilitate (1) sharing key products with the LTER Network bibliography, (2) submitting product citations to Research.gov for NSF reporting, and (3) enabling a searchable bibliography for an LTER site’s website.
• Core Metabase. This working group is developing a database design and related tools for storing metadata about ecological datasets.  A key function of LTER-core-metabase is to support generation of Ecological Metadata Language (EML) documents. The MetaEgress R package, also developed by this group, is designed to export EML from LTER-core-metabase.
• Non-Tabular Data. This working group is developing best practices for archiving non-tabular data such as drone imagery, video, genomics data, and simulation model output.
• IMC Website Improvement & REDesign (WIRED). The working group is considering alternatives to the Drupal platform upon which the current site is based.  Migrating to a new platform would also be an opportunity to better organize the site.

• EDI EML Congruency Checker (ECC). This working group will consider several
  proposed data-quality checks for inclusion in PASTA+.
• EDI Semantics. This working group explores how EDI may improve data discoverability by adopting appropriate vocabularies, ontologies or other registries of resources which have permanent identifiers. Projects the working group may pursue include: 1) collaborations with developers of semantic resources such as EnvThes and the ENVO Ontology, 2) aligning vocabularies already in use (e.g, the LTER Controlled Vocabulary) with other resources, 3) structured descriptions of measurements, including units and dimensions, 4) best practice recommendations for dataset annotation, and  5) organizing workshops and hackathons for applying semantic tools.
• Information Management Knowledge Exchange. This working group, formerly known as IM Orientation, facilitates knowledge exchange amongst information managers regarding workflows, tools, and best practices for accomplishing IM tasks.
• IM Orientation. This WG developed from tea-with-the-Chair sessions in which the IM-Exec Chair fielded questions, particularly from new information managers, regarding LTER information management tools, approaches, and best practices.
• GIS. This WG is tasked with improving the curation and use of geospatial data.
• The LTER IMC contributed significantly to the envisioning and proposal for what became the Environmental Data Initiative.