DataBits Newsletter, Fall 2005

After most of the LTER sites have produced their Ecological Metadata Language (EML) packages up to Level 3, the subject still occupies a main line in our agendas. Not only do we want to share our methods to achieve this task with other communities, but we want to study the lessons that have we learned in the process. The article Transforming HTML into EML Text presents methods to “transform HTML input by users into the XML DocBook subset required for incorporation in EML” and the article Lessons Learned from EML about the Community Process of Standard Implementation analyses the process of designing, developing and implementing a standard in our community. As we engage ourselves in this task, we evaluate the adequacy of our metadata to have an impact in future generations of scientists in the editorial Tacit Knowledge Acquisition: Approaching Replicability which give us a starting point for this kind of evaluation. On the other hand the article Baltimore Ecosystem Study Data Document, Management, and Sharing: Preliminary Findings of a Site-Specific Study gives us an insight of the envolvement of some of our scientists in complying with the sites’ metadata standards. Our commitment to share our sites’ information on our web sites targets the search of new methods to facilitate this task as the article Life at the Command Line exposes, and, at the same time, to examine again what lessons have we learned in the process in the article Web Communication Strategies in a Collaborative Environment: Lessons Learned. We report our outreach activities were we have the chance to give and receive knowledge with the rest of the world in the articles Site-based Interactions with TaiwanSite-based Interactions with Taiwan and International Workshop on Information Management, Beijing, China July 20-22, 2005.

DataBits continues as a semi-annual electronic publication of the Long Term Ecological Research Network. It is designed to provide a timely, online resource for research information managers and to incorporate rotating co-editorship. Availability is through web browsing as well as hardcopy output. LTER mail list IMplus will receive DataBits publication notification. Others may subscribe by sending email to majordomo@lternet.edu with two lines “subscribe databits” and “end” as the message body. To communicate suggestions, articles, and/or interest in co-editing, send email to databits-ed@lternet.edu.

—– Co-editors: Eda C. Meléndez-Colom (LUQ), Brian Riordan (BNZ)

Table of Contents