The Baltimore Ecosystem Study BES

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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) Project
Director Dr. Steward T.A. Pickett (Institute of
Ecosystem Studies)
The overall BES study site encompasses the MSA
(Metropolitan Statistical Area) for Baltimore.
This includes Baltimore, Harford, Howard,
Carroll, and Anne Arundel Counties and Baltimore
City.
Focus Study Site
Human Ecosystem Model
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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES)
Communication Infrastructure and Facilities

• On-Site Offices are Located at University of
  Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
• PIs Scattered Along Eastern Coast (NC, MD, PA,
  NY, CT, VT)
• Sampling Sites Throughout the MSA, Focused in
  Gwynns Falls Watershed
• Field Research Station Located at Rose Street
  Community Center (RSCC) - Baltimore
• Access to University Computing/Communication
  Infrastructure and Research Facilities

• Current Connectivity
• UMBC 100 megabit/sec Internet Access
• Node Access is 10 megabit/sec
• WEB Page Server - Multi-Use Server
• Network OS Windows NT 4.0
• BES Office Workstations 15
• RSCC Workstations 6 PCs/Modem

• Future Connectivity
• UMBC 622 megabit/sec Internet Access
• Node Access 25-100 megabit/sec
• WEB Page Server - Dedicated Server
• Network OS Windows NT 4.0
• BES Office Workstations 20
• RSCC Internet Access T-1 (or faster)

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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES)
WEB Page and List Server

• Administered by UMBC Spatial Analysis Laboratory
  (Tim Foresman, Director)
• Currently Being Re-Designed Based on First-Year
  Issues and User Needs
• WEB Reports Generated Monthly
• Summary of Activity (Since 10/1998)
• Number of Requests 49,500
• Number of Visitors 3, 410
• Average Visit Time 800 (sec)

The BES List Services are coordinated by UMBC SAL
through University Computing Services (UCS).
There are currently 11 subscription lists,
covering each focus group and the whole BES.
http//baltimore.umbc.edu/lter
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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES)
Principal Data Management Issues

• Facilitating Communication Among PIs
• (Relying More on WEB Page and List Server)
• Network Issues (USFS, UMBC, etc.)
• (Resolved through University Computing Services)
• Updating Subscribers and WEB Page
• (Developed Three-Point Approach for Full-Time
  Service)
• Acquisition Coordination Beyond BES Community
• (Developed Data Acquisition Committee to Address
  Concerns)
• Lack of Metadata for Available Data Sets
• (Scheduled Data Management Workshop, Creating
  On-Line Metadata Tool)
• Prioritization of PI Data Requests and Needs
• (Scheduled Series of Interviews with PIs, and
  Data Management Workshop)

The BES Data Management Team is Located at the
UMBC Spatial Analysis Laboratory (SAL). The UMBC
SAL Director, Dr. Timothy Foresman, is the Data
Manager and a BES PI on several focus groups.
UMBC AN HONORS UNIVERSITY IN MARYLAND
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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES)
On-Line Data Request Form

• Located on WEB Page
• Direct Record Access in MS Access
• Monitoring and Archiving Mechanism
• Developing Submission Form for PIs
• Will be Replaced by On-Line Data

First Month 0 Requests Second Month 3
Requests Third Month 12 Requests
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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES)
Data Submission, Metadata and NSDI Link
Lack of Metadata for Existing Data Sets Continues
to be a Problem. Modeling Groups and General
Users. Led to Development of NSDI Framework Node
at UMBC.
Initial Data Submissions are Anticipated for
Summer of 1999. Project Began in October 1997. DM
Team is Designing Data Submission Form and
Schedule.
DATA CLEARINGHOUSE The Spatial Analysis
Laboratory at UMBC has established Marylands
first NSDI Framework Node. This spatial data
clearinghouse permits metadata searches and data
downloading by users. http//baltimore.umbc.edu/md
nsdi
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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES)
Using Spatial Technologies to Enhance
Communication
Site attributes are documented using GIS.
Sampling sites are surveyed using GPS.
Image shows 1994 1-meter CIR coverage of
Maryland. Produced by Maryland Department of
Natural Resources.