System design and organization, access to data
Introduction: the IDOD project
The Integrated and Dynamical Oceanographic Data Management
(IDOD) project is being carried out in the framework of the “Sustainable
Management of the North Sea” programme funded by the Belgian
Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural affairs. Its purpose is to set
up a national oceanographic information system, taking as its basis the
measurements made by the various projects funded by the programme.
The IDOD project started in 1997 and its development and tuning
phase will end in December 2001. Afterwards, the tools built in the
course of the project will be kept within the Management Unit of the
North Sea Mathematical Models, which acts as the Belgian National
Oceanographic Data Centre.
The purpose of IDOD is to establish, manage and promote a database
of marine environmental data. Meanwhile, IDOD aims at ensuring a
scientifically sound data flow between the data producers (laboratories
performing routine monitoring, fielcl and laboratory experiments,
mathematical modellers and administrative authorities) and the end users
(scientists, sea professionals, policy and decision makers, etc.). For a long
time, various institutions and laboratories took oceanographic measurements, often under co-ordinated research objectives. However
archiving and management of the data were rarely co-ordinated. One
of the objectives is to archive and make the existing data sets available
in a homogeneous way.
Three organizations are involved in the project:
• Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM);
• department of the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences;
• Laboratory SURFACES of the University of Liège;
• University Centre of Statistics of the Catholic University of Leuven
(UCS).
SURFACES is responsible, together with MUMM, for the conception and
physical implementation of the database and the development of the
spatial analysis tools. UCS is responsible for developing the quality
control and statistical analysis tools in close collaboration with MUMM
and the data providers. MUMM acquires and continues inventorying
the different data sets by contacting involved laboratories.
Data description
Contact with data providers
Mutual confidence and contacts between data providers and developers
are of prime importance for the design of a database and data exchange.
It is a long-term process. The data providers initially contacted are
laboratories participating in the framework of the Sustainable Management of the North Sea programme. Several times a year, a meeting
takes place with all the co-ordinators of the different projects funded
within this programme. Information is given on the progress of the IDOD
125
Introduction: the IDOD project
The Integrated and Dynamical Oceanographic Data Management
(IDOD) project is being carried out in the framework of the “Sustainable
Management of the North Sea” programme funded by the Belgian
Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural affairs. Its purpose is to set
up a national oceanographic information system, taking as its basis the
measurements made by the various projects funded by the programme.
The IDOD project started in 1997 and its development and tuning
phase will end in December 2001. Afterwards, the tools built in the
course of the project will be kept within the Management Unit of the
North Sea Mathematical Models, which acts as the Belgian National
Oceanographic Data Centre.
The purpose of IDOD is to establish, manage and promote a database
of marine environmental data. Meanwhile, IDOD aims at ensuring a
scientifically sound data flow between the data producers (laboratories
performing routine monitoring, fielcl and laboratory experiments,
mathematical modellers and administrative authorities) and the end users
(scientists, sea professionals, policy and decision makers, etc.). For a long
time, various institutions and laboratories took oceanographic measurements, often under co-ordinated research objectives. However
archiving and management of the data were rarely co-ordinated. One
of the objectives is to archive and make the existing data sets available
in a homogeneous way.
Three organizations are involved in the project:
• Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM);
• department of the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences;
• Laboratory SURFACES of the University of Liège;
• University Centre of Statistics of the Catholic University of Leuven
(UCS).
SURFACES is responsible, together with MUMM, for the conception and
physical implementation of the database and the development of the
spatial analysis tools. UCS is responsible for developing the quality
control and statistical analysis tools in close collaboration with MUMM
and the data providers. MUMM acquires and continues inventorying
the different data sets by contacting involved laboratories.
Data description
Contact with data providers
Mutual confidence and contacts between data providers and developers
are of prime importance for the design of a database and data exchange.
It is a long-term process. The data providers initially contacted are
laboratories participating in the framework of the Sustainable Management of the North Sea programme. Several times a year, a meeting
takes place with all the co-ordinators of the different projects funded
within this programme. Information is given on the progress of the IDOD
125