| March 1, 2004
NASA’s Improved Web-Resource on the World’s Changing
Climate
Students, scientists, teachers, reporters and the scientifically curious
can locate any kind of Earth science data much easier and quicker than
ever before, using NASA’s Global Change Master Directory (GCMD).
The redesigned website, a directory of Earth science data and services
is being re-launched on March 1st to provide easier access
to data and services.
Internet users can access the directory at http://globalchange.nasa.gov or http://gcmd.nasa.gov. The re-launched website is easier to
navigate, with 9 tabs running atop the home page, including: Home, Data
Sets; Data Services; Portals; Authoring; What’s New; Community;
Calendar; and Links.
The GCMD, updated daily, provides Earth science data sets and services
relevant to global change research. The GCMD’s 13 data set topics,
found under the “Data Sets” tab, provide summaries of the
data sets and specific information such as data over time and location,
a citation for the creator of the database, and direct links to data
and services.
Available dataset topics range from tiny airborne particles (aerosols)
to the continental-sized ozone hole to global sea surface temperatures.
The GCMD topics include: Agriculture, Atmosphere, Biosphere, Climate
Indicators, Human Dimensions, Hydrosphere, Land Surface, Oceans, Paleoclimate,
Snow and Ice, Solid Earth, Spectral/Engineering and Sun-Earth Interactions.�
Users can search over 15,000 data sets and services and link to more
than over 76,000 resources within the descriptions The individual data
set descriptions were contributed by more than 1,300 data centers, government
agencies, universities, research institutions, and private researchers
around the world.
For scientists and others who want to add or modify GCMD datasets, they
can do so under the “Authoring” tab by using the new “docBUILDER” web-based
tools. Under the “Data Services” tab are available services
from analysis and visualization tools to education and environmental
advisories.
The “Portals” tab is the most important to specific groups
of data users.� “Perhaps the greatest contribution of the GCMD
to the public has been the ability to create customized subsets of the
directory that can be displayed, in turn, by special interest groups,” said
Lola Olsen, Directory Project Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Md. “These groups save major development and
maintenance costs by re-using the directory capabilities.”� For
example, member countries of the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management
(JCADM) contribute directory entries using the GCMD tools and may then,
in turn, host individual, customized subsets of the database through “portals” through
which they can display their own contribution.
Reporters and others interested in upcoming recent climate change conferences
can find up to 1,000 entries under the “Calendar” tab. Under
the “What’s New” tab, there are new Earth science and
climate change research stories and the latest GCMD data set descriptions.
Students and teachers will also benefit from the “Learning Center” that
can be found under the “Community” tab. Clicking on “FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions” at the bottom of the homepage, one
can see answers to questions such as “Where can I find information
about the ozone hole and ozone depletion?”� Finally, the “Links” tab
acts as a web-based search engine for easy access to over 2,500 Earth
science web resources.
For those who use the directory often, there is also a search box icon
that permits direct access to the directory through a simple download
to a user’s website. Users can also subscribe to an email notification
on postings of new datasets for “Earth Science Topics” and “Geographic
Locations” by clicking on “Subscribe” on the left tool
bar.
The directory content is shared and available as part of NASA’s
contribution to the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites’ (CEOS)
International Directory Network (IDN).� The content is also made available
to the National Spatial Data Infrastructure’s (NSDI) Federal Geographic
Data Committee’s (FDGC) Clearinghouse.
Questions can be directed to Lola Olsen, GCMD Project Manager, Code
902, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 20771 Phone: 301-614-5361
E-mail: olsen@gcmd.nasa.gov
To access the Global Change Master Directory, please visit on the Internet:
http://globalchange.nasa.gov or http://gcmd.nasa.gov
For more information, please visit on the Internet:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/2004/ 0301gcmd.html
###
Contacts:
Rob Gutro�
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Phone: 301/285-4044 |
|
The GCMD Homepage
This page provides the list of 13 database topics, each of which has
multiple subtopics and databases by clicking on the topic. Search boxes
make finding topical data easy, and using the sidebars users can find
data services; address their needs; and see what’s new. Credit:
NASA
The GCMD User Community Page
This page offers e-mail notification of new datasets, feedback, a keyword
list, a learning center, a downloadable icon for a webpage, a conference
calendar, the ability to add data set descriptions, and an opportunity
to join an on-line forum. Credit: NASA
Data Services Page
Data Services are listed on this page by the topics: Data Analysis and
Visualization, Data Handling, Education / Outreach, Environmental Advisories,
Hazards Management, Information and Reference Services, Metadata Handling
and Models. Users can access various databases here. For example, under
Hazards Management, a user could look at one of 11 databases including “FEMA
for Kids” or “NOAA’s Emergency Managers Weather Information
Network.” Credit: NASA
Global Change Conference Calendar
This page of the GCMD shows the most recent climate change related science
conferences, and gives users the ability to search for a conference on
any topic. There are over 1,000 entries. Credit: NASA |
