EIMS Online Help

General Instructions

EIMS is designed for both the casual and sophisticated user, and is case-insensitive. An inexperienced user can generally find what he is looking for by using the boxes on the search page, but a skilled user can often get the same results more quickly -- and more importantly, with better results. See our search tips for helpful information on how to format the most accurate query for the best search results.

Contents

Tips: Using Wildcards in Your Search

Searching All Directory Entries

Field Definitions 

Using Wildcard Characters in Text Strings

EIMS provides wildcard characters that can represent one or more characters in a search term. By combining a portion of a term with one or more wildcard characters, you can retrieve some or all of the records that contain a variation of the term. There are two kinds of wildcard characters you can use in a search term.

An underscore (_) in the pattern matches exactly one character in the value while a percent sign (%) in the pattern matches a variable number of characters in the pattern (0 to infinity).

Searching All Directory Entries
You may search for any Directory Entry by selecting criteria elements in one or more of the following selection criteria categories: Please refer to the section Using Wild Card Characters in Text String to learn more about using wild card characters in your text string search.

You may use any combination of selection criteria. If you use combination of selection criteria (e.g. type of information and time), only those directory entry(ies) that meet BOTH criteria will be found.   You may select multiple criteria elements for Type of Information, Geographic Area, and/or Organization.  You may select multiple criteria elements in your search as follows:

The number of Directory Entries found is displayed at the bottom of the page.
EIMS Directory Entries Information
A successful search will return information about the selected Directory Entry(s) including a sequence number, metadata object type, the directory entry name and a partial abstract. Using the mouse to select the directory entry name will display greater detail about that directory entry.

The navigational sidebar at the left of the EIMS Directory screens is used to maneuver through the EIMS web application.  The sidebar displays a number of options under the headings of Search, Directory, Catalog, and Distribution.

Field Definitions

  • ABSTRACT: The directory entry abstract.
  • ACRONYM :Provides definitions of terms and acronyms contained in the documentation for a directory entry that are unfamiliar to some potential users of the data set, project, model, or document.
  • ADDITIONAL INFO: Additional information about the contact may be recorded here.
  • ADDRESS 1: First line of the address (i.e., Environmental Research Laboratory).
  • ADDRESS 2: Second line of the address (i.e., Environmental Protection Agency).
  • ADDRESS 3: Third line of the address (i.e., 239 Maple Street).
  • ADDRESS 4: Fourth line of the address (i.e., Suite 220).
  • AVAILABILITY CODE: A code that defines the accessibility to specific groups of users.
  • CITY: City of the mailing address.
  • COMMENTS: Any miscellaneous comments about the directory entry.
  • COUNTRY: Country.
  • DATA ELEMENTS: Provide quality control and assurance information, as well as documentation for any manipulations of the data subsequent to acquisition and preparation.
  • DATA EXAMPLE:Displays a small number of records or observations in a data set to assist in understanding the structure and composition of the data set.
  • DATA SET FORMAT DESC: Describes electronic format of Data Set (i.e., ASCII, SAS, DB2, WordPerfect, etc.).
  • DATA USE AND CONSTRAINT: Free-form field that tracks information about data quality and appropriate data use.
  • DIRECTORY ENTRY ID: The unique identifier for the directory entry.
  • DIRECTORY URL ADDRESS: The address on the Web server where additional information about the directory entry may be found. In some cases, this address may point to the actual data. Users may copy the URL address to a Web browser to conduct the search.
  • EMAIL ADDITIONAL INFO : Any additional information for using the EMAIL address.
  • EMAIL ADDRESS: EMAIL address for contact.
  • ENTRY DATE: The date the entry was incorporated into EMAP.
  • FAX NUMBER: Phone number for facsimile documents.
  • FIRST NAME: First name of the contact person (i.e., Richard).
  • FORMATS: Provide information about the available formats of a data set, project, model, or document.
  • GENERAL KEYWORD: Describes the contents of a directory entry and is used to help locate directory entry of interest.
  • GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: An indirect spatial reference used to uniquely describe a location without using coordinates, usually by a feature such as a political entity (county, state), a road,  geological province, or hydrologic unit.
  • LAST NAME: Last name of the contact person (i.e., Jones).
  • MAXIMUM LATITUDE: Northernmost latitude represented by sample points in directory entry.
  • MAXIMUM LONGITUDE: Easternmost longitude for sample points in the directory entry.
  • METHODS: Provides descriptions of the acquisition and preparation methods employed to create a data set.
  • MIDDLE INITIAL: Middle initial of contact person (i.e., T).
  • MINIMUM LATITUDE: Southernmost latitude for sample points in the directory entry.
  • MINIMUM LONGITUDE: Westernmost longitude for sample points in the directory entry.
  • OBJECTIVES: Provide general information concerning why the particular study was completed.
  • ORGANIZATION: The principal government agency, corporation, or private group responsible for the directory entry. An organization may be specified in four levels.
  • PERSON ID: System generated value to uniquely identify a person.
  • PERSONS:  Identifies the individuals associated with a directory entry.
  • PERSON PREFIX:  Prefix of the Contact (MR, MRS, MS, etc.).
  • PERSON ROLE:  The role of a person in respect to the related object (e.g., member with respect to an organization, owner with respect to a directory entry).
  • PHONE NUMBER: Telephone number.
  • REFERENCES: Provide a list of any published documentation relevant to the data collected. Documentation may include manufacturer's instruction manuals, government technical manuals, user's guides, etc.
  • RELATED DIR ENTRY: Provides the names of directory entries which contain similar or related data sets, projects, models, or documents.
  • REVISION DATE: Date of the last revision.
  • SAMPLE FREQUENCY TYPE: The number of times that samples were taken within a given time frame. Examples: Once, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly.
  • SAMPLING END DAY: The latest day within the Sampling End Year and Sampling End Month that data was sampled in the directory entry. An optional field.
  • SAMPLING END MONTH: The latest month within the Sampling End Year that data was sampled in the directory entry. An optional field.
  • SAMPLING END YEAR: The latest year that data was sampled in the directory entry. A mandatory field.
  • SAMPLING SITES COUNT: Number of unique stations for which data was collected.
  • SAMPLING START DAY: The earliest day within the Sampling Start Year and Sampling Start Month that data was sampled in the directory entry. An optional field.
  • SAMPLING START MONTH: The earliest month within the Sampling Start Year that data was sampled in the directory entry. An optional field.
  • SAMPLING START YEAR: The earliest year that data was sampled in the directory entry. A mandatory field.
  • STATE: State abbreviation for a location. e.g. VA for VIRGINIA.
  • USER NAME: A user's ORACLE logon name.
  • VERSION: The version number of the directory entry (i.e., 2). Default setting is 001.
  • ZIP CODE: Zip code for the mailing address.