Project Summary Sheet

Project: South Florida Information Access Metadata

Web Sites: http://sofia.usgs.gov

Location (Subregions & Counties): Total System; Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk, and St. Lucie Counties

Funding (Source): USGS Place-Based Studies

Principal Investigator(s):Jo Anne Stapleton, jastapleton@usgs.gov; 703-648-4592

Project Personnel:Jo Anne Stapleton

Other Supporting Organizations: none

Associated / Linked Projects: SOFIA database (Roy Sonenshein, sunshine@usgs.gov, 305.717.5824); SOFIA web site (Heather Henkel, hhenkel@usgs.gov, 727.803.8747 x3028)

Overview & Status: The metadata part of SOFIA documents projects currently in work and previous projects conducted by USGS. To date most of the projects have been documented with FGDC-compliant metadata with the exception of some projects started in FY 2001. Work is continuing on documenting data sets available on the SOFIA Data Exchange pages with FGDC-compliant metadata and updating the project metadata as needed.

Needs & Products: The project provides FGDC-compliant metadata to enable users to determine whether data is applicable or usable in their projects. Policy makers and resource managers are able to assess the data for use in decisions about the restoration of the Everglades.

Results published include presentations at the Second Annual South Florida Ecosystem Symposium in West Palm Beach, July, 1996 and the USGS South Florida Ecosystem Technical Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, August, 1997, a Poster session on SOFIA at the South Florida Restoration Science Forum in May 1999, a demonstration of the SOFIA website and virtual tour at the USGS Holiday Train Display and Community Day in December, 1999, a Poster session/demonstration of SOFIA web site at the IALE 2000 Symposium in April 2000, a Poster session and demonstration of the SOFIA website and the metadata at the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (G.E.E.R.) Science Conference in December 2000, a demonstration of the SOFIA website and virtual tour at the USGS Holiday Train Display and Community Day in December, 2000, a Poster session on SOFIA at the Natural Resources Forum in June 2001, and a presentation on metadata at the Gulf of Mexico Integrated Database Workshop in December 2001 and demonstration of a USGS XML tool for possible use in collecting only the specific metadata for a project or data set to be merged with existing sections such as the distribution and metadata information.

Application to Everglades Restoration: This project provides scientists and resource managers with access to scientific research data and a means of assessing its suitability as the basis for restoration and management decisions.

Note: Fieldwork in the traditional sense is not relevant to metadata creation. Neither is data analysis, Quality Assurance, or synthesis.