Project Work Plan

Greater Everglades Science Program: Place-Based Studies

Project Work Plan FY 2003

A. GENERAL INFORMATION:

Project Title: South Florida Information Access/Environmental Database Development And Maintenance
Project start date: 10/1/1995 Project end date: ongoing
Project Funding: PBS
Principal Investigator: Roy S. Sonenshein
Email address: sunshine@usgs.gov
Phone: 305-717-5824 Fax: 305-717-5801
Mail address: 9100 NW36^th Street, Suite 107, Miami, FL 33178

Other Investigator(s): Bruce Irvin
Email address: rbirvin@usgs.gov
Phone: 305-717-5835 Fax: 305-717-5801
Mail address: 9100 NW36^th Street, Suite 107, Miami, FL 33178

Project Summary: The South Florida restoration effort requires multidisciplinary information relating to present and historical conditions for use in responsible decision-making. Searchable metadata provide a valuable tool for scientists, managers, and the public. Responsible resource management requires a firm scientific basis for decision making. The SOFIA database will provide hydrologic, cartographic, geologic, and biologic data and metadata to aid in the decision process. Ecosystem restoration and sound resource management will benefit south Florida by allowing a balance of uses and interests. The project is expanding the project metadata inventory to include metadata on every dataset. The South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) website and database are the cornerstone of information management for the South Florida place-based science program. The data are available to Federal, State, and local agencies through a web interface and can be retrieved from the SOFIA database. The database has been redesigned to provide storage and access to a greater variety of data types. A new web-based interface will be developed to provide access to the database. The interaction between the database, the other SOFIA products, and other available web-based databases is being evaluated. The database will be updated to provide greater interoperability between the database, other SOFIA products and other web-based databases. Data collection from completed projects continues on an ongoing basis.

The long-term goal of the SOFIA program is to provide a central archive of data and products for all Department of Interior products related to the south Florida Ecosystem restoration program. This goal was partially achieved in FY01 and FY02 through the use of CESI funds to develop a web site of project information of the projects funded through the CESI program.

Project Objectives and Strategy: The primary objectives of the project are to 1) provide a central location for the archive of all products and data collected as part of the USGS PBS program and related work for the restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem; and 2) provide a means for customers to obtain the archived information. The database has been developed using PostgreSQL, an open source relational database management system. PostgreSQL was selected because it is freely available, widely used, actively maintained and supported, and runs on all modern UNIX-like and Windows based computer systems. As projects are completed or data sets are made available to the public, the data is loaded into the database. To provide easy access to the data, the data sets are also loaded onto the SOFIA Data Exchange web site. The Data Exchange is a partial solution to the data access, however, as the number of data sets grows, it becomes more difficult to locate data on the Data Exchange. We are currently in the process of evaluating two commercial products that will provide a web-based, public interface to the database. Plans are to purchase the software late in FY02 and begin implementation of the software in FY03. The use of commercial software reduces the development time in developing the interface. The commercial software will also allow us to search other databases and web sites. Data that is available on other USGS public databases, such as NWISweb, is generally not entered into the SOFIA database. However, the data may be inventoried in the database and will be accessible through the search engine. Products, such as publications and maps, that are available on the web, either on the SOFIA web site or other USGS web sites, are also being inventoried in the database, allowing the user to search for this information.

A new task for FY03 is to integrate the SOFIA website with the current CESI website that is under development. Funding for this task from the CESI program, begun late in FY01 is running out and additional funds are needed to continue this work. Because many of the CESI projects are also funded through the PBS program, there is currently some duplication between the sites. The integration of the two websites would result in a much more efficient website, both in cost of development and in ease of locating information. The source of funding for each project could be indicated on the project web page. Interfaces would be available to locate all of the projects by funding source, agency, or other designation. Additionally, we would like to begin collecting data sets from other DOI agencies (NPS, USFWS) that are working in south Florida, post the data sets on the data exchange web site, and enter the data sets into the SOFIA database.

Collaborators: Preliminary discussions are underway with the CERP Data Management Team to determine how to most efficiently coordinate the USGS SOFIA effort with the CERPZone data management program.

Clients: All government agencies, educational institutions, and public and private organizations responsible for, doing research on, or interested in the Everglades restoration.

B. WORK PLAN

Title of Task 1: Design, Maintenance, and Population of Database
Task Funding: PBS
Task Leaders: Roy Sonenshein
Phone: 303-717-5835
Fax: 305-717-5801
Task Status (proposed or active): active
Task priority: high
Task Personnel: Bruce Irvin

Task Summary and Objectives: Complete the design of the database and populate the database with new data sets.

Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures:

1. Update the database structure as needed to handle new types of data that currently do not fit into the database structure.
2. Load new data sets into the database as they become available.

Title of Task 2: Collect Data and Prepare Metadata Records
Task Funding: PBS
Task Leaders: Roy Sonenshein
Phone: 305-717-5824
Fax: 305-717-5801
Task Status (proposed or active): active
Task priority: high
Task Personnel: Bruce Irvin and ETI contract personnel - currently 3 contractors on staff in Miami involved in this effort

Task Summary and Objectives: Obtain available data sets, prepare for entry into the database, prepare for Data Exchange web site.

Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures:

1. Obtained published data sets and other released data sets.
2. Data sets often need to be reworked to prepare in the form required to enter into the database.
3. Data may also need to be reformatted to prepare for dissemination on the Data Exchange web site.
4. Prepare metadata records for all data sets to be placed on the Data Exchange.

Title of Task 3: Development and testing of search engine
Task Funding: PBS
Task Leaders: Roy Sonenshein
Phone: 305-717-5824
Fax: 305-717-5801
Task Status (proposed or active): active
Task priority: high
Task Personnel: Bruce Irvin and Gail Clement

Task Summary and Objectives: Install, configure, and test commercial search engine software purchased to search the database. The engine will also be configured to search other related websites and databases, such as the Salinity Database (Mike Robblee) and the Everglades Online Database, currently being developed by Gail Clement and FIU.

Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures:

1. Design report, deciding on which data sets to include on the maps, and how to organize the maps.
2. Prepare the text to include with each map.
3. Get the report reviewed and published by the GEER conference.

Title of Task 4: Prepare Atlas of USGS Data Collection Sites
Task Funding: PBS
Task Leaders: Roy Sonenshein
Phone: 305-717-5824
Fax: 305-717-5801
Task Status (proposed or active): active
Task priority: high
Task Personnel: Raul Patterson and a GIS contractor in the Miami office with assistance from Arturo Torres and Aaron Higer

Task Summary and Objectives: Prepare an Atlas for publication that will document the location of all USGS data collection activities in south Florida. The Atlas may also include selected map products produced as part of the USGS PBS program. The Atlas will be distributed at the 2003 GEER conference scheduled for April 2003. The current plan is to prepare the Atlas as a STOP-format report, with a page of text describing each map.

Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures:

1. Prepare GIS base maps and standard template to be used for Atlas maps.
2. Design report, deciding on which data sets to include on the maps, and how to organize the maps.
3. Prepare the text to include with each map.
4. Get the report reviewed and published by the GEER conference.

Title of Task 5: Expansion of SOFIA - integration of CESI website and collection of information from other DOI agencies
Task Funding: PBS
Task Leaders: Roy Sonenshein
Phone: 303-717-5835
Fax: 305-717-5801
Task Status (proposed or active): proposed
Task priority: high
Task Personnel: Heather Henkel, data collection and web development personal

Task Summary and Objectives: Expand the SOFIA website and database to include information from all DOI agencies.

Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures:

1. Integrate the CESI website under development with the SOFIA web site.
2. Collect new information and data sets from other DOI agencies and prepare for posting on the data exchange website and for database entry.