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In 2007 the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER program began its second cycle of NSF funding, and as part of the transition from GCE-I to GCE-II we conducted a top-to-bottom review of our integrated information system. One major conclusion of this review was that we needed to do a better job of managing the various electronic resource files that are acquired during the course of GCE research and project management activities, including documents (e.g. publication reprints, reports, protocols), imagery (e.g. rendered maps, photos, logos) and other types of static files. During GCE-I, many of these resources were informally organized in server directories using a file system management approach, with online access provided via URL on various public and private GCE web pages. The only effective way to search for some categories of files was using Google Site Search, and many people ignored the web site entirely and contacted GCE IM staff directly for assistance locating specific files. We also noted in our review that several types of files are already being managed effectively, with file information and network paths stored in relational databases. For example, links to both publicly-accessible and private reprints and presentations are stored in the GCE bibliographic database (http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/biblio_query.asp). In addition, links to organism photos and other relevant files are stored in the GCE taxonomic database (http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/all_species_lists.asp). Both of these databases are also integrated with the centralized GCE personnel and metadata databases to support crossreferencing and dynamic linking between personnel records, data sets, publications, and species information. Consequently, we decided to leverage and extend our existing centralized databases and web framework rather than explore the use of other stand-alone file archival systems to provide a more integrated solution.

Sheldon, W.M. Jr. 2008. Developing a Searchable Document and Imagery Archive for the GCE-LTER Web Site. Pages 5-8 in: DataBits: An electronic newsletter for Information Managers: Spring 2008. Long Term Ecological Research Network, Albuquerque, NM.