Information Management
Information System
The heart of the GCE Information Management program is the GCE Information System, or GCE-IS. The GCE-IS is a comprehensive computerized information management framework designed to acquire, organize, document and maintain all the various products of GCE LTER research. The system is designed to support data discovery and to provide a long-term research record that will last beyond the lifetime of the GCE LTER project.
The information on the following pages is designed to familiarize GCE participants and potential data users with the major components of the GCE-IS and to provide guidance on preparing data and data documentation for submission. These online guides will be updated regularly as new components are added and in response to user requests for additional information. Click on the links below to view individual guides as navigable hypertext documents or as a single document suitable for printing.
Online Guides
| Frequently Asked Questions | List of frequently asked questions about the GCE IM Program (FAQ) |
|---|---|
| A. Data Submission | Overview of the data submission process |
| 1. Data Format Guidelines | Data file formatting guidelines |
| a. Format Guidelines for Tabular Data | Guidelines for tabular data (i.e. tables of numbers, text, and coded values) |
| 2. Data Documentation | Description of data documentation requirements |
| a. Metadata Field Reference | Details of the current GCE Metadata standard |
| 3. Site Standards and Definitions | Lists of recommended protocols, units, variables names |
| B. Data Access Information | Information about accessing GCE resources online |
| 1. Data Use Agreement | Draft of agreement required prior to accessing data online |
| C. Data Storage Protocols | Description of data storage in the GCE-IS |
| 1. Technical Specifications | Specifications for data stored in MATLAB structure variables, and descriptions of functions in the GCE Data Toolbox for MATLAB 5.x |
| Software Development | Description of current software development efforts at GCE |
