The geological and ecological sciences -- their natural interdependency reflected in cyberinfrastructure Annette Olson, John Mosesso, Sue Haseltine, Gladys Cotter Biological Resources Division Annette Olson, John Mosesso, Sue Haseltine, Gladys Cotter Biological Resources Division U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

Biological and Geological Linkages Biological and Geological Linkages Disasters Energy Magnetism Biosphere Coastal & Marine Water Minerals Earth Surface Climate

The Need for Informatics Research needs:  data to answer new, multivariate questions;  tools for manipulating and analyzing data;  data for validating models; and  To make own data longer-lived and more valuable. Societal need to have accurate and integrated scientific information for:  increased understanding; and  Informed decision-making.

Environmental Drivers Climate change Pollution Disasters Invasive Species Land and resource use Wildlife diseases Amphibian deformities

Conceptual model of factors influencing and interacting with invasion by exotic species University of Kansas

(Anoplophora glabripennis)Twenty environmental layers (Anoplophora glabripennis) - Twenty environmental layers Species Invasions – Asian long-horned beetle University of Kansas

Important Geological Data Data linked to specific coordinates, Data about the past (historical or prehistorical), and/or Data available in real-time or near real-time. Almost all geological information is useful: Data collected for geological purposes may also serve ecological needs, now or in the future. Even small, brief studies: “original samples are often the only samples” (Geological Society of America, 2005). “More than 100 million boxes of fossils are in geoscience repositories today” (Committee for the Preservation of Geoscience Data and Collections, 2002).

Integrating Diverse Data from Multiple Disciplines Columbia Spring, Yellowstone - algae pattern in run off

Terminologies and research protocols Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Biology Lab Biodiversity Complexity Thesaurus

GAP – Gap Analysis Program Field plot data Digital Land Cover Detailed classification of habitat type Predicted Species Ranges Modeled ranges of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians Land Stewardship Maps Delineation of land units by ownership, management, and conservation status Elevation Aerial Photography Satellite Imagery Land Management Species Range Modeling

Temporal framework Marsupial Evolution

Integrating Diverse Data from Multiple Disciplines Columbia Spring, Yellowstone - algae pattern in run off

Spatial Uncertainty Rowe RJ Journal of Biogeography 32: Collection locations for small Mammals in Utah

Uncertainty in 3 dimensions Rowe RJ Journal of Biogeography 32: pika

“…it is imperative for ecological forecasts to be associated with estimates of uncertainty or “error bars” so that decision-makers using them have information as to the likelihood of a given forecast” (GEOSS, 2004).

Scientific Informatics Systems World Data Centers, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Clearinghouse Mechanism The Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network, e-Science (Europe) The National Spatial Data Infrastructure, The National Biological Information Infrastructure, The Geosciences Network (US), Environmental Resources Information Network (Australia) State Heritage Programs, GAP Analysis, Universities, Bio-Geographic Information and Observation System GLOBAL REGIONAL NATIONAL LOCAL

NBII The National Biological Information Infrastructure

NBII “Major” Partners… USGS USFWS BLM EPA NPS NOAA NASA NSF USDA DOE/ORNL IAFWA OFWIM TNC NatureServe Smithsonian BioEco IABIN NABIN GBIF ITIS/Species 2000 NISC ISSG CODATA … Full partner list:

New Data Collection Techniques UAV Smart Dust LIDAR Field computers “We have about 400 years of practice with the scientific method. However, the interaction between science and data systems has a history of less than 40 years” (R. McCord, data manager, Oak Ridge National Laboratory). BarCodes

Thank you Annette Olson Biodiversity Scientist Biological Informatics Office, USGS

Gray et al., Ecology, in press Variability at different scales

The Vision for the Future PEaCE Lab

Marsupial Evolution