Environmental Data Standards Policies and Practices

Standards? Who needs standards? Pay now or pay later…

Not having standards isn’t all bad… …as this leads to economic opportunity.

Why should we care about environmental data standards?  Quality data is expensive & needs to be properly conserved, cultivated & leveraged Build once, use many times Build once, use many times  There are many sources of environmental data Public, private & academic Public, private & academic Federal, state, tribal, regional, local Federal, state, tribal, regional, local  We need to pool data for regional and state analysis & perspectives  Centralized database systems are problematic Expensive to build & operate Expensive to build & operate Not responsive to individual needs Not responsive to individual needs Not agile Not agile More about control than service More about control than service  Organization specific needs drive divergent designs  Need to leverage data ownership to encourage proper stewardship Preserve the link with the data provider Preserve the link with the data provider

Marshaling Local Data Services & Funds State Regional Local 12n …, 12n …, 12n …, 12n …, Federal Extract, Transform, Load Parcels, Roads, Critical Infrastructure, etc. 1n …, 2 The National Map Emergency Response, Resource Conservation, Health Services, Transportation, etc.

What do you need for a data “standard?” One needs… data elements, definitions, permitted values, controlled vocabularies, collection methods, analytical protocols and documentation requirements that have been… developed, documented, vetted, approved and are being followed by a community of practice. Standard Buy inCompliance A group of organizations with a common purpose

Incentives for participation?  Enlightened self interest is great but will only take you so far  Mandates mean little without an ability to audit and enforce Where are the data police when you really need them? Where are the data police when you really need them?  Hammer = Serious consequences for noncompliance Final payment depends on compliance Final payment depends on compliance  Carrot = Money or some other tangible benefit Pay to play Pay to play

To be successful, adopting standards shouldn’t require making big changes in existing systems… Agency “A”Agency “B” Agency “N” Collective View Extract, Transform, Load

Our distributed world requires federated solutions… Advocacy Groups Federal Agencies Nongovernmental Organizations Regional & Local Governments Tribal Governments Academic Institutions State Agencies Warehouse Data pooled & shared via web based publish & harvest process --- Pooled metadata allows searching across all nodes

The Joy of Metadata…its like flossing your teeth  You know you should do it  You know its important  But you just can’t work up much enthusiasm

California Environmental Information Catalog   228 catalogs   From 201 organizations   Containing 11,116 records 5,298 from NRPI   Resources Agency policy requirement Environmental metadata catalog…

Metadata is information describing a “resource”…  What type of resource is it (e.g., digital image, hardcopy report, etc.)?  Who created it and for what purpose?  When was it created?  To what place does it apply?  How can it be obtained?  And much more

When organized in a searchable catalog, metadata helps us…  Discover resources  Manage documents  Protect intellectual property rights  Control versions  Certify authenticity  Indicate status  Document/describe content structure  Document geographic extent or relevancy  Describe data process

The California Environmental Information Catalog (CEIC) is standards based… The Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM), Version 2 (FGDC-STD ) is the US Federal Metadata standard adopted by the Federal Geographic Data Committee in 1994 and revised in Executive Order requires all Federal agencies to use this standard to document geospatial data created as of January The standard is often referred to as the FGDC Metadata Standard and has been implemented beyond the federal level with State and local governments adopting the metadata standard as well. The International Organization of Standards (ISO) has developed and approved an international metadata standard, ISO As a member of ISO, the US required to revise the CSDGM in accord with ISO Each nation can craft their own profile of ISO with the requirement that it include the 13 core element. The FGDC is currently leading the development of a US Profile of the (ISO) international metadata standard, ISO Simple Dublin Core – 15 elements for general annotation of a resource.

Controlled vocabularies are important… Controlled Vocabularies: Keyword Thesaurus Geographic Place Names

Who are you?  California Department of Fish and Game  Calif. Dept. of Fish & Game  CA Fish and Game  Fish and Game  CDFG  DFG Can be problematic when data are combined from multiple sources or for web based applications with widespread data entry

When metadata are pooled, searching is made easier and more powerful…

Data from many places can be integrated…

Public data should not be locked away in proprietary systems…  Are all your interfaces controlled by a vendor?  Do you have a way to access any or all of your data without direct vendor involvement?  Do you own your code?  Is your application fully documented and do you have the documentation?  Can you realistically turn over support of your application to another vendor or your own IT staff?

Questions? John Ellison Agency Technology Officer & CERES Director (916)