1. Strategies for NIS Development
Improve the overall effectiveness of site information systems
Enhance discovery of information across sites
Enhance access to information across sites
Enhance synthesis and integration of information across sites
Leverage partnerships with other organizations to develop critical tools
Promote interaction among CI developers, scientists, and information managers
Educate full LTER community on NIS goals and technologies
Promote increases and strategic allocation of resources for NIS development

2. Improve the overall effectiveness of site information systems
Establish a tiered trajectory to improve IM functionality at the sites (NISAC)
IMExec/IM Committee produced draft (Sep 2003)
NISAC revised and submitted to CC for approval (Apr 2004)
CC approved (Apr 2004)
NISAC proposes metrics for site improvement of position within trajectory
NISAC monitors progress (could be IMExec or may include self-evaluation)
Develop site IM evaluation criteria (NISAC, IMC)
IM Committee will draft criteria
Establish minimum IM personnel resources to accomplish tasks at the sites (IMC)
Educate and enhance capability of site IM personnel (IMC)
Develop mentoring web page for new IM’s
Conduct annual IM meetings
Conduct additional meetings when necessary in conjunction with CI developers
Develop a technical outreach position to facilitate sharing of information among sites and LNO (IMEXEC/LNO)
Develop best-practices documents (LNO)
Web site development and EML implementation (IMC/LNO will draft)
Use LNO resources to provide leadership

3. Enhance discovery of information across sites
Establish network-wide data catalog (LNO, IMC)
Harvest site metadata with the metadata harvester into the LNO Metacat
Populate network-wide data catalog with discovery-level EML from all sites (IMC, LNO)
Increase site capacity to create appropriate discovery-level metadata documentation and make available for harvest.
Populate metadata for data, models, protocols, etc. (EML best practices working group)
Establish a web interface for querying this catalog as a single portal (IMC, LNO)
Develop specification for query interface (IMC)
Implement prototype and seek feedback (LNO)

4. Enhance access to information across sites
Encourage and support sites to make data sets publicly available online in the spirit of the LTER data access policy (NISAC, CC)
Increase incentives to sharing information
Define rules, use licensing of information, Memorandums of Understanding (MOU)’s, open source software licensing such as General Public License (GPL), etc.
Ensure that resources at sites for sharing information are adequate (CC, NISAC)
Assess hardware at sites
Host hardware and software
Connectivity
Populate network-wide data catalog with entity/attribute and access-level EML from all sites (IMC, LNO)
Allow retrieval of data sets through links from the network-wide data catalog (IMC)
Develop or adopt a common protocol for data access and query (IM, EcoGrid, GEON)
Conduct research to define advanced, distributed query processors to handle a uniform query request syntax
Ensure that all-site query system can integrate with current site storage solutions

5. Enhance synthesis and integration of information across sites (NISAC)
Provide scalable query and access solutions to integrate distributed archives
Document the processing history of integration and synthesis
Tools for mediation or harmonization of heterogeneous information formats, collection methods, and processing protocols
Develop (or adopt) open standards for information formats, metadata, software interfaces and communication protocols to achieve integration
Populate network-wide data catalog with complete, validated EML from all sites (IMC, LNO)
Determine a process to prioritize synthetic product development (new NIS modules)
Evaluate performance towards NIS goals
NISAC determines a progress metric as a target for improvement of all sites (e.g., 90% of sites - 22 of 24 - improve position on trajectory within 2 years)
Devote LNO resources to a lead scientist for NIS

6. Leverage partnerships with other organizations to develop critical tools
Work in partnership with supercomputer centers and other organizations (NISAC)
Participate in multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary partnerships for the development of solutions that address specific challenges in eco-informatics
Work with partners to develop tools to bridge immediate problems (dispel notion of LTER sites as just a testbed)
Identify critical tools – prioritize and request funding (IM to prioritize, experts develop design specifications)
EML editors
Query tools
Data mining tools
Management of data streams from sensor networks
Tools for self-documenting data from sensors, models and analysis workflows
Tools for management of real-time telemetry data
Quality Assurance tools
Visualization tools (e.g., real-time graphics)
Analysis tools for spatial/temporal patterns
Integration of spatial and temporal data (e.g., semantic mediation)
Direct LNO to identify resources to develop and/or maintain critical tools (LNO)

7. Promote interaction among CI developers, scientists, and information managers (NISAC)
Form advisory committee with representation from LNO, IM, and science (Apr 2003)
Propose a definition of roles and responsibilities of site, LNO, IM committee, scientists
Conduct user requirement workshops including CI developers, scientists, and information managers
Use techniques of scenarios, mock-ups, prototypes to demonstrate ideas
Recommend a NISAC-sponsored user requirement workshop for NIS development
Determine long-term responsibility for community-developed (e.g., PBI, ecoinformatics.org) tools such as EML and the unit dictionary?
Implement communication technologies that reduce cost and enhance efficiency of collaboration
Keep in congruence with broader cyberinfrastructure community to take advantage of advances that support the NIS mission

8. Educate full LTER community on NIS goals and technologies (LNO, NISAC, IM)
Show relevance of NIS to science through demonstrations and distributed materials
Provide demonstrations, prototypes, e.g., structured metadata, ClimDB
Package materials for distribution (video, etc.)
Educate scientists about opportunities and advantages of sharing data / participating in the NIS (i.e., creating “Open research” spirit)
Design NIS to include paybacks to sites for time investment
Demonstrate efficiencies, benefits to site
Facilitate site workshops for researchers on NIS technologies and goals
Develop partnership between IT and science communities to define cyberinfrastructure needs

9. Promote increases and strategic allocation of resources for NIS development (NISAC)
Promote increasing IM resources to sites
Supplemental grants directed toward EML development
Provide IM/NIS resources through planning grant activities
Assure resources are budgeted for data synthesis and analysis
Integrate NIS activities within identified major network science thrusts
Develop new proposals (sites as individuals or groups of sites, possibly in conjunction with LNO, e.g., NSF-BDI, USFS, etc.)
Assure funding for implementation, technology transfer, and maintenance
Include money for implementation in CI development proposals
Use new LNO resources to support implementation of new informatics tools within the network
Use LNO resources to assume responsibility for maintenance and support of intersite databases