Date and time
Friday, 3 October 2008, 9:00 - 16:00
About the presenter
Kerstin Lehnert is a featured speaker at eResearch Australasia 2008.
She is the Director of the Geoinformatics for Geochemistry Program at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and Administrative Director for Research at LDEO. Over the past ten years, she has been leading the development and operation of several closely related data and information management systems for the Geoscience such as EarthChem, PetDB, and the System for Earth Sample Registration. Her current foci are the networking of Geoinformatics systems on a national and international scale, and the involvement of developing countries in Africa in Geoinformatics developments. Kerstin has a PhD degree in petrology from the University of Freiburg in Germany.
Description
This workshop includes a hands-on component; space is limited.
The course is intended to help interested researchers and students develop knowledge and expertise about data management in Geochemistry, the use of the data systems PetDB, SedDB, EarthChem. The course will provide a blend of education opportunities in the use of geochemical databases with background knowledge about Geoinformatics, relational databases, and data reporting.
Outline
The course will be divided into six components.
1. The basics of IT/geoinformatics applied to databases and websites. Participants will be instructed as to what sits behind databases and what factors make them useful. We will discuss issues such as data types, metadata, electronic data entry and management, relational databases vs. flat files, schema development, SQL (structured query languages), and controlled vocabulary/ontology.
45 minutes
2. Data management systems in Geochemistry. This part will introduce participants to the concepts and functionalities of the PetDB, SedDB, and EarthChem systems with guided exploration of the websites. Participants will become familiar with the various types and presentations of data. In addition, they will be introduced to the basic search and plotting routines.
45 minutes
3. Data reporting and the future of online geochemical data. This part will focus on how data should be reported. Issues such as reporting of precision, accuracy, measurements of reference standards, and other important and necessary metadata as well as the problem of unique sample identification will be discussed. We will introduce ideas about longevity of data and archiving schemes.
30 minutes
4. The role of sample management and unique sample identification. Physical samples are an integral part of data management in geochemistry and other Geoscience disciplines. This part will introduce participants to digital sample management and the relevance of unique sample identification. They will learn about the System for Earth Sample Registration and how to obtain IGSNs (International Geo Sample Numbers).
30 minutes
5. Scientific exercises using the databases. The participants will be lead through two exercises using the databases and plotting tools. This part will emphasize the skills and concepts learned in the first two parts. This will be aimed at teaching/classroom examples that can be applied to research problems as well.
60 minutes
6. Data visualization. This section will provide an introduction to a variety of tools for data visualization. The primary focus will be on GeoMapApp, a data visualization tool (http://www.geomapapp.org) that supports map-based dynamic exploration of data using a multi-resolution global digital elevation model. Built-in land and marine data sets include not only geochemistry from PetDB, SedDB, and EarthChem, but also plate boundaries, marine core logs, earthquake events, seafloor photos, and submersible dive tracks. Seamless links to partner groups and institutions allow users to examine land and marine data holdings of PetDB, UNAVCO, IRIS and NGDC. Users can generate custom maps and grids and import their own data sets and grids.
60 minutes
What to bring
Attendees need to bring their laptops with an internet browser. Attendees should have the GeoMapApp software already downloaded to their laptop before the course. Go to http://www.geomapapp.org/ and click on 'Download Options', then follow instructions. There are versions for Unix/Linux, Macintosh, and Windows.