Using U.S. and Canadian Atlantic Using U.S. and Canadian Atlantic Research Trawl Surveys to Lead Research Trawl Surveys to Lead

Development of a Standards Development of a Standards Based Ocean Observing SystemBased Ocean Observing System

R. BrantonR. Branton11, J. Black, J. Black11, J. McRuer, J. McRuer11, M. Fogarty, M. Fogarty22

11Bedford Institute of OceanographyBedford Institute of Oceanography22Woods Hole Laboratory of the Northeast Fisheries Science CentreWoods Hole Laboratory of the Northeast Fisheries Science Centre

Basis of this Presentation

Trawl surveys are: • widely used for assessing populations of

bottom dwelling fish and invertebrates,

• a rich source of in-situ measurements for ground truthing and augmentation of remotely sensed data,

• leading development of standards based ocean observing systems.

Canadian and United States Trawl Surveys

15

6

2

3

4

Canada1) Bedford Institute of Oceanography

2) Gulf Fisheries Centre

3) Institute Maurice Lamontagne

4) North West Atlantic Fisheries Centre

5) Saint Andrews Biological Station

United States6) Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Types of Observations

For 400+ species:• total weight caught• total number caught• count at length

For some species:• individual length and

weight• sex, maturity and age

Types of Results

• Species Distribution

• Fish Stock and Population Trends

• Species Life History

• Environmental Preferences

Next StepsUnder Canada’s GeoConnections Access Program:• create ANSI/ISO metadata and extend BIO access facilities

to support these standards,• serve annually updated population & distribution products

for 99 species presently on ECNASAP site,• expand population & distribution products to include all

400+ species, • where possible, provide estimates for juvenile and adult stock

components,• assist other NW Atlantic fisheries laboratories to establish

similar facilities.

Gulf of Maine Biogeographical Information System

Huntsman Marine ScienceCenter

NOAA Northeast Fisheries ScienceCenter

Bedford Instituteof Oceanography

Objectives

• Improve Underlying Taxonomic Collections– Digitize entire Atlantic Reference Centre fish

collection, not only for Gulf of Maine but also a major portion of the NW Atlantic,

– Create electronic atlas to facilitate study of taxonomic collections for selected areas of ocean bottom.

Next Steps

Under Canada’s GeoConnections Access Program:• establish common minimum data and image capture

facilities for CMB members,• extend ANSI/ISO metadata facilities at BIO to include

CMB member data,• extend electronic atlas to include all available Atlantic

Canada taxonomic collections,• extend atlas to cover all 3 of Canada’s oceans.

Supporting the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure

Underlying Concerns

• Need for a conceptual model that simply describes what we should be doing.– ever growing collections of highly detailed data not

being integrated into a collective whole and effectively used for decision making.

– making sense of and exploiting the growing and diverse constructs and technologies presently transforming the information management paradigm.

Information Ecosystem

Needs

EfficiencyComplexityOperations

Data Management

Model

ManagementIntelligence

• Satisfying organization needs is the primary goal when building an information infrastructure,

• Issues of complexity and efficiency, although important are secondary,

• Operational systems provide the data from which intelligence and management information is ultimately derived.

Understanding Needs

Types of Users• Explorers - irregular access,

looking for relationships in the data, need tools for analysis,

• Farmers - regular access, knows what they are looking for, predictable, needs tools for presentation,

• Tourists - looks at lots of data on a random basis, often not at same data twice, making heavy use of metadata.

Types of Analysis• Structured - mostly farmers

and the occasional tourist analyzing data for future possible action,

• Operational - mostly farmers analyzing data for immediate action,

• Exploratory - mostly explorers and some tourists

Making Data Into Information

PortalsPortals andand

Clearing-Clearing-houseshouses

Off line Off line StorageStorage

Quality Quality ControlControlReportsReports

OperationalOperationalData StoreData Store

DataDataMartsMarts

IntranetIntranetFirewallFirewallInternetInternet

DataDataWarehouseWarehouse

TransformTransformIntegrateIntegrate

andandQualityQualityControlControl

International International MetadataMetadataStandardsStandards

DDAATTAA

IINNFFOORRMMAATTIIOONN

WebWebServicesServices

OperationalOperationalSystemsSystems

Risks

• If we proceed without a conceptual model, differences in data management practices between the various specialist groups and regions will continue to grow.

• Continued difficulty with understanding the technical needs and resource levels both inside and outside of science.