A Multi-Purpose Data Dissemination Infrastructure for the Marine-Earth Observations

Abstract:

To open the data from a variety of observations, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has developed a multi-purpose data dissemination infrastructure.

Although many observations have been made in the earth science, all the data are not opened completely. We think data centers may provide researchers with a universal data dissemination service which can handle various kinds of observation data with little effort. For this purpose JAMSTEC Data Management Office has developed the “Information Catalog Infrastructure System (Catalog System)”. This is a kind of catalog management system which can create, renew and delete catalogs (= databases) and has following features,

- The Catalog System does not depend on data types or granularity of data records.

- By registering a new metadata schema to the system, a new database can be created on the same system without sytem modification.

- As web pages are defined by the cascading style sheets, databases have different look and feel, and operability.

- The Catalog System provides databases with basic search tools; search by text, selection from a category tree, and selection from a time line chart.

- For domestic users it creates the Japanese and English pages at the same time and has dictionary to control terminology and proper noun.

As of August 2015 JAMSTEC operates 7 databases on the Catalog System. We expect to transfer existing databases to this system, or create new databases on it. In comparison with a dedicated database developed for the specific dataset, the Catalog System is suitable for the dissemination of small datasets, with minimum cost. Metadata held in the catalogs may be transfered to other metadata schema to exchange global databases or portals.

Examples:

JAMSTEC Data Catalog: http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/catalog/data_catalog/metadataList?lang=en

JAMSTEC Document Catalog: http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/catalog/doc_catalog/metadataList?lang=en&tab=category

Research Information and Data Access Site of TEAMS: http://www.i-teams.jp/catalog/rias/metadataList?lang=en&tab=list