_____   __________________  ____  ____
              /  _/ | / /_  __/ ____/ __ \/ __ \/ __ \
              / //  |/ / / / / __/ / /_/ / / / / /_/ /
            _/ // /|  / / / / /___/ _, _/ /_/ / ____/
           /___/_/ |_/ /_/ /_____/_/ |_|\____/_/

               _   __                  __     __  __
              / | / /__ _      _______/ /__  / /_/ /____  _____
             /  |/ / _ \ | /| / / ___/ / _ \/ __/ __/ _ \/ ___/
            / /|  /  __/ |/ |/ (__  ) /  __/ /_/ /_/  __/ /
           /_/ |_/\___/|__/|__/____/_/\___/\__/\__/\___/_/
*************************************************************************
Number 11     ***         INTEROP NEWSLETTER      ***      April 2001
*************************************************************************

In This Issue:
--------------
I.     Preparations for Next CEOS meeting in Sioux Falls
       (Information at http://edc2.usgs.gov/ceos/ceos.html)

II.    Science User Working Group Plans to Convene on April 17th and 18th

III.   Portals Serve Diverse Groups

IV.    Data Sets from Cold Region are Hot Topic

V.     The Marine Environmental Data Information Referral Catalogue
       (MEDI)

VI.    Early Results from Software Installation for Distributed
       Interoperability Using MD8

*************************************************************************
I.   Preparations for Next CEOS meeting in Sioux Falls

     Preparations are being made by the International Directory
     Network (IDN) participants for the next CEOS meeting.

     The United States Geological Survey's EROS Data Center in
     Sioux Falls, South Dakota is the site of the next CEOS
     Subgroup Meeting.  See  http://edc2.usgs.gov/ceos/ceos.html
     where you will find information on WGISS 12 covering the hotel,
     transport, weather, meeting rooms, wireless access, and
     tourist links.

     A registration page has also been designed to accommodate the
     meeting, where you will notice the $35 registration fee.  This
     fee will cover lunches from Monday through Friday.  The UNEP
     GRID office at USGS will be sponsoring two social dinners.

**************************************************************************

II.  Science User Working Group Plans to Convene on April 17th and 18th
     - by Elissa Levine

     The Science User Working Group met in May of 2000 and provided
     the following report:
     http://gcmd.nasa.gov/about_us/uwg_may00.html

     The focus of this year's session will center on the results from
     the release of MD8, user metrics, portal development, the
     integration of data sets and services, new collaborations,
     and future direction.

     The current UWG is led by co-chairmen, Dr. Bernard Minster,
     geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and
     Dr. John Porter, ecologist at the University of Virginia.  Other
     members include Dr. Jonathan Callahan, Atmospheric Chemist
     representing NOAA; Dr. Benno Blumenthal, oceanographer at
     Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, and
     Dr. Wendell Brown, from the School for Marine Science and
     Technology at the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth.

     The CEOS International Directory Network is represented by Canadian
     (CCRS) representative, Andrea Buffam.  The Canadian node has been
     active in maintaining the currency of their entries, updating
     almost 800 DIFs and adding 71 new entries during the year 2000.
     Andrea is planning to participate in the upcoming meeting.

     In recognition of the broadening user community, Dr. Martin
     Ruzek will be joining the UWG for this meeting.  Dr. Ruzek,
     Science Resource Specialist with the Earth System Science
     Education Program, is active with the National Science
     Foundation-sponsored program, Digital Libraries for Earth Science
     Education (DLESE), a program which would benefit greatly from the
     work of the GCMD.  Also, Mr. Fred Stoss has been invited to join
     the meeting, as a representative of the science library community.
     He spent a number of years at the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis
     Center (CDIAC) in Oak Ridge, TN and is an Associate Librarian
     in Biological Sciences at the Science and Engineering Library
     of the State University of New York - Buffalo.

     - Dr. Elissa Levine
     As NASA's representative on the GCMD's UWG, I am a soil scientist
     in Goddard's Biospheric Science Branch and communicate the progress
     of the GCMD to the Earth Science Directorate's office.  The User
     Working Group meetings have always prompted a spirited exchange of
     ideas, insightful discussion, and valuable guidance.


***************************************************************************

III.  Portals Serve Diverse Groups
      - by Scott Ritz and Gene Major

      Among the many new features of the IDN's MD8 software release
      is the ability for organizations to maintain customized views
      of the IDN database.  A project or organization can display their
      own customized portal enabling access to a virtual subset of the
      complete IDN directory.  This portal may be trademarked with the
      logo of an organization but possess the full functionality of the
      IDN search engine and tools.

      There are a number of reasons why a group may choose to create a
      portal to the IDN.  Many organizations recognize the importance of
      metadata related to their area of interest but do not have the
      resources required to manage the content.  One possible solution
      to this dilemma is to host the metadata through the IDN and create
      a portal to view the virtual subset of the metadata.  Metadata
      management tools are freely available through the IDN.  Among
      these tools is a metadata-editing tool that may be customized for
      the portal owner to submit new entries and update the information
      already in the portal.  Rather than using valuable resources to
      create and manage a metadata repository, time and money may be
      conserved by building on the IDN's existing infrastructure.

      Using a portal to search a virtual subset is advantageous in that
      as metadata is added to the subset, it is also freely available
      from the IDN general search pages for scientists in other
      disciplines to access and use.  Usage statistics are also
      regularly tracked and available.

      Several project portals are already in use.  Currently free-text
      and/or a keyword interface are offered.  The WGISS Global
      Observation of Forest Cover (GOFC) portal is currently hosting
      GOFC-specific metadata content for many of the reasons stated.

      http://gcmd.nasa.gov/gofc/ft_search.html
      http://gcmd2.gsfc.nasa.gov:8081/gofc/

      Other portals have been designed for:

      - NASA Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)
        http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/esip/

      - Global Observing Systems Information Center (GOSIC)
        http://gcmd.nasa.gov/gosic/ft_search.html

      - Distributed Oceanographic Data Center (DODS)
        http://gcmd.nasa.gov/dods/ft_search.html

      - USDA Agricultural Research Data Directory (AGROS)
        http://agros.usda.gov/

      - Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM) Antarctic
        Master Directory (AMD).
        http://gcmd.nasa.gov/amd/ft_search.html
        http://gcmd.nasa.gov/amd/amd_params.html

     The GCMD through the IDN encourages organizations that wish to
     create a portal or have questions to contact the User Support
     Office by e-mail at gcmduso@gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov  or by telephone
     at 240-232-0311 Ext. 1051.  Science staff members can lend
     assistance in the creation of content, and software developers
     can provide support by assisting in the creation of portal
     software.

************************************************************************

IV.  Data Sets From Cold Regions Are A Hot Topic
     - by Stephanie Leicester and Lee Belbin

     The Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM) was one
     of the first organizations that expressed interest in
     experimenting with a distributed IDN node for the upcoming
     implementation of the latest software version.  Within
     this past year, the collaboration has proved beneficial both
     to the IDN and JCADM. See http://www.jcadm.scar.org/.

     As an interim solution for the need to expose their data holdings,
     JCADM expressed interest in the IDN's portal concept for the
     following reasons:
     (1) portals are an efficient way to create customized views into
     Earth Science metadata, (2) increased the exposure of Antarctic
     data sets through the IDN and (3) Antarctic scientists benefit
     by having access to a far greater volume and range of metadata
     through the IDN.

     JCADM is comprised of the managers of National Antarctic Data
     Centres (NADCs) from a range of Antarctic Treaty countries. While
     some NADCs have resources to manage a broad range of data as well as
     metadata, many only have resources sufficient to provide guidance
     to scientists on the creation of metadata through IDN resources.

     Until recently, there used to be a separate metadata directory
     hosted in New Zealand called the Antarctic Master Directory (AMD).
     This directory contained metadata contributed by JCADM and, strangely,
     by the IDN.  JCADM realized that there was little need for a separate
     directory system that had to be resourced and where metadata was
     transmitted to the IDN anyway.

     JCADM approached the GCMD to create an 'Antarctic Portal'; a virtual AMD
     view of the IDN's Antarctic metadata. Two search interfaces have been
     developed by the GCMD:  one free-text and the other based on science
     keywords.  The Free-Text interface at
     http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/amd/ft_search.html, resembles the GCMD's
     Free-Text Interface in which the user can type a word or phrase in
     one text box or use the Boolean operators,  "and" or "or" to relate
     another word or phrase in a second text box.  Users may also
     perform geospatial and/or temporal searches.  The AMD Science
     Parameters Interface, http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/amd/amd_params.html,
     allows users to perform a search by choosing from the GCMD Science
     Parameters.

     Users of the AMD can now search a virtual subset of the IDN
     database to discover data set descriptions meeting the locational
     criteria of Antarctic and/or Southern Ocean.  As the IDN has
     basically the same interface, Antarctic scientists also have
     access to a far larger repository of metadata that may relate to their
     research. For example, a scientist doing work on potential penguin
     diseases may need to identify data on that disease occurring worldwide.

     The number of DIFs in the 'virtual AMD' is 1326 and 1263 DIFs were
     contributed by JCADM during CY2000.  Many of those metadata records
     were written by the research scientists.  The IDN's present challenge
     for JCADM is to develop DIF authoring tools that are easy to install,
     maintain, and can be used offline.  Metrics show that the rise in
     interest of these data sets from the cold regions indeed makes
     their frequent access a hot topic.


**************************************************************************

V.   The Marine Environmental Data Information Referral Catalogue
     (MEDI)
     - by Greg Reed, Australian Oceanographic Data Center

     The Marine Environmental Data Information Referral Catalogue (MEDI)
     is a directory system for datasets, data catalogues, and data
     inventories within the framework of the Intergovernmental
     Oceanographic Commission's (IOC) International Oceanographic Data
     and Information Exchange (IODE) system.  The MEDI system has been
     operational within the IODE community since 1979 and at the 15th
     sesssion of IODE in 1996, it was recommended that the development
     of a Pilot Project be undertaken as a means of applying modern
     technology to the MEDI system.

     The development of the MEDI Pilot Project included a review of
     existing national and international data directory systems.
     Consideration was also given to the implications of
     interoperability with similar systems on the international
     scene, such as those being developed by GCOS and the ICSU Panel
     on World Data Centers (WDCs).  The data structure for the MEDI
     Pilot Project is based on the Global Change Master Directory's
     Directory Interchange Format (DIF) content and structure.  This
     will provide the capability to merge metadata collected by MEDI
     with global data directories such as International Directory
     Network (IDN.)

     The Australian Oceanographic Data Centre has developed data
     entry software for the MEDI Pilot Project using a Java database
     management system - ensuring a high degree of portability.  The
     database fields are based on the GCMD's DIF format.  The software
     provides easy-to-use data entry forms, text and spatial query tools
     and the ability to export metadata records in XML, HTML or text,
     providing an easy mechanism to transfer metadata to the IDN.  The
     software has been tested on PCs (Windows 98, NT) and UNIX (Sun
     Solaris).  A MAC compatible version can be developed if there is
     a requirement.

     The MEDI Pilot Project software was presented to the 16th session
     of IODE in a November, 2000 meeting of IODE for endorsement.  The
     committee recommended that MEDI becomes a permanent programme of
     IODE and that a Steering Group be set up to be responsible for
     the further development and enhancement of the requirements.  The
     first session of this working group will take place in Oostende,
     Belgium from 23-27 April.  A web version of MEDI, currently under
     development, will be presented at this meeting.

     A beta version is now available to download from
     http://www.AODC.gov.au/IODE/MEDI and any comments on the software
     can be sent to Greg Reed at the Australian Oceanographic Data
     Centre (email:  greg@aodc.gov.au )

**************************************************************************

VI.  Early Results From Installation of Software at Nodes
     for Distributed Interoperability Using MD8

     - by Lee Belbin, Dave Watts and Dave Connell (Australian
     Antarctic Data Center - AADC); Lorant Czaran (UNEP-GRID/Arendal),
     Viktor Pusztai (UNEP-GRID/Budapest);  Chris Gokey, Dave
     Kendig, and Rosy Cordova [Global Change Master Directory
     (GCMD) and the International Directory Network (IDN)]

     Both the UNEP-GRID/Budapest and AADC sites have installed the
     alpha version of MD8.  The feedback has been most helpful.
     The UNEP site in Budapest initially experienced operational
     problems because of an externally controlled firewall that
     was difficult to modify.  A crash occurred during the initial
     installation of "InstallAnywhere" on their computer, using
     Solaris 2.5.1 (SUNOS5.5.1), an older version of Solaris.  A
     generic installation script that does not require a Graphical
     User Interface (GUI) was subsequently created to address this
     problem.  Instructions will be provided in the beta release.
     However, the UNEP site is now using a Linux server with an
     Oracle database, and all is reported to be working well.

     The satellite image archive team from the Norwegian Mapping
     Authorities plans to propose a slight modification to the DIF
     structure for their needs through the Interoperability Forum.

     Several inconsistencies were noted at the AADC with JRE during
     their first installation, but these were attributed to the fact
     that JRE was already  installed.  The failure of the Tomcat
     installation was similar to the JRE problem:  versions already
     existed on the server.   While these could be considered
     problems that resulted from inexperience with the system,
     little or no experience must be anticipated with installations.

     The AADC also noted the requirement for X-windows under Solaris.
     The X-windows problem stems from the fact that the GUI
     administration  kit is a Solaris Java kit, requiring the
     use of X-windows unless operating from a Solaris platform,
     which was impractical at the time. The AADC has recommended
     that the entire package be web-based to leverage the user
     code in any administrative modules.

     The AADC suggested renaming tablespaces to allow MD7 and
     MD8 to coexist. The AADC also suggested the inclusion of a
     courtesy_title field in md_person and the merging of several
     lookup tables (valids) into one to simplify the database and provide
     one process to update valids.  However, these changes will have to
     be delayed - the first because it requires acceptance through the
     Interoperability Forum and the second because it is a structural
     database change that can't be done before the scheduled Beta
     release of MD8.  Moreover, merging the valids may not be
     effective in terms of space considerations because the different
     sets of valids have different levels of hierarchy.

     The AADC would also like MD to display a more intuitive user-
     interface for the presentation of valids. A drilldown list for
     handling the valids that was more intuitive was suggested.

     The AADC handles 'complete', 'preliminary', 'incomplete' and
     'unknown' DIFs through a metadata_status table, which is not available
     through MD8.  Handling of DIFs 'in progress' also must be
     delayed and considered through the Interoperability Forum.

     The AADC links DIFs to the research projects that created them, in
     a manner similar to the IDN's links to projects.  An AADC defined
     project is a discrete Antarctic scientific research project approved
     by their national Antarctic Science Advisory Committee (ASAC). A
     'preliminary DIF' (pre-DIF) is created from on-line project details
     once the project is approved. This avoids the necessity of scientists
     entering common basic information such as project and Principal
     Investigator details.

     The AADC has a useful approach to the utility of linking research
     projects and metadata. The ASAC projects produce data and
     publications but also use data (via metadata). With this concept,
     the AADC are building capacity to see what metadata/data a project
     _needs_ as well as produces.  This then raises the possibility of
     recognizing commonly required datasets that need to be more
     efficiently made available to the research community.  A link
     table of projects to metadata contains details of when the link
     was created and a flag to indicate if the project used the data
     or created the data.

     At the American Coordinating Node, significant progress has been
     made integrating InstantDB into the Local Database Agent.  InstantDB
     will be used as the persistent storage for LDA tables.  Export
     scripts have been written to export content that can be easily
     imported into a new LDA, and logic has been built in to automatically
     retrieve a list of known mirrors.  The Java-based MD8 Operations GUI,
     to assist the nodes in loading their DIFs, is undergoing final and
     intensive testing.


***************************************************************************

VI.  Draft Agenda for CEOS IDN Task Team
     Wednesday, May 9th in Sioux Falls

     A.  Review of Minutes From Bangkok 2000 Meeting
         http://gcmd.nasa.gov/ceosidn/Bangkok/idn_Bangkok2000.minutes

     B.  Feedback from April 2001 Science User Working Group Meeting

     C.  Status at the American Coordinating Node
         - Metrics for content and usage
         - Ongoing Activities
         - GOFC Status

     D.  IDN Node Reports
         - CCRS/CEONet
         - NASDA
         - CSIRO
         - UNEP Sites
         - CNES
         - NEONET
         - DLR
         - ESA
         - INPE
         - CONAE
         - JCADM

      Please include in these reports, sections on:

          1. Metrics
             i. Number of DIFs contributed
            ii. Usage Statistics
          2. Status of Software/System Installations
             i. Current/Proposed Hardware
            ii. Software Versions Running/Planned
          3. Content Synchronization / Update Frequency
          4. IDN Node Pages
          5. Advertising
	  6. Issues/Concerns

     E.  Release of MD8
         1.  XML/XSL
         2.  MD8 Architecture:  Results of Alpha Testing
         3.  LDA Architecture
         4.  Interfaces
         5.  Portals
         6.  Operations Utilities

     F.  MD9 (Late 2002)

         1.  Goals
         2.  Schedule
         3.  Participants

VII. Issues - Discussion

For more information or questions about this agenda, please contact
Lola Olsen, (olsen@gcmd.nasa.gov ) IDN Task Team lead.

**********************************************************************