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FRAMEWORK FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE REGIONAL OCEAN BIOGEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM NODE (RON) NETWORK
Background
(1) The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) is an expanding, open-access, coordinated global information system for digitized marine biodiversity data, supported by a network of Regional OBIS Nodes (RONs), and publishing these data for technical, educational, scientific and resource management purposes.
(2) OBIS also provides data management facilities and informatics infrastructure for the Census of Marine Life.
(3) The OBIS Managers Committee, is responsible for the RON network, and will strive to reach decisions by consensus whenever possible.
(4) This document is not legally or financially binding.
Features, Purpose and Goals
The purpose of the RONs is to create a network in partnership with the International OBIS Portal to promote the sharing and use of the world’s marine biodiversity data. The purpose of this network is to create and support an information system that:
(a) is technically and institutionally capable of linking databases that are created and individually maintained by the International Portal and RONs and, where appropriate, to archive data sets;
(b) is world-wide in scale covering data from all marine environments;
(c) is standards based and interoperable with other regional, national, and international information systems;
(d) is publicly accessible via the web by individuals throughout the world;
(e) develops web-based, visualization, analysis, modeling, and other information technologies needed for the seamless exchange and use of distributed and aggregated data; and
(f) maintains the integrity and long-term viability of OBIS published data.
(g) fully acknowledges all data sources.
Roles and Responsibilities of Regional OBIS Nodes
The most important function of the RONs is to foster the on-line provision of marine biogeographic data from their regions and areas of expertise (e.g., a European RON should actively arrange for data held within European databases to be made available on-line through a European RON).
Each RON will provide regional biogeographic data and presentation tools, and also populate the OBIS Portal with data to facilitate on-line data analysis. . Spatial boundaries for each RON are self-defined. Regions may overlap geographically, but duplication of data is to be avoided. Gaps in coverage will be addressed by the OBIS Managers Committee by encouraging new data sources and/or development of new RONs. Varying regional circumstances will bring unique features to each RON. Some may have particular strengths in certain data types or software resources, or both. The RONs will differ in the scope of their data, type of data, and geographic coverage. For example, some may focus on governmental fishery or oceanographic data, and others on museum and academic sources of data. Each RON is encouraged to have in-house database expertise, and in all cases, a RON will have a long-term institutional commitment to maintaining their databases and services. It is appreciated that this will be contingent on future funding which may be impossible to guarantee, but will be central to the strategic plan of the OBIS RONs.
Each RON will support the development of other RONs, but these are independently motivated by the vision to ‘publish’ quality data on-line, to increase the availability of data to researchers, educators, students around the world in the interest of scientific discovery, and resource managers.
Each RON will seek its own regional and national funding. However, RONs would support each other's applications, emphasizing the added value to their network. It is envisaged that a RON will involve two to three staff who may also be involved in related projects and activities. Modest overlap in capabilities and services among RONs would not be redundant, but would provide backup services to the global user community should other Nodes malfunction.
Some RONs may become an OBIS Portal 'mirror' site to serve as backup in case the Portal goes off line for any reason and to improve system performance efficiencies.
Each RON will have access to a technical 'start-up' kit, developed and distributed by the OBIS Portal. This kit contains components to cover all aspects of serving data, including policy and website content, establishment of databases, and installation of data exchange protocols for serving data on-line.
At an individual Node web site, each RON will include OBIS in the name of the RON (e.g., the European Node name is EurOBIS; the Indian Ocean Node is named IndOBIS), the OBIS logo at the top of the front page, and a link back to OBIS from the species name page or species level results. Each Node should be willing to provide RON usage statistics to the Portal. The RON will provide the same basic statistics as for OBIS.
Each RON will make news about the RON and its community available to the Portal (e.g., using the automated Plone news delivery or via email to the OBIS manager).
OBIS will present itself to the world through the International OBIS Portal, possible mirror sites, and RONs. Each RON will present itself to its regional user communities through its own portals and pages at the OBIS Portal. Each RON will provide to the Portal a standard set of RON-description information (see "Step II: Set up the RON Information Page" from the "RON Development Manual"
Each RON will provide 'helpdesk' services to its community.
The role of the RONs will be, in order of priority to:
(1) build OBIS data content.
(2) publish data online, both regionally and with the International OBIS Portal.
(3) develop a regional OBIS community, including data providers and data users.
(4) contribute to the technical function of the OBIS Portal through: mirror sites, data management, visualization, presentation, analysis and modeling tools, application of standards, etc.
(5) contribute to the scientific quality of OBIS through expertise and advice in ocean data, taxonomy, fisheries, ecology, habitat, etc.
(6) operate according to high standards information technology protocols, including robust disaster recovery procedures.
(7) participate in various activities associated with OBIS such as representation on the OBIS Managers Committee, as appropriate.
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