Исторические данные о морской среде

Морская станция Хопкинса (HMS) — это морская лаборатория Стэнфордского университета. морская исследовательская лаборатория Стэнфордского университета. Станция расположена на западном побережье Калифорнии, примерно в двух часах езды к югу от главного кампуса Стэнфордского университета. HMS является одной из старейших морских лабораторий США, а её библиотека располагает обширной коллекцией исторических данных о морских исследованиях, представленных в виде судовых документов, журналов, полевых дневников, научных работ (включая студенческие) и других аналоговых материалов.

While contributing to several large-scale digitization and online repository projects, the Head Librarian met a local GBIF Node Manager who encouraged HMS to begin the process of digitizing and publishing the library’s extensive collection of biodiversity data to GBIF and other data aggregators. Recently, the Librarian has made it a priority to begin the process to transfer the data from field books, note cards, and into a new collection of image files (.jpg), pdf documents and spreadsheets containing event and occurrence data. The new files, and the data contained within them, will be organized into the library’s new content management system.

The process of digitizing and publishing HMS data will take time. The library budget is allocated annually and does not include funds for digitization or to hire new staff for the project. Human resources are limited to the Head Librarian (who has a PhD in Oceanography), a Library Assistant with a MS in Library and Information Science, an undergraduate work-study student who is paid for 10 hours per week, and two local retirees who volunteer at the library twice weekly in four-hour blocks.

The Librarian and Assistant already possess a large-format scanner and the necessary software to scan the library’s wide variety of documents, including materials with bindings. Together, they have determined that digitization should begin with the work of one of HMS’ best known collectors, Willis G. Hewatt. They have also developed a preliminary workflow for the job:

The first collection of data selected by the Head Librarian is the “Hewatt Transect”, a qualitative observational record of the intertidal zone directly adjacent to the HMS facility. Data along the 108 yard transect were sampled and reported in 1 square yard quadrats. While observations were recorded continuously from 1931 to 1933, with additional observations added in 1941, only a handful of selected ‘representative’ quadrats were sampled consistently (Figure 1). A student paper in 1993 (Gilman & Sagarin) sought to resurvey the same transect, although only part of the original transect was observed (Figures 2a and 2b). Both projects entered into the survey with a list of species expected to be present within the transect. Hewatt’s dissertation and Gilman & Sagarin’s student paper were preserved by the library, along with related published peer-reviewed papers. The data necessary to publish to GBIF, OBIS and other data aggregators is spread across all of the resources in the library archive.

Both Hewatt and Gilman/Sagarin recorded data in a table format for species for each transect. These “lists” were converted into an initial spreadsheet format (Figures 3).

As a part of the Head Librarian’s review the following data is available for 270 records collected by Willis G. Hewitt is available for sharing:

Data capture

Data management

Data publishing