# Presentation: 468445

## Welcome

**Curators of Marine**** **
**(& now Lacustrine)**** **
**Geological Samples**
**30****th**** Anniversary Meeting**

## Greetings from Floyd McCoy, Chairperson of the original Curators’ Meeting in 1977

- “Please express my happiness that curatorial things continue from those slight beginnings so long ago...”

- 2007 – Floyd on sabbatical, about to crawl into a Greek submersible

**Notes:**
And now a note from the Chairperson of the original Curators’ Meeting:
“Well hi- from Crete! Oh my, 30 years... that's so nice to have an anniversary meeting.  How I wish I could be there, but this coming academic year I am on sabbatical in Greece, first as a visiting research prof. at the Am. School of Classical Studies at Athens, and, second, as a Senior Fulbright Scholar (one of seven from the US to Greece).  After seven years of running the faculty senate at UH, I need this break - and hope to get caught up in research with a bunch of papers done.  At the moment I am on Crete doing geology at three arch. sites, and am just back from a 3 week cruise using the Greek ocean. ship "Aegeio" for geol., geophys. and arch. surveys just SE of Crete (no cores, though).   I've attached a photo of me about to crawl into the Greek submersible for a deep dive (only to 500 m - my deepest was on Alvin to 10,000 ft. in the Pacific) where we found active methane vents.  So, you see, my roots stay deep with going to sea as well as mapping on land. Please express my happiness that curatorial things continue from those slight beginnings so long ago.... Aloha and Yia sou, Floyd” 

## Congratulations to
Woody Wise
for participanting in 
1st meeting & the 30th!

- Woody Wise
- for participanting in
- 1st meeting & the 30th!

**Notes:**
Congratulations to Woody Wise for participating in the first gathering of Curators in the summer of 1977 and this meeting 30 years later. In the summer of 1977, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Representatives from LDGO, SIO, UW, FSU, USC, RSMAS, WHOI, OSU, USGSMP, URI, USGSWH, HIG, U Wisc, UT, and NGDSDC met in La Jolla, CA to discuss data dissemination, standardization of curating techniques and methods, funding problems, responsibilities of curators, and sampling equipment.  

Following the meeting, a common data format was circulated. The format was finalized later in the fall of 1977 at a second meeting sponsored by NSF in Seattle. 

## The Index to Marine & Lacustrine Geological Samples

**The Index to Marine & Lacustrine Geological Samples**

- Conceived at the first NSF-supported Curators’ meeting
- in 1977 by participants from the following institutions:

- FSU, HIG, LDEO, RSMAS, OSU, SIO, URI, USC,
- USGS, UW, U Wisc, UT, WHOI, & NGDC

**Objective of the Database:**

** *****Dissemination of standardized information on sample collections ***
***to the scientific community***

**Notes:**
NGDC realizes that the Curators’ Consortium, begun 30 years ago, is much more than a common database.  NGDC congratulates this group and all previous participants for their success in sharing best practices, ideas, and information through this remarkable gathering of institutions. NGDC also salutes the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their vital role in supporting the curation of sea floor and lakebed sample material.
From the NGDC perspective, the Index to Marine and Lacustrine Geological samples database, built by both past and present contributing institutions, epitomizes the spirit of collaboration of the Curators’ group.  NGDC is proud to be an honorary member of this group through our role as steward of your collective database.

## Index to Marine & Lacustrine Geological Samples30 years of progress

- 2004 NSF Division of Ocean Sciences Data and Sample Policy (NSF 04-004)
- 2003 EOS article “Curators of Sea Floor and Lakebed Samples Celebrate 25 Years of Service.”
- 2002 NRC “Geoscience Data and Collections, National Resources in Peril”
- 1996 IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data & Information Exchange, Resolution IODE-XIV.2

- _[http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/curator/](http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/curator/)_

**Index to Marine & Lacustrine Geological Samples****30 years of progress**

## Not shown: newest contributor, the Byrd Polar Research Center (BPRC)

**Notes:**
Again, welcome and congratulations!

## U.S. Department of CommerceNational Oceanic & Atmospheric AdministrationNational Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)Marine Geology and Geophysics Division & Collocated World Data Center for MGG, Boulder

- _http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/_

## Where is NGDC within NOAA?

**NOAA **

**National**
**Marine**
**Fisheries **
**Service**

**National **
**Ocean **
**Service**

**Oceanic **
**and**
**Atmospheric**
**Research**

**National**
**Weather**
**Service**

**National Environmental **
**Satellite, Data, and **
**Information Service**

-  Satellite Operations
-  Satellite Data Processing & Distribution
-  Research & Applications
-  Systems Development
-  National Climatic Data Center
** ****National Geophysical Data Center**
-  National Oceanographic Data Center

**Program**
**Planning**
**and**
**Integration**

**Marine**
**and**
**Aviation**
**Operations**

## The Environmental Data Spectrum

**The Environmental Data Spectrum**

**NGDC**

**Lower Atmosphere**

**NCDC**

**Wet Ocean**

**NODC**

**Land Surface**

**Snow**
**   ****and**
**      ****Ice**

**NSIDC**

**Ocean Floor**

**Earth’s Interior - NGDC**

**NGDC**

**Solar Activity**
**Space Environment**
**Upper Atmosphere**

**Notes:**
NODC – The “wet ocean”
NCDC – The weather-making portion of the atmosphere
NSIDC – Snow and ice
NGDC – Everything else from the surface of the sun to the Earth’s interior, including the ocean floor.

## What’s New at NGDC?

**Ms. Susan McLean is Acting Chief of MGG, and Dr. George Sharman is now a special Assistant to the Office of the Director. **

**What’s New at NGDC?**

## NGDC Organizational Structure

**NGDC Organizational Structure**

- Mr. David Clark, Assistant Center Director
- Dr. George Sharman, Special Assistant
- Ms. Rashelle Richardson, Administrative Officer

**Notes:**
NGDC has two scientific divisions, the Solar-Terrestrial Physics Division (STP) and the Marine Geology and Geophysics Division (MGG).
NGDC also operates several collocated international entities including the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) World Data Centers for Marine Geology and Geophysics, Solid Earth Geophysics, and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Boulder, and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Data Center for Digital Bathymetry, among others.  

## NGDC provides scientific stewardship for data from the ocean floor, from both coastal and open ocean areas, and for data related to natural hazards including tsunamis.  

**NGDC provides scientific stewardship for data from the ocean floor, from both coastal and open ocean areas, and for data related to natural hazards including tsunamis.  **

**Notes:**
In 1975, responsibility for sea floor data was transferred to NGDC from NODC as part of the Solid Earth Geophysics Division.
The Marine Geology and Geophysics (MGG) Division was formed in 1981, and the World Data Center for MGG, Boulder was created in 1982.  
MGG is responsible for stewardship of data from the ocean floor, from both coastal and open ocean areas, lakebed data, and natural hazards data and information.  
Key data types include bathymetry and gridded relief, trackline geophysics (gravity, magnetics, seismic reflection), sediment thickness, data from ocean drilling and sea floor sediment and rock samples, digital coastlines, and data related to tsunamis including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

** ****Data Scope & Mandate**

- NGDC serves as the US National Repository for marine geological and geophysical data from the sea floor collected with public funds.
- Internationally, NGDC operates the World Data Center for MGG, Boulder, and the International Hydrographic Organization Data Center for Digital Bathymetry.

**Notes:**
Nationally, MGG maintains the official archive for marine geological and geophysical data collected with public funds.  
Internationally, MGG operates the co-located World Data Centers for both Marine Geology and Geophysics and Solid Earth Geophysics, and maintains the IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry. NGDC also serves as the bathymetric data assembly center for the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE).

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

**Notes:**
NGDC manages all types of data and information from the sea floor and lakebeds, including derived gridded data sets and products.

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

** ****International Partnerships & Project Participation**

-  Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)
-  Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS)
-  General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) & associated regional   mapping projects sponsored by the IOC and IHO
-  Conducting IOC-sponsored international training in tsunami inundation   DEM development
-  Managing the Index to Marine & Lacustrine Geological Samples database
-  Serving as a Bathymetric Data Assembly Center for the World Ocean   Circulation Experiment (WOCE)
-  Cooperating with international projects like the Solid Earth Sample   Registry (SESAR) and goSEABED

**Notes:**
NGDC cultivates data management partnerships around the world to promote excellence in data management.

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

**Notes:**
NGDC has a mandate and commitment to provide long-term archival for marine geological and geophysical data, including data pertaining to geophysical measurements and sea floor samples.  NGDC archives data in both original and processed forms, prepares documentation according to FGDC/ISO standards for metadata, and archives metadata along with the data to increase its long-term utility.  Data are currently archived in an ADIC system at NGDC, but digital archives are periodically migrated to new technology as necessary.

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

** ****Data Rescue & Digitizing**

***Rescuing data from scientists’ desks and file cabinets.***

** ****NOAA Climate Data Modernization Program (CDMP)**

-  31,825 core photographs/negatives scanned
-    7,234 core X-rays scanned
-    6,202 core logs and smearslide descriptions key-entered
-    1,043 coring data sheets scanned
-    5,069 sea floor photographs scanned
-  plus seismic reflection data from the NGDC archives

- (sea floor materials digitized 2005 through August 2007 – many other categories not shown)

**Notes:**
Part of NGDC’s commitment to archiving sea floor data includes locating and rescuing data at risk from outside sources, and digitizing historic analog data records to preserve their contents in the digital archive, as well as to make them more accessible to users.  
Over the years, NGDC has accomplished data rescue through several means, including contracts to some institutions to code data, data exchange, and most recently through the NOAA Climate Data Modernization Program (CDMP).  Since 2005, NGDC has been able to tap into over $550k of NOAA funds to scan seabed materials for partner institutions, and also to begin scanning analog seismic data in the NGDC archive. Digitized materials are offered to the contributing institutions for their use, placed in the NGDC archive, and made available online at NGDC, with the consent of the contributor.

## Slide 18

**Notes:**
Data held by NGDC are in the public domain and freely accessible unless restrictions are placed on data by the contributor.

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

** ****Access Interfaces and Tools**

***Making data freely and publicly available.***

-  Geospatially-enabled relational databases
-  Interactive browse tools
-  Web Feature Services
-  Web Map Services
-  File download in multiple forms

**Notes:**
NGDC is constantly implementing new data access technologies. Most sea floor data at NGDC are made available on the web via geospatially-enabled relational databases with ArcIMS interfaces.  Standard protocols including Web Map Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS) are used to make data available.  Multiple data formats are offered for data download, as appropriate for the individual data set.  User interfaces are developed in a collaborative environment using version control software.

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

- Example
- ArcIMS Interface: DEM Discovery Portal

-  Locate DEMs
-  View images
-  Link to DEM, Project, Source
-  Download data

## NOAA/NGDC Commitment to

**Sea Floor Data Stewardship**

**Notes:**
NGDC data are documented using FGDC-compliant metadata with remote-sensing extensions.  NGDC is working to make all metadata records compliant with International Standards Organization (ISO) metadata standards, as well.  NGDC is participating in development of Marine XML (MML) to facilitate tracking of data from collection through to the generation of of integrated datasets. MML also supports metadata describing the data collection, quality control and processing.  NGDC metadata use NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) keywords for scientific themes and places, validating records against the latest official GCMD vocabularies.  NGDC metadata records are offered in XML for harvesting by the GCMD and the US Geospatial-One-Stop (GOS) indexing sites.  

## National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)

- _[http://](http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html)__[www.ngdc.noaa.gov](http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html)__[/](http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html)_