Abstract:
The multidisciplinary research unit “Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of a Megadiverse Mountain Ecosystem in South Ecuador” established a central data management system to provide the members with all gathered scientific data. Additionally to the database functionality of the system the web based layout is capable to present general information on the research unit to the public and support accounting and administration of the project. All parts of the system are implemented using open-source or free software. A major task is the allocation of a sophisticated and detailed metadata scheme. The standardised ecological metadata language (EML) is used as the basis for metadata information stored in a relational database. The describing datatypes are highly modular and can be expanded if necessary. Data input and searching is implemented through a dynamic webinterface with easy to use forms. This is important to increase the acceptance by the users of the system. Searching the database is possible by strings for keywords, authors, etc. or by geographic locations. Except for gridded data, all single values of the datasets are stored in relational tables and thus, it is possible to extract only parts of a whole dataset during data download. While the system is already operational, modifications and new features are continuously implemented.
