<article id="About">
<div class="container">
<div class="row-fluid">
<div class="text-left">
<h2>
<a name="about-the-knb"></a>
<i class="icon icon-leaf"></i>
About
</h2>
<img class="pull-right" style="height: 150px;width: 150px; margin: 10px 40px 10px 20px" alt="Data underlies metadata" src="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/js/themes/knb/img/data-metadata-graphic.png?v=<%=window.metacatUIVersion%>">
<h3>Powered by rich, detailed metadata.</h3>
<p>
For scientists, this repository is an efficient way to share, discover, access and
interpret complex ecological data. Due to rich contextual
information provided with KNB data, scientists are able to integrate and
analyze data with
less effort. The data originate from a highly-distributed set of
field stations, laboratories, research sites, and individual
researchers. The foundation of this repository is the rich, detailed metadata
provided by researchers that collect data, which promotes both
automated and manual integration of data into new projects.
</p>
<h3>Open-source software.</h3>
<p>
As part of our effort, data management software is developed in a
free and open source manner, so other groups can build upon the tools.
This repository is powered by the Metacat data management system, and is
optimized for handling data sets described using the Ecological
Metadata Language, but can store any XML-based metadata document.
<a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/tools">Learn more about the software behind this repository <i class="icon icon-double-angle-right"></i></a>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr/>
<div class="row-fluid">
<div class="text-left">
<h2>
<a name="getting-started"></a>
<i class="icon icon-cog"></i>
Getting Started
</h2>
<h3>
<a name="sharing-your-data"></a>
Storing and Sharing Your Research
</h3>
<p>Submitting your data is easy. Here are two ways to get started:</p>
<div class="row-fluid">
<figure class="thumbnail span5">
<a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/submit">
<img src="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/img/about-editor.png" alt="Online Data Registry Form"/>
</a>
<figcaption class="caption">
<h3>On the web</h3>
<p>Upload your data on this website using a <a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/submit">simple online form</a>.</p>
<p><a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/submit" class="btn btn-primary">Upload now</a></p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="thumbnail span5">
<a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/tools/morpho">
<img src="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/img/about-morpho.png" alt="Morpho Desktop Application"/>
</a>
<figcaption class="caption">
<h3>On your desktop</h3>
<p>Download the <a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/tools/morpho">Morpho desktop application</a>, which features a "wizard"-style step-by-step process to describe and package up your data.</p>
<p><a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/tools/morpho" class="btn btn-primary">Download Morpho</a></p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<div class="clear"></div>
<p>
If your project involves large numbers of
files (hundreds to thousands), you may want to automate the creation
of your metadata. This is certainly possible, and has been done in
programs like Matlab, R, etc.
</p>
</div>
<a id="file-format"></a>
<h3>Use any file format.</h3>
<figure>
<img src="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/img/about-fileformats.png" alt="File formats" />
<figcaption class="footnote">Credit: Blugraphic.com</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>
While this repository supports the upload of any data file format, sharing data can
be greatly enhanced if you use ubiquitous, easy-to-read formats. For
instance, while Microsoft Excel files are commonplace, it's better to
export these spreadsheets to Comma Separated Values (CSV) text files,
which can be read on any computer without having Microsoft products
installed.
</p>
<p>
To prepare for upload, it's good to have
your files in order. You might want to take a look at some <a
href="http://www.dataone.org/best-practices">best practices</a> for
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/0012-9623-90.2.205">managing your
data files</a>. For a given project, perhaps you have 6 data files,
and one document that describes the methods that you used to collect
or analyze your data. Collect these files into a single directory,
and name them with short but descriptive names. Try to avoid spaces in
your file names, but rather use dashes "-" or underscores "_".
</p>
<p>
For image files, use common formats like PNG, JPEG, TIFF, etc. Most
all browsers can handle these. If you use specialized software to
create your data, try to save you data in well-known formats. For
instance, GIS data can be exported to ESRI shapefiles, and data
created in Matlab or other matrix-based programs can be exported as
<a href="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/">NetCDF</a> (an
open binary format).
</p>
<h3>
<a name="search-tips"></a>
Search for Data
</h3>
<p>
Search for data <a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/data">here</a> and get helpful search tips on our <a href="<%= MetacatUI.root %>/help">help page</a>.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr/>
<div class="row-fluid">
<h2>
<a name="using-the-knb"></a>
<i class="icon icon-quote-left"></i>
Licensing and Data Distribution
</h2>
<p>
As a tool dedicated to helping researchers
increase collaboration and the pace of science, this repository
needs certain rights to copy, store, and redistribute data.
By uploading data, metadata, and any other content to
this repository, you warrant that you have the rights to
the content and are authorized to do so under copyright
or any other right that might pertain to the content.
<a
href="http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/database.html">Data
and facts themselves are not covered under copyright</a>
in the US and most countries, since facts in and of
themselves are not eligible for copyright. That said,
some associated metadata and some particular compilations
of data could potentially be covered by copyright in
some jurisdictions. Thus, by uploading content, you
grant this repository and UCSB all rights needed to copy, store,
redistribute, and share data, metadata, and any other
content under the access control rules that you specify.
By marking content as publicly available, you grant this
repository, UCSB, and any other users the right to copy the
content and redistribute it to the public without restriction
under the terms of <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" target="_blank">CC-BY</a>.
</p>
</div>
<hr/>
<div class="row-fluid">
<h2>
<a name="understanding-metadata"></a>
<i class="icon icon-file-text"></i>
Understanding metadata
</h2>
<p>
Metadata are ultimately "data about data" - the
contextual information needed to interpret a set of raw data
observations. They provide meaning to data, and are critical when it
comes to sharing, integrating, and analyzing data. Too often people
collect data for projects and leave them undocumented for years or
decades. These data, while potential of very high value, can become
useless over time due to data entropy.
</p>
<p>
There are a number of resources available that help in understanding
metadata. A notable reference book is "Ecological Data: Design,
Management and Processing", edited by William Michener and James Brunt
<a href="http://books.google.com/books?isbn=1444311395">(ISBN
1-444-31139-5)</a>. This book has an excellent section on metadata,
and the idea of data entropy over the course of a scientist's career.
Likewise, researchers at the National Center for Ecological Analysis
and Synthesis <a href="http://nceas.ucsb.edu">(NCEAS)</a> wrote an <a
href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/0012-9623(2005)86[158:MTVOED]2.0.CO;2"
>excellent primer</a> on understanding and using EML, entitled
"Maximizing the value of ecological data with structured metadata: an
introduction to Ecological Metadata Language (EML) and principles for
metadata creation".
</p>
<p>
The two resources above should help in understanding metadata, and
making the generation of high quality metadata a part of your
scientific workflow.
</p>
</div>
<hr/>
<div class="row-fluid">
<div class="text-left">
<h2>
<i class="icon icon-picture"></i>
<a name="credits">Credits</a>
</h2>
<p>
The photographs used in this data catalog were provided by:
<ul class="indent plain-list">
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@whale?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from Matthew Smith"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">Matthew Smith</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@valin3?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from Valérie Ungerer"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">Valérie Ungerer</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@jtkyber1?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from Joey Kyber"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">Joey Kyber</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@firstmohican?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from Andrea Reiman"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">Andrea Reiman</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@christoffere?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from Christoffer Engström"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">Christoffer Engström</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@tiphaine?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from Tiphaine"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">Tiphaine</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@davidkovalenkoo?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from David Kovalenko"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">David Kovalenko</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@jessedo81?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from jesse orrico"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">jesse orrico</span></a></li>
<li><a style="background-color:black;color:white;text-decoration:none;padding:4px 6px;font-family:-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.2;display:inline-block;border-radius:3px;" href="https://unsplash.com/@jeremythomasphoto?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=photographer-credit&utm_content=creditBadge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Download free do whatever you want high-resolution photos from Jeremy Thomas"><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="height:12px;width:auto;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;top:-1px;fill:white;" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><title></title><path d="M20.8 18.1c0 2.7-2.2 4.8-4.8 4.8s-4.8-2.1-4.8-4.8c0-2.7 2.2-4.8 4.8-4.8 2.7.1 4.8 2.2 4.8 4.8zm11.2-7.4v14.9c0 2.3-1.9 4.3-4.3 4.3h-23.4c-2.4 0-4.3-1.9-4.3-4.3v-15c0-2.3 1.9-4.3 4.3-4.3h3.7l.8-2.3c.4-1.1 1.7-2 2.9-2h8.6c1.2 0 2.5.9 2.9 2l.8 2.4h3.7c2.4 0 4.3 1.9 4.3 4.3zm-8.6 7.5c0-4.1-3.3-7.5-7.5-7.5-4.1 0-7.5 3.4-7.5 7.5s3.3 7.5 7.5 7.5c4.2-.1 7.5-3.4 7.5-7.5z"></path></svg></span><span style="display:inline-block;padding:2px 3px;">Jeremy Thomas</span></a></li>
</ul>
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</article>