Henshaw, Donald L.; Spycher, Gody. 1999. Evolution of ecological metadata structures at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. In: Aguirre-Bravo, Celedonio; Franco, Carlos Rodriguez, eds. North American science symposium: toward a unified framework for inventorying and monitoring forest ecosystem resources; 1998 November 2-6; Guadalajara, Mexico. Proceedings RMRS-P-12. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 445-449.
Many tasks and issues are encountered in the process of converting a scientific databank containing multiple legacy and long-term study databases into an integrated data production and distribution system. Metadata issues include questions of structure, translation from legacy to new content standards, and connecting spatial with non-spatial metadata. The authors review the history of the Forest Science Data Bank and examine many aspects related to this latest transition to a more comprehensive and better-integrated information management system. The system is designed to accommodate new and legacy study databases, comply with emerging standards for ecological information, and enable dynamic discovery and access to multiple information products over the Internet.