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SedDB Development Plan and Status

Development Tasks

Phase I of the SedDB project is funded to build a ‘pilot’ version of a fully functional data management system that will demonstrate the power and impact of the SedDB vision to the community.

Phase I will focus on the development of the data model, its application to a complete data set that will be compiled for three targeted and well-defined testbed themes, and the construction of an interactive query interface. The equatorial Pacific Ocean and the Central America and Izu-Bonin-Marianas margins were identified as the initial testbeds because these regions are of current great interest to communities studying low-temperature geochemistry, paleoceanography, and arc magmatism.

Phase I will demonstrate the diversity of interests to be served by the mature SedDB product. Due to the needs expressed by the community, Phase I will also include tools for data visualization and analysis. For example, because depositional age is a fundamental aspect of sediments, there will be a special focus on handling time-series data, both within the database structure and with respect to user interface functionality.

Work Plan & Status
Year 1

  • Set up SedDB web site - DONE
  • Develop metadata schema - DONE, GCDM presented at GEOINFORMATICS 2006 in Reston, VA, in May 2006
  • Develop initial interface with limited functionality - SedDBv0.1 is based on a modified version of the PetDB schema and web application-DONE
  • Develop data loading procedures - DONE (for SedDBv0.1)
  • Start data compilation. Initial data sets need to be available for testing the schema, data loading, and interface after initial implementation as soon as possible. - DONE (Datasets from 111 publications compiled.)

Year 2

  • Refine schema based on test results and input from the community. - Start Fall 2006
  • Expand interface functionality including addition of map interfaces and a first version of tools. - Development of SedDBv1.0 based on the GCDM schema has started, and is expected to be completed by summer 2007.
  • Continue data compilation and data loading. - ONGOING
  • Revise initially loaded data content to adjust to on-going improvement of the schema.
  • Start implementing interoperability with other data systems.
  • Augment efforts to motivate the community to submit data into the increasingly mature system.

Year 3

  • Complete data loading for the testbed themes.
  • Decide on new focus areas.
  • Continue minor schema revisions.
  • Finalize the user interface according to specifications adding the full range of query and data analysis tools.
  • Discuss with the community the necessity to organize a second “Sediment Geochemistry Data Management” workshop that would focus on plans for the SedDB Phase II.

Development Milestones

October 2007 : Betaversion of SedDBv1.0 released

September 2007 : New version of ENDORSER employed

May2007 : Datasets from 111 Publications Compiled and Uploaded
September 2006: Datasets from 25 Publications Compiled and Ready for Upload

September 2006: Data Quality Control Tool DataENDORSER Operational

August 2006: Administrative Interface for SedDBv0.1 Implemented

June 2006: Specifications for SedDBv0.1 Defined

June 2006: Data Compilation & Loading Procedures Defined

April 2006: New Data Model Developed

A new generic data model, the GeoChemical Data Model GCDM, was developed by Branko Djapic and Sri Vinayagamoorthy in collaboration with the SedDB team, based on the requirements for SedDB. GCDM vastly extends the capabilities of the PetDB data model (Lehnert et al., G3, volume 1, 2000), which it was derived from, with respect to applicability, flexibility, and comprehensiveness. For example, GCDM accommodates any type of analytical measurement ('observed value'), including time-series data, in-situ sensor measurements, and derived (model) data such as end-member compositions for seafloor hydrothermal springs or age models; data for any type of sample and material (rock, sediment, porewater, water, etc.); analytical metadata at the level of individual measurements.

The data model is viewed as a multidimensional cube with the observed value as the basic building block. Five basic independent components comprise the data model, each multidimensional in itself: Data Source, Sample, Observed Item, Observing Point and Method. These dimensions have relations, which depend on the interpretation of the model. Irrespective of the interpretation, the model provides for easy top-down application of metadata and corrections.

GCDM has been implemented for SedDBv1.0 in summer 2006. New data loading and DQC procedures will be developed for GCDM/SedDBv1.0 in Fall/Winter 2006.

The PetDB schema has been adopted for SedDBv0.1 with several modifications to accommodate basic SedDB requirements.

July 2005: Specifications for SedDB Data Model Discussed and Drafted