Integration of biological information with other information classes: the experiences of the IOC/IODE MarineXML initiative
Millard, K.; Hernandez, F.; Vanden Berghe, E. (2004). Integration of biological information with other information classes: the experiences of the IOC/IODE MarineXML initiative, in: Ocean Biodiversity Informatics, Hamburg, Germany: 29 November to 1 December 2004: book of abstracts. pp. 81
In: (2004). Ocean Biodiversity Informatics, Hamburg, Germany: 29 November to 1 December 2004: book of abstracts. OBIS: Hamburg. 106 pp.
It is uncontroversial that improved management of the marine environment requires integration of biological data with data from other sources. XML technology can be regarded as providing a consistent 'data grammar' that marine biologists, chemists and physical oceanographers - in addition to instrument and software manufacturers - can use to bring different genres of marine data together for meaningful analysis. The IOC of UNESCO has looked to harmonise the application of XML to the marine community through its Marine XML initiative. One project under this umbrella is part-funded by the European Commission. This paper reports on the work undertaken by the EU marinexml project in developing xml-schema based on the geographic mark-up language (GML) developed by the OpenGIS Consortium (OGC) . This GML application schema can be used for data interchange within and across the marine community. Recent years have seen much activity in the convergence of protocols for data exchange, in particular the harmonisation and adoption of OGC standards within the ISO TC211 (ISO19000) series of standards. The adoption of GML as ISO 19136 means that the marine community no longer has to make a choice between the ISO or OGC path. Given this convergence, the new challenge is to create the tools to support the interoperability of data models across overlapping domains. MarineXML has concluded on concepts and implementation strategies for the implementation of GML application schemas in overlapping domains. In particular, the use of a Feature Type Catalog as a Web Services enabled registry, able to support emerging libraries of component schema building blocks as well as higher-order semantics of relationships between Feature Types. Three ‘test-bed’ applications have been defined; one of these deals with biogeography - combining species distribution records with information on the physical state of the environment. Any activity of this kind must strike a balance between maintaining the community view on the data and proving a view on the data that enables it to be understood by other communities; including the technologies supported by these communities. This paper presents the practical results obtained from adopting this approach and the 'hands on' activities require by marine biologists in using and adopting this approach. In addition information is given on how the standards can evolve in the future
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