Advice

The menu items on the left give contextual advice on aspects of the COWRIE Data Management programme and should provide a useful resource for developers preparing to submit metadata and data to COWRIE.

The sections below describe the data structure for COWRIE Data Management submissions and the Data Management interface (below). After studying the relevant advice, developers wishing to search for and submit data should proceed to the Data Catalogue.

Data Management submissions

The diagram below illustrates the structure of data submissions handled by the COWRIE Data Management interface. The following sections explain the structure in more detail.

Projects

A COWRIE Project is the top level container for information about a development and will be the first entity created by a developer submitting data and information online.

Each Project is associated with one or more specified Licence Areas, or represents a Generic project, associated with one or more Countries or Sea Areas. Each Project has a standards-compliant Metadata record associated with it (see below).

As the container for all information associated with a development, each project may be supplemented with any number of Data sets and Reports.

If you would like to discuss the structure of records for your COWRIE submissions, pleae contact the Data Officer.

Metadata

The COWRIE Data Management application supports the online creation and validation of standards-compliant metadata records. Several commonly used spatial metadata standards are supported by the system and batch submission and validation of existing metadata may also be arranged through the COWRIE Data Officer.

As well as providing standard, structured information about data, metadata records provide support for searching and locating previously submitted information.

All Project records have an associated metadata entry, ensuring that each development has at least one associated metadata record. Data set records may also have an associated metadata record, though this is not mandatory.

Data sets

After creating a Project, one or more Data sets may be added, each recording basic information about a specific data set: Title, Data type and Spatial extent.

Each Data record also has one or more associated data files, uploaded through the online interface. Uploaded data files will be subsequently accessible to registered users of the Data catalogue, though not available through the public access interface.

If required, a new standards-compliant metadata record may be associated with a data set. In some cases, the top-level Project metadata record will provide enough general metadata for all data records associated with a project; in other cases a developer may also wish to record detailed metadata for some or all data records.

Reports

Any number of Report records may be added to a Project. Each record stores basic 'Dublin Core' bibliographic information about a specific report, such as Title, Author, Report Number, Abstract, etc.

Each Report record also provides information for accessing the report itself. This comprises either a URL for web access, a reference for offline access, or an uploaded report file where the report will be stored on the COWRIE online system and accessed through the Search interface directly.

As with data sets, report files will be accessible to registered users of the Data catalogue and not available through the public access interface.

The Data Management interface

The structure of the COWRIE Data Management interface is illustrated below in the form of a 'flow' through which a user will be likely to navigate the online system. The sections following describe the elements of the online system in more detail.

Search interface

The search interface provides a mechanism to locate and browse through COWRIE submissions. Members of the public may access the online search interface and locate information about COWRIE Projects, Data sets and Reports. To access detailed metadata records and download data sets and reports, users must register their details and login to the system. The search facility acts as a filter with 3 steps which may be carried out in any order, or skipped as required:

1. The SEARCH CRITERIA filter is used to limit available results by specifying searchable attributes. These comprise Record types, Keywords and Date ranges.
2. The SEARCH AREA filter is used to limit available results to a geographical area. Users navigate an interactive map (webGIS) displaying useful contextual data layers and limit the extents of the search area by drawing bounding boxes.
3. The RESULTS satisfying the specified search criteria may be viewed at any time. If search criteria or area constraints have not been specified, the results will simply remain unfiltered and include all available records.

Registration and Login

Basic search functionality is available to public users accessing the COWRIE Data catalogue. In order to access detailed metadata records and download data sets and reports, users must register their details and login to the system.

The Registration form allows users to identify themselves uniquely using an email address and provide other basic contact details. Following registration, a password is sent to the user's email address which may then be used to login to the system. After login, users are taken directly to the my account page where they may change their password and update contact details.

COWRIE Developers should contact the Data Officer so that their account privileges may be upgraded to enable submission of data and information via the online system.

Creating Projects

Before submitting data and information through the online interface, developers should be familiar with the advice describing the structure of data submissions (above). This explains the use of Projects, Data sets and Reports in the COWRIE Data catalogue.

Following login, users with Developer privileges may visit the Add project or Manage your projects pages, linked from the access the my account page. These provide facilities for creating, editing and viewing Project and associated Metadata records.

Entering Metadata

All Project records are required to have an associated standards-compliant Metadata record. Data records added to a Project may also optionally have an associated Metadata record.

The Data catalogue provides facilities for entering and updating Metadata records though an online form. Forms include online help and dynamic validation to ensure that submitted Metadata complies with the chosen metadata standard.

Where developers have created their own Metadata database, batch submission may be arranged by contacting the Data Officer.

Submitting Data and Reports

Any number of Data records may be added to a Project. Each data record stores basic information about a data set and optionally a full Metadata record. The online system also provides a facility for users to browse for a data file on their local system and upload this to the Data catalogue.

Many data files are too large for feasable online upload and offline submission should therefore be arranged with the COWRIE Data Officer.

Report records may also be added to a Project and report files uploaded to the system if required. Instead of a full Metadata record, Bibliographic information is stored about each report.

Moderation

The online search facility provides an interface for developers and public users to locate and download data and information submitted to the COWRIE Data catalogue.

However, before newly created or updated records can be found in the online system, they are moderated by an admistrator. The procedure for initiating this process is automatic and developers will not need to request moderation manually.