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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Network for a European Forest Information Service
NEFIS
Jarmo Saarikko, Metla, FI
Alex Fedorec, Greenwich University, UK
Risto Päivinen, Andreas Schuck & Tim Green, European Forest Institute, FI
Frontiers in Forest Information, The Impact of Changing Technologies, Oxford, Dec 07, 2005 (Fedorec)
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki, Dec 15, 2005 (Saarikko)
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Contents
What is NEFIS?About data and informationSpecific tasks for the projectSome results of NEFISScope and challengesUML modellingUse casesChanging technologyDemonstration package – resource discovery and visualizationSpecific issues of a pan-European FIS
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
What is NEFIS?Network for a European Forest Information Service
Accompanying Measure in the EU 5th Framework Programme 2002-2005(Contract No. QLK5-CT-2002-30638)
General objectives were to build on and continue activities initiated in the ‘European Forest Information System (EFIS)’ project and to maximise the value of existing data and databases by:
coordinating ongoing efforts to create forest information systems and services
supporting development of harmonised standards and procedures for data provision by data providers at regional, country and international levels
increasing the usability of available data and databases by the European citizens.
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
My ”message of the day”
Interoperabilityinformation exchange with other systemsopen access – excluding endangered sp.standardized methods of information exchange(XML, search engines)other systems
datasets of analysis results of the specimensForest Information SystemsBiodiversity Information SystemsResearch Information Systems and publicationsOther sample collections, etc.
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
NEFIS PartnershipEuropean Commission, DG JRC, Institute for Environment and Sustainability – Land Management Unit International Union of Forest Research OrganisationsDresden University of Technology – Forest Biometrics and Computer Sciences Frauenhoffer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.Finnish Forest Research InstituteInventaire Forestier NationalDanish Forest and Landscape Research Institute –Dept. of ForestrySveriges Lantbruksuniversitet – Dept. of Forest Resource Management and Geomatics University of Greenwich – School of Computing and Mathematical SciencesRegione Dell’Umbria – Servizio Programmazione ForestaleAccademia Italiana di Scienze Forestali Centre Tecnologic Forestal de Catalunya – Forest Policy and Rural Development DeptHungarian State Forest Service (SFS)Federal Research Centre for Forestry and Forest Products, BFH
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
About Data and InformationIs more data needed or have we reached information overload?
Is some important data/information missing or of too low accuracy?
Are current resources/information fully utilised and used efficiently?
Lack of data/information is not necessarily the problem buttheir use and application
Do we know where to find what information/data?Users incl. decision makers are often not aware of existing information or do not use it
How accessible is existing information really?In which way should information and data be made available?
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Specific Tasks of NEFIS project
1. Review the state of the art in the technical development of information services
2. Develop metadata standards and controlled vocabularies3. Suggest unified and operable methods for communication
between different Internet-based forest information service activities
4. Publish a follow-up version of the currently available EFIS prototype
5. Test the EFIS using regional, national and international data sets
6. Evaluate the service from the users’ and data providers’ perspectives
7. Develop strategies for development of the service
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
NEFIS Work Packages& Specific Tasks
WP1. Project management
WP2. Develop metadata standards and controlled vocabularies
WP3: UML Description of an extended European Forest Information ServiceReview the state of the art in the technical development of I.S.Suggest unified and operable methods for communication between different Internet-based forest information service activitiesEstablishment of a NEFIS KnowledgeBase
WP4: Data preparation and data provision• Publish a follow-up version of the currently available EFIS prototype• Test the EFIS using regional, national and international data sets
WP5: Evaluate service from users’ and data providers’ perspectives
WP6: Links with Commission services and follow-up activities
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Some Results of NEFIS
Metadata schema (based on Dublin Core)
Suggestion for a Forest Markup Language (FML)
Controlled vocabularies 12 themes, 4 developed further
Prepared sample datasets and metadata available through the EFIS system
Technical review and UML description of an extended EFIS
Demonstration package: Resource Discovery and VisualizationToolkits
KnowledgeBase http://nkb.efi.fi/
Utilisation by the European Commission: EFICP, INFORS
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Scope and Challenges
Databases
XLS
Files
Docs
HTML
X
International/national Gov. agencies, NGOs
Land use planners, Mgrs, Sylviculturalists
Consultants, Modellers,Researchers, Education
Commercial, financial,Forest/timber industry
News media, Public sector
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Side NotesPublished result of one task becomes input dataset for another. “One person’s output is another person’s input”National Inventory → JQ report → Eurostat DB → FRA → MCPFE Report
(Similarly one person’s data is another's metadata)
Much information held in weakly structured documents. Lack metastructure to fully exploit explicit (codified)knowledge or extract tactic (unarticulated) knowledge.
Crucial issue: Why would someone want to use this system?
Resource user?Information provider?
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Technical Review UML Modelling
UML – The Unified Modelling Language (ISO/IEC 19501)
Objectives“Produce a consultative UML review of EFIS model and extend it to incorporate new information types, relationships and processes,
Build on outputs of other projects such as EFIS, GFIS and results from other work packages of the AM.
Develop understanding of O-O paradigm applicability to European forest information
Identify system and user requirements
Scope technical possibilities and infrastructure”
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Why UML? - UML in the Ontology Spectrum
Strong semantics
Minimal hierarchic knowledge to rich consistent and meaningful knowledgeIs subclassification of
Is disjoint subclass of with transitivity
property
Has narrower meaning than
Is subclass of
Taxonomy
Thesaurus
Conceptual Model
Local Domain Theory
RelationalModel
SchemaER
Extended ERXTM
RDF/S
UML – The Unified Modelling Language
Weak semantics
DAML+OIL, OWL
First Order LogicModal Logic
Daconta, M.C., et.al., 2003
OCL – The UML Object Constraint Language
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
UML Modelling Cont’d
ApproachIdentify and partition key user groups and application domains
Elicit sample use cases and story lines from example applications, e.g.UN-ECE/FAO Global Forest Resource Assessment & TBFRA 2000
(Regional FRA)MCPFE Criteria & Indicators for Sustainable Forest MgtForest Products Production and Trade FlowsLand Use & Land Cover Change for UNFCCC
Commonalities factored to identify generic use cases, desired features, kernel classes, packages etc.
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Example Use Case 1
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
NEFIS Generic Use CaseNEFIS System
Check guidelinesResource,
Document & Content
Management
«uses»
Get agregatedataset
locate andretrieve dataset
Transform dataset
«extends»
«extends»
Top Package::client
Top Package::Provider
Validate Dataset
«uses»
publish sourceinformation
«uses»
Subscriber workflow, task & role
management
«uses»
SubscriberRegististration Task & Role
Management
«uses»«extends»
Application Tool
Repository
Analyse, visualise ,transform aggregate
MetaData Registry and Repository
Mgt System
«uses»«uses»
«uses»
«uses»
Metadata Mgt
Top Package::NEFIS admin
«extends»
«extends»
Portal Management
Support Kernel
Browse ForestInformation
«extends» «uses»
Validation is done off -lineSystem simply provides contact and comms support
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Identification of Key Elements
Metadata management: Not just resource discovery -Normalisation and control of ontology database required to ensure semantic interoperability at all levels
Content management central to dynamic control and delivery
Task and role choreography and support, facilitate and enhance usability (success predicated on high quality publish & subscribe tools)
Maintenance of tool and standard component repository
Note technical review revealed each of these elements is enabled by web services and service-oriented-architecture
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Technical Review - Changing Technology
Within the short life of the NEFIS project we have seen the rapid growth of:
new pattern and model driven techniques for analysis and architecting complex or large scale information systemsopen-system standards, exploitation of metadata and middleware protocols to support resource location and interoperability in highly distributed heterogeneous systemscomponent-oriented and web-service tools and technologies to implement these systemsRAD tools for sophisticated GUI development
We are also seeing emerginggrid and autonomic infrastructures to optimise executionagile methods to manage the development process
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Central ServicesMetadata DB /
Domain Ontology
Central Resource & Document DB
Tool Repository &Forest Model
Archive
NEFIS Service-Oriented Deployment
Resource Browser
Visualisation,Analysis &
Reporting Toolkits
CLIENT
Resource Locator & Vortal Services
NEFIS SERVER PROVIDER SERVER
Harmonisation Tools
Publication Tools
Published Services
Raw Databases and Information
Provider Systems
« WWW »
Task & RoleManagement.
Acc
ess
& A
utho
risat
ion
Mgt
ContentManagement
MetadataManagement
UDDI API/Registry
*«internet»
*«internet»
*
«intranet»
Archiving and Hosting Services
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
NEFIS Metadata Basedon DCMI Element Set.
Suggested FML provides an XML schema reflecting this
NEFIS extensions and modifications ( )
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Controlled Vocabularies: Themes and Terms
Facilitate cataloguing and accessing of NEFIS metadata records and underlying datasetsDeveloped from data sets provided by the NEFIS partnersBased on a generic standard and existing recognized vocabularies: CABI thesaurus, AgroVoc, NAL Keywordlists developed for 12 themes:
Forest inventory (incl. growth & yield) Forest firesForest products and trade flows Forest healthSilviculture (incl. forest nurseries) Rural developmentVegetation (or forest or land) types Forestry institutionsNon-wood goods and benefits Forest operationsMaps and geo-referenced data Field experiments
Lists further developed further for the themes in bold(e.g. to include definitions, equivalents in other languages etc)
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Data Preparation and Data Provision
Objectives
• to identify the datasets (sub-national, national & international) for input to the EFIS
• to prepare metadata records using the proposedmetadata schema
• to provide and prepare sample datasets availablethrough the EFIS system
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Demonstration Package
Consists of:
Resource Discovery (RD)in which the proposed NEFIS metadata schema is implemented
New Visualisation Toolkit (VTK) functionalities, support of spatial time series data;tools for dynamic aggregation of grid (raster) data;some new visualisation techniques
Data retrieval: Implementation of simple system for retrieval of data from data tables from distributed and remote sites, collation of the data,and processing into a format that can be used by the VTK
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Demonstrator Package
Search
Metadata
DataUtilise
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Example VTK Visualisations
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Evaluation
Undertaken using standardised questionnaires and expert statements
Addressed:• Metadata and metadata guidelines
• Operability and applicability for describing datasets• Keyword list and thesaurus
• Data rights and data rights management
• User needs and user expectations • Potential capabilities of a NEFIS (VTK)• Extent to which NEFIS can serve as a harmonised system for
periodical data reporting/delivery
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
NEFIS KnowledgeBasehttp://nkb.efi.fi/
Structured repository for deposit, storage and access of information and metadata relevant to forest information systems, with emphasis on NEFIS recording:
outputs from NEFIS WPsother forest IS/services development initiatives (e.g. GFIS, EFIS) and other relevant projectsrelevant software resources and documentation
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Summary & Conclusionpan-European FISs have vast and expanding volumes of distributed information, are heterogeneous, highly changeable, have huge range of potential user types and applications.
The changing technology discussed in NEFIS potentiatesWrapping and support of legacy systemsInteroperability and transparency of information Provision of futureproofed scalable architectures
More importantly it enablesLocation and retrieval of (just) the right data and information Provision of the information in the right form for the task
Challenges areProvision of quality publish/subscribe toolsOntology not only for resource discovery but semantic interoperability
METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Thank You!
further information:www.www.efiefi..fifi//projectsprojects//nefisnefis
Environmental Specimen Banking and Information Management, Helsinki --- Metla, U. Greenwich, EFI / NEFIS - Jarmo Saarikko 2005-12-15
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METSÄNTUTKIMUSLAITOSSKOGSFORSKNINGINSTITUTFINNISH FOREST RESEARCH NSTITUTEwww.metla.fi
Specific Issues of Pan-European FIS
LanguageImpacts on U.I., reports… Terms: search & navigate facilities…
User needsRegional needs and interestsOwnership and rights managementLegal/convention reporting requirements
InformationAvailability and AccessHeterogeneousData harmonisationModel standardsValidation
TechnologyNon-standardised, highly distributed Diverse I.T. capability & infrastructure