Diepenbroek¹, Michael, Hannes Grobe², Verena Meyer-Stumborg¹ and Rainer Sieger²

¹Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM), Klagenfurther Strasse, 28359 Bremen, Germany, phone: ++49 421 218 7765, mail: mdiepenbroek@pangaea.de and ²Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Columbusstrasse, 27515 Bremerhaven, Germany 

JGOFS final global data synthesis

The World Data Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (WDC-MARE) is currently working on the final global data synthesis for JGOFS. As an operating platform PANGAEA is used, which is an information system for processing, long-term storage, and publication of georeferenced data related to earth science fields. Essential services supplied by PANGAEA are project data management and the distribution of visualization and analysing software. Organization of data management includes quality check and publication of data and the documentation of data according to international standards.

The data model used is highly flexible and can handle any data related to the earth science fields. The basic technical structure corresponds to a three tiered client/server architecture with a number of clients and middleware components controlling the information flow and quality. A relational database management system (RDBMS) is used for information storage. The web-based clients include a simple search engine (PangaVista) and a data mining tool (ART).

With its sophisticated and comprehensive user interfaces and the built in functionality for import, export, and maintenance of information PANGAEA is a highly efficient system for scientific data management and data publication.

The WDC-MARE, respectively PANGAEA is operating on a long-term basis. The institutional frame is supplied by the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM), Bremen and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Bremerhaven. Data management services on an international level are supplied since 1996. Until the beginning of 2003 PANGAEA was a partner in 41 projects covering all fields of environmental sciences. (www.pangaea.de/Projects).