Project Number: 1902-13000-012-16
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Mar 01, 2012
End Date: Sep 30, 2013

Objective:
This project will unify existing, historical data on the land use and management of USDA-ARS’s WE-38 experimental watershed into a database that can be better utilized as a research asset.

Approach:
The Penn State Center for Environmental Informatics (CEI) CEI will conduct (a) data modeling, (b) database design and implementation, (c) legacy data keying, translation and loading, (d) development of data entry and management tools and/or procedures, (e) development of example queries. Data modeling will focus on generating an accurate data model that best fits the needs of future USDA-ARS research. CEI would focus on analyzing the existing data and working with USDA-ARS researchers to develop a data model that fits historical data and that could allow the incorporation of future data. Database design and implementation will involve creating schema, tables, and relationships as well as choosing the appropriate software for database implementation. The key deliverable will be an empty and ready-to-use database. Legacy data keying, translation, and loading will entail normalizing and cleaning the data in preparation for loading into a single database. The key deliverable for this activity will be a legacy database containing a pre-determined amount of existing data that has been normalized, keyed, and translated. In order to make future data entry easier and less prone to error, CEI will develop tools and/or procedures that will assist USDA-ARS staff to enter, update, and manage data.