LTER Network Office Cyberinfrastructure Assessment Survey - Raw Analysis

This survey is designed to assess the current state, and cyberinfrastructure (CI) needs for LTER Network level science being developed as part of the LTER Planning Process. Components of the survey were developed by a CI Team which met in June to initiate the CI needs assessment. Further information can be found in the Cyberinfrastructure section of the LTER Planning Grant Wiki at: http://intranet.lternet.edu/planning/

This assessment covers only the LTER Network Office LTER sites only. The LTER sites were assessed separately.

This survey was written and processed by John Vande Castle, LTER Network Office, using survey tools of "Surveymonkey.com" (This is neither an endorsement or recommendation by the LTER Network Office).  The survey was completed by John Vande Castle and James Brunt at the LTER Network Office.  Since the survey was designed to assess LTER site capabilities, some of the information does not apply to the LTER Network Office, but was completed as well as possible.

This survey is meant to cover the following topic areas identified by the LTER CI team, although some questions were added at the request of site information managers or members of the LTER Technology Committee:

General overview of data collection, QA/QC, archive, delivery
EML/metadata completeness
GIS/map services
Instrumentation - sensors
Remote sensing infrastructure, data storage
Analytic tools
Models
Visualization
Number of IM FTE’s – break down by type, expertise
Institutional/site support – email, admin, licensing
Network bandwidth – internal-external
Storage capacity, backup solutions
Database formats/ organization/systems
Partnerships
Server architecture
Computational capacity – models, stats, database
Collaboration tools – Wikis, vtc, email, file sharing

 

Please enter YOUR LTER roles, duties or committee affiliations:
 Response PercentResponse Total
 LTER Site Principal Investigator
100%1
 LTER Research Scientist
100%1
 LTER Site Manager
 0%0
 LTER Site Administrator
100%1
 LTER Information Manager
100%1
 LTER Climate Committee
 0%0
 LTER Technology Committee Representative
100%1
 LTER Network Information System Advisory Committee
100%1
 LTER Education Committee Representative
 0%0
 Other (please specify)
 0%0
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
3. About how many total FTE's does your site allocate for information management from the LTER base funding? In other words, of the annual funding the site receives from NSF, how many FTEs are funded from this amount.
 Response PercentResponse Total
  0
0%0
  0.25
0%0
  0.5
0%0
  0.75
0%0
  1.0
0%0
  1.25
0%0
  1.5
0%0
  1.75
0%0
  2.0
0%0
  2.5
0%0
  3.0
100%1
  3.5
0%0
  4.0
0%0
  4.5
0%0
  5.0
0%0
  5.5
0%0
  6.0
0%0
  6.5
0%0
  7.0
0%0
  7.5
0%0
  8.0
0%0
  8.5
0%0
  9.0
0%0
  9.5
0%0
  10.0
0%0
  Great than 10.0
0%0
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
4. About how many total FTE's does your site allocate for information management from non- LTER base funding? In other words, about how many FTE's are there at the site that are not directly funded from LTER funds. This would include cost-share, volunteers and what have you. For example, if in an average year, 0.75 FTE worth of an IM is funded from NSF LTER core funds, but there are really 5 FTEs working at the site from some sort of funds or "personal time donations" then you would want to put "4" here (when id doubt, round to the nearest value).
 Response PercentResponse Total
  0
0%0
  0.25
0%0
  0.5
0%0
  0.75
0%0
  1.0
0%0
  1.25
0%0
  1.5
0%0
  1.75
0%0
  2.0
0%0
  2.5
0%0
  3.0
0%0
  3.5
0%0
  4.0
100%1
  4.5
0%0
  5.0
0%0
  5.5
0%0
  6.0
0%0
  6.5
0%0
  7.0
0%0
  7.5
0%0
  8.0
0%0
  8.5
0%0
  9.0
0%0
  9.5
0%0
  10.0
0%0
  Great than 10.0
0%0
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
5. Of the site FTE's for information management, rate from low to high, the level of expertise in the following areas:
HighMediumLowResponse Total
Formal training or education in computer science.
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1
Acquired (on the job training) computer science training.
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1
Formal training or education in data management/database software.
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1
Acquired (on the job training) in data management/database software.
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1
Formal Ecological/Biological Science training or education.
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1
Formal GIS/Remote Sensing training or education.
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1
Social Science training or education.
0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)1
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
6. What is the GENERAL information management task allocation at your site ? (Please have the total allocation = 100% - the survey software is too dumb to do this...). This question will take some thought to answer since it covers the effort of any and all IM FTEs at an LTER site. It is meant to assess what type of effort goes in to various IM "tasks" at an LTER site. For example, if you select 50% for General site data management, the rest of the tasks can only add up to the remaining 50%...
05101520253035404550556065707580859095100Response Total
General site data management including data entry and access.
0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
Data archive and backup.
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
Site System Administration (site-based hardware and network support).
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
User System Support (hardware support for site personnel.
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
User Support (help for site personnel such as data retrieval, study design, statistics, etc.).
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
Network and cross site IM support.
0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
Software development.
0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
Site administrative tasks (filling out paperwork,and doing things like answering surveys).
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
Other tasks.
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)0% (0)1
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
7. What major information management support, and level is provided by the home/host institution(s) of your site? Select any that apply.
NoneSomeAllResponse Average
Email (use the institution's email system)
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1.00
Database (use the institution's database system)
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1.00
Computational Infrastructure (use the institution's computational infrastructure for analysis, statistics, modeling, etc.)
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1.00
System administration is provided by the institution
100% (1)0% (0)0% (0)1.00
Technical support is provided by the institution
100% (1) 0% (0) 0% (0)1.00
Institutional (site) software licensing or educational discount
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)2.00
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
8. In contrast to the direct support provided by the home/host institution(s) of your site, what does the site support by itself?
NoneSomeAllResponse Average
Email (the site uses its own email system)
0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)3.00
Database (the site uses its own database system)
0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)3.00
Computational Infrastructure (use the site's computational infrastructure for analysis, statistics, modeling, etc.)
0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)3.00
System administration is handled by the site itself.
0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)3.00
Technical support is handled by the site itself.
0% (0)0% (0)100% (1)3.00
The site itself has arranged special software licensing or educational discounts.
0% (0)100% (1)0% (0)2.00
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
9. What type of collaboration tools are used at your site (select all that apply, and enter any other not listed here)?
 Response PercentResponse Total
 Email is used extensively.
100%1
 Common filesharing is used (such as a shared file system for users at the site).
100%1
 Telephone and video conferencing.
100%1
 Web Calendars.
100%1
 Collaborative web tools such as wikis are used at the site.
100%1
 Other (please describe)
 0%0
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
10. What type of collaborative cyberinfrastructure / information management partnerships (outside of LTER) is your site engaged in?
 Response PercentResponse Total
 The site maintains an active collaboration with high performance computer centers (SDSC, NCSA, etc).
100%1
 The site maintains an active collaboration with NASA archive centers.
100%1
 The site maintains an active collaboration with USGS centers such as NBII.
100%1
 Other (please describe)
100%1
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0

Other:

SEEK project (9 institutions) NCEAS, Partnersip for Biodiversity Informatics (PBI) NEON development CLEANER, and other related projects.

 

11. What percentage of all site data has corresponding structured metadata of any type, including EML?
 Response PercentResponse Total
  0
0%0
  10
0%0
  20
0%0
  30
0%0
  40
0%0
  50
0%0
  60
0%0
  70
0%0
  80
0%0
  90
100%1
  100
0%0
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
12. What percent of all site metadata has been converted to EML to at least the "identification" (base) level?
 Response PercentResponse Total
  0
0%0
  10
0%0
  20
0%0
  30
0%0
  40
0%0
  50
0%0
  60
0%0
  70
0%0
  80
0%0
  90
100%1
  100
0%0
Total Respondents  1
(skipped this question)  0
13. What percent of all site metadata has been converted to EML to the "discovery" level or beyond?
 Response PercentResponse Total
  0
0%0
  10
0%0
  20
0%0
  30
0%0
  40
0%0
  50
0%