WK 26

Population and Ecological Data Tools and Services: An Introduction to Working with Terra Populus and DataONE (FREE but must register for workshop)

Graduate students in Ecology and Population Studies are effectively trained in methods for collecting and analysing their own data, however there is less emphasis on utilizing the enormity of existing data held within digital repositories.  This is an increasingly important skill set; enabling researchers to pose questions that extend to greater temporal, geographical and disciplinary boundaries. The first step is in knowing what data exist and how to find it.  Additionally, researchers often need to learn how to effectively manage both their own data and retrieved data sets.  Researchers with good data management skills will be able to maximize the productivity of their own research program, effectively and efficiently share their data with the scientific community, and potentially benefit from the re-use of their data by others.

This workshop will introduce participants to the suite of openly accessible data, tools and resources provided by Terra Populus and DataONE. TerraPop provides access to a global collection of population and environmental data, drawing on microdata, area-level data, and raster sources, along with tools for integrating data from multiple sources. DataONE enables federated search across over 20 data repositories, along with a range of data management tools and resources. Participants will be shown how to retrieve data from the two networks, learn about best practices for working with data and be guided through the research data life-cycle and the services available at each of the steps.