Evaluating the role of current semantic web technologies for improving discovery, accessibility and interoperability of ecological and environmental data

• David A. Vieglais

Abstract
The Semantic Web offers the potential for previously unrealized level of data integration for scientists working on complex, interrelated data sets such as are commonly found in biodiversity and ecological studies. The primary goal of this internship is to evaluate the practicality of using semantic web software tools to augment existing metadata catalog applications such as Metacat, and data access environments such as EarthGrid (formerly the EcoGrid of the SEEK project) being used by ecologists and environmental scientists. The practicality of providing a desktop or workgroup level semantic web node for indexing and sharing of researcher data using standard protocols such as SPARQL, the Open Archives protocol for metadata harvesting, and LSIDs (Life Sciences Identifiers) will also be examined.