Source: PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
WE38 LAND USE DATABASE RESEARCH ASSET DEVELOPMENT
Sponsoring Institution
Agricultural Research Service/USDA
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0422888
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Mar 1, 2012
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2014
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Project Director
KLEINMAN P J
Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
PENNSYLVANIA,PA 16202
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
(N/A)
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
60%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1020110200010%
1120210205030%
1330320200040%
1021610205020%
Goals / Objectives
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.
Project Methods
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.

Progress 10/01/12 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 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 (from AD-416): 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. Research under this agreement supports the creation of a long-term database of historical land-use and land management for the WE-38 watershed. In FY2013, we focused on the development and refinement of a data model and associated lookup tables for the WE-38 land management database. The data model defined the linkages between watersheds, farms, and fields, and the associated management activities occurring at each scale of interest. Examples of relevant management activities included tillage and cropping sequences, fertilization, conservation practices, and livestock activity. Two undergraduate students employed by the project led efforts to digitize legacy land management data, develop automated forms with dropdown menus in MS Access to facilitate data entry, and assess data quality and control issues. To date, WE-38 land management data have been used to support watershed simulation models of phosphorus loss in the WE-38 watershed.

Impacts
(N/A)

Publications


    Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12

    Outputs
    Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 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 (from AD-416): 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. The research contributes to subobjective 3.1, �Employ long-term watershed data to evaluate hydrologic and water quality impacts of climate variability and land use change�. Research under this agreement supports the creation of a long-term database of historical land-use and land management for the WE-38 watershed. We have held regular meetings (2-3 times per month) with the university cooperators to guide the development of the database. Meetings have focused on creating a database that not only captures all of the historical land-use data, which will be critical for conducting retrospective analyses that are outlined in the CRIS plan, but also accommodates new data that could support future research initiatives such as the ARS Long-Term Agroecosystem Research network. Database development is on track for completion by the fall of 2012.

    Impacts
    (N/A)

    Publications