Macario

Digital objects in the field of earth and biological sciences are known to be often compound and complex. If one takes biodiversity as example, an exhaustively long list of information systems can be found on-line. These systems often contain valuable and historically relevant information gathered over several decades using distinct archival resources, data models and transport protocols.

In order to assure long term preservation of this distributed and not yet networked mass of information on world's biota, we need to create an abstract interoperability layer in which digital objects sharing the same data model are aggregated so as to allow for information preservation, transformation, re-use and exchange . Using panFMP and FEDORA technologies, we propose a strategy for creating an information network for biodiversity and related contextual content (e.g., oceanographic data).  A prototype for the proposed information network was built upon existing PlanktonNet data providers, publication repositories and environmental data archived in WDC-Mare/Pangaea. Because XML schemas for metadata description and for expressing relationships among digital objects are available, interoperability with other federated networks will be assured.  In addition, a panFMP front-end customized specifically for PlanktonNet is presented as metadata portal.