With 25 million data collected per year, the Long-term Forest Ecosystem Research programme LWF is dependent on an automatic data transfer from the field to a central databank. Data management includes securing raw data, quality control and online tools to monitor the sensors.
In order to better understand ecosystem processes, their correlation and temporal changes, it is essential to collect data over an extended period of time. Since measurements of ecological nature are not reproducible, data need to be well documented and made easily available for use to future generations (see BGA, SR 152.1).
Facts and figures about the LWF data flow
- 1994 initial measurements
- 12 permanent series of measurements
- 19 long-term research sites (forest stand & open field)
- Links to two super sites with Eddy Flux towers (NABEL)
- 25 million pieces of data per year with readings every minute to every hour
- 30 on-line sites
- 5'000 - 15'000 observed trees per year
- 3'500 chemical analyses per year
Data flow based on an example for meteorological data
The following flowchart indicates the data transfer from the field to the final product, including quality control:
