Ecoinformatics
Encyclopedia
Ecoinformatics, or ecological informatics, is the science of information (Informatics
) in Ecology
and Environmental science
. It integrates environmental and information sciences to define entities and natural processes with language common to both humans and computers. However, this is a rapidly developing area in ecology and there are alternative perspectives on what constitutes ecoinformatics.
A few definitions have been circulating, mostly centered on the creation of tools to access and analyze natural system data. However, the scope and aims of ecoinformatics are certainly broader than the development of pedestrian metadata standards to be used in documenting datasets. Ecoinformatics aims to facilitate environmental research and management by developing ways to access, integrate database
s of environmental information, and develop new algorithms enabling different environmental datasets to be combined to test ecological hypotheses.
Ecoinformatics characterize the semantics
of natural system knowledge. For this reason, much of today's ecoinformatics research relates to the branch of computer science
known as Knowledge representation
, and active ecoinformatics projects are developing links to activities such as the Semantic Web
.
Current initiatives to effectively manage, share, and reuse ecological data are indicative of the increasing importance of fields like Ecoinformatics to develop the foundations for effectively managing ecological information. Examples of these initiatives are National Science Foundation
Datanet
projects, DataONE
and Data Conservancy.
Informatics (academic field)
Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information...
) in Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and Environmental science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
. It integrates environmental and information sciences to define entities and natural processes with language common to both humans and computers. However, this is a rapidly developing area in ecology and there are alternative perspectives on what constitutes ecoinformatics.
A few definitions have been circulating, mostly centered on the creation of tools to access and analyze natural system data. However, the scope and aims of ecoinformatics are certainly broader than the development of pedestrian metadata standards to be used in documenting datasets. Ecoinformatics aims to facilitate environmental research and management by developing ways to access, integrate database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
s of environmental information, and develop new algorithms enabling different environmental datasets to be combined to test ecological hypotheses.
Ecoinformatics characterize the semantics
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
of natural system knowledge. For this reason, much of today's ecoinformatics research relates to the branch of computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
known as Knowledge representation
Knowledge representation
Knowledge representation is an area of artificial intelligence research aimed at representing knowledge in symbols to facilitate inferencing from those knowledge elements, creating new elements of knowledge...
, and active ecoinformatics projects are developing links to activities such as the Semantic Web
Semantic Web
The Semantic Web is a collaborative movement led by the World Wide Web Consortium that promotes common formats for data on the World Wide Web. By encouraging the inclusion of semantic content in web pages, the Semantic Web aims at converting the current web of unstructured documents into a "web of...
.
Current initiatives to effectively manage, share, and reuse ecological data are indicative of the increasing importance of fields like Ecoinformatics to develop the foundations for effectively managing ecological information. Examples of these initiatives are National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Datanet
Datanet
This article is about the U.S. National Science Foundation Office of Cyberinfrastructure . For the ISP, Datanet please visit Datanet .On September 28, 2007, the U.S. National Science Foundation Office of Cyberinfrastructure announced a request for proposals with the name Sustainable Digital Data...
projects, DataONE
DataONE
Data Observation Network for Earth is a project supported by the National Science Foundation under the DataNet program. DataONE will provide scientific data archiving for ecological and environmental data produced by scientists worldwide. DataONE's stated goal is to preserve and provide access to...
and Data Conservancy.
External links
- ecoinformatics.org -- Online Resource for Managing Ecological Data and Information
- Ecoinformatics Collaboratory -- Research links and public wiki for discussion.
- Ecoinformatics Education-- Ecosystem Informatics at Oregon State University
- industrial Environmental Informatics-- Industrial Environmental Informatics at HTW-Berlin, University of Applied Sciences
- Canadian Facility for Ecoinformatics Research -- Ecoinformatics at the University of Ottawa, Canada
- ecoinfoindia.org -- Ecoinformatics Centre at ATREE, India -- Eco Informatics Centre at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)