Data Management in International Monitoring Programs Joint Workshop of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat (CWSS)
EU Life-project DEMOWAD	Copenhagen 18th/19th February 1998

National status of marine monitoring data management
Short summary of the presentation made by Michel Joanny

The information and recommendations presented hereafter were prepared for a report to the European Environment Agency (EEA) by the European Topic Center on Marine and Coastal Environment (ETC/MCE).

In order to give a quick overview of the national marine monitoring data management in Europe, the following table summarize their main characteristics.

Data harmonisation

Conditions for feasability

The quality of the databases The state of the reference data systems The accessibility of the databases The capabilities of the user information system

Recommendations

	In the short term
1.	Put in contact people of marine monitoring database management for exchange of experience and mutual improvement.
2.	Define the needs for harmonized improvements of national data management.
	In the medium term
3.	Harmonize reference data and create a common multilingual data catalogue.
4.	Create a common exchange format.
5.	Define common products (aggregated data, indicators) to be elaborated in such a way every country could contribute to their achievement with its own system.
	In the long term
6.	Define the data management procedures for the EURO-SEAWATERNET, based on national databases for raw data and a european database for aggregated data.

The marine monitoring data management system in France

Architecture of the information system

The Quadrige database has a client/server architecture. Clients are connected to the server via local Ethernet network, or via Internet, or via a telephone line. The server is located in the Ifremer centre in Brest (Brittany - France). Around 100 users are registered to enter or extract data in real time from 50 PCs in 20 sites along the French coast.

Description of the database

The Quadrige database (800 Mb) is a SYBASE relational database management system. It was developped using PowerBuilder development tool in 1994-1996, and put in operation in june 1996.

This database is the result of an important project which objective was to merge the content of the databases of three different national monitoring programmes into a unique up-to-date and efficient database. It thus contains the monitoring results of the following national monitoring programmes :

- the "Réseau National d'Observation de la qualité du milieu marin (RNO)", the national monitoring network for pollutants and biological effects, started in 1974,

- the "Réseau de surveillance du phytoplancton (REPHY)", the national monitoring network for phytoplancton, started in 1984,

- the "Réseau de surveillance microbiologique (REMI)", the national monitoring network for microbiology, started in 1989.

Data from the ecological monitoring of coastal nuclear power plants, started in 1973, are also included in the database, i.e. zooplancton and benthos data.

Data are directly entered in the database from the different sites along the French coastline, with a Windows-based application on PCs. Controls are made at many different steps of the input process. The user has the possibility to check and correct input errors, before validating the set of data entered. After the validation, no modification is allowed without a special procedure including advice from the programme leader and the database administrator.

Data can be retrieved from the database with a multi-criteria Windows-based application tool. The user get a text file he can work on its own.

Quality assurance procedures

The conception and development of the application were conducted in accordance with the best quality procedures available on every step of the process. The most crucial were the following :

- Close cooperation between thematic and computer people, structured within the project in working groups. Those working groups are in charge of the definition and harmonization when necessary of all the thematic entities, and specify the new system with the computer team.

- Use of a recognised methodology for the definition of the data model and the treatment model.

- Use of a CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) in order to improve quality (graphic data modelling, interactive automatic documentation and reporting, tools for model control).

- Use of pre-defined ergonomic and development specifications (Windows norms, for this application).

- Use of extensive test procedures of the application, to check that the norms are fulfilled.

The data model was carefully designed by french working groups of experts from Ifremer and outside, in order to harmonise concepts between user in the different fields of activity (physico-chemistry, chemistry and biology). Common reference data were defined, and the final data model can include every monitoring result coming from a sampling in the field.

The French national network on water-related data

In order to improve the availability of water-related information, French Ministry of the Environment, the six Water Agencies, the Higher Council for Fisheries and the French Institute of Environment established the French national network on water-related data. It formalise the cooperation between the major institutional water-related data producers, and is based on two operational services : The national secretariat on water resources data (SANDRE), and the National water-related data bank (BNDE).

The SANDRE lists the available data on inland surface and ground waters, and seawater. It defines agreements, references and standards necessary for a homogeneous and modern data network and update the catalogue together with data producers and data bank managers. It plans the computerized interfaces to develop between data banks to enable computerized exchanges of data with the network partners.

The BNDE aims at setting up a computerized exchange network on data collected by various professional or regional data banks, already existing or to be created, in order to enable an harmonized and simplified consultation and to implement the necessary synthesis for informing national public authorities and the European Agency for Environment. For the completion of its task, the RNDE is setting up an Internet server called the "Guichet RNDE" that could be a fruitful experiment for the EEA.