Thanks for the excellent question. There are Protégé plug-ins like DataMaster that will import from a relational database. In the first phase of my research, data from many Hg monitoring projects were collated into a geospatial database. Some of the data relevant to Maine are shown on a slide during the video (timestamp 2:02). Spatial and temporal relationships were evaluated (timestamp 2:26) using standard and spatial statistics, but the heterogeneity of the data limited our ability to form a cohesive picture. Thus, I proposed an ontological approach to the data. The ontology will be constructed and tested using my current database, followed by a series of research community workshops to further test and refine the ontology.

You’ve highlighted one of the greatest challenges- not only for ontologies, but also for broader scientific data management. Because incomparability of Hg data across projects is a well known limitation to spatiotemporal trend determination, there has been broad acknowledgement of the need for more robust tools for data analysis, archiving and sharing. However, the goals of our research at this stage are not to replace current data collection methods, but to facilitate collaboration between diverse Hg research communities.

The process of collating the relational database for this project was primarily an exercise in metadata creation and preservation (units, analytical methods, geolocation, etc). The Hg Research Ontology will provide a platform to query explicit and implicit relationships between these heterogeneous data, and its efficacy at handling diverse metadata will have to be proven. An experimental portion of this research will be the testing the competence of the ontology (please refer to the Development section of the poster), which must include the ability to reason with disparate data. In order to be useful and have the opportunity to expand, the Hg Research Ontology must be robust enough to incorporate old and new data. If successful, there will be an incentive for researchers to use the ontology and explore how their data fits into the bigger puzzle.

Maine is a small state with a big Hg problem- the agencies with research related to Hg are well integrated. One of this project’s primary investigators is from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and much of the legacy data here is from Acadia National Park, thus the National Park Service is a partner as well. Data from other sources such as the Biological Research Institute (www.briloon.org) were acquired with the agreement that any results from the project would be shared. In our latest grant proposal, we received funding for a workshop to bring these researchers together to further test, dissect, and challenge the ontological framework. Prior to that workshop, I will have the ontology available online for exploration and comment. Without this broad support, the Hg Research Ontology could not become a useful tool.

Michael, I am also a PhD IGERT at UMaine in Spatial Information Science and Engineering. Besides my own masters work on an ontology to capture cumulative exposure histories in human populations representing longitudinal mobility and multidimensional factors, there are a number of emerging ontologies to capture data like this for specific environmental domains. Are you interested in a specific environmental area or species domain?

Thanks, Michael!
Yes, there are several examples of related research. The Marine Metadata Interoperability Project (marinemetadata.org)has built a semantic framework for managing marine science data, which are as varied and more numerous than Hg data. Ecological data management strategies are the focus of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (www.nceas.ucsb.edu), including the development of the Extensible Observation Ontology for synthesizing ecological data. These examples provide a jumping off point for developing a multifaceted approach to Hg data management. The first ontology that I am currently working on builds the computer-readable biogechemical cycle for Hg in freshwater ecosystems. A second, integrated ontology will incorporate the observations of Hg and their links to specific aspects of the Hg biogechemical cycle.

Thank you both for the helpful replies. Stacy, I’m not interested in anything in particular at this point but will keep in mind the projects and resources you both bring to light here. As Melinda says, this looks like a good jumping off point for me to look further into it.