database design for glaciers

[Bruce Raup]

All,

I've been in touch with a number of groups (e.g. ICIMOD in Kathmandu, CEAZA
in Chile, others) who have need to implement their own local databases of
glacier information.  Also, the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS),
the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), and GLIMS are
currently working on bringing their respective databases closer together
(World Glacier Inventory, Fluctuations of Glaciers, GLIMS Glacier
Database).

There are many ways to implement a glacier database, depending on the uses
of the database and one's particular research goals.  However, we as a
community will benefit the most, or have the fewest problems down the road,
if our databases are compatible to the fullest extent possible.  I am
hoping to discuss this topic with ICIMOD folks and other interested people
in Lanzhou later this month, but it might be good to have a discussion on
this list, or perhaps on a new forum at glims.org, that addresses how to
achieve compatibility.  Potential issues include

- having the same names and units for attributes describing the same physical
  measurement (e.g. should it be "length_km" or "length" or "length_m"?)

- having similar data models -- e.g. handing nunataks (holes in the
  glacier), debris cover, supraglacial lakes, etc. similarly

- taking advantage of pre-existing software architecture based on
  open-source packages

The GLIMS Glacier Database is reasonably well documented at
http://glims.org/MapsAndDocs/db_design.html.  If you are in the position of
designing your own database for glacier data, please have a look at the
GLIMS design and let me know if you 1) have questions about it, or 2) if
you prefer to do things differently (and why).

Best regards,
Bruce

-- 
Bruce H. RAUP
National Snow and Ice Data Center
University of Colorado
449 UCB,  Boulder, CO 80309
Phone:  303-492-8814
http://cires.colorado.edu/~braup/