Thanks to all of you for a recent burst of activity! We are glad that nearly everyone is able to attend the final meeting on May 7th and 8th and we look forward to seeing you again. Spring will definitely be in full swing in Rochester by then.

In preparation for the close of the project we have prepared a rather lengthy – but very important – survey for you to complete. It is available here and will be sent to you as an email attachment as well. It will probably be easiest to print it out and fill it in. You can then mail it to me or bring it with you in May. Alternatively, if you would prefer to fill it out on the computer, feel free to email the completed survey to Patti – pafpph@rit.edu. We would like to have them all returned by the end of May. Many of the subjects of this blog posting are included in the survey and you can respond there. All of your input will be summarized and posted on the blog. Your feedback and commentary is essential to this project and it is critical to us that your forward your thoughts and experiences to us.

Download the Survey (Word Doc)

A few other project activities remain. The IPI project team initially planned to complete final assessment reports for each participating institution before the May meeting, but we won’t be able to finish these until after the meeting. We have determined where IPI’s two follow up visits to participant institutions will take place—The University of Colorado in Boulder and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Finally, you may have already noticed some programming updates made to the MyClimateData site recently. These include:

• Additional permissions have been added to Logins/Edit Logins (Utilities Page)
• Repairs were made to non-functioning PDF links – hopefully they work now
• A new feature was added because some MyClimateData users requested the ability to select the end date of data when creating an Information List. This can be done by adding a new field called “End Data Date” (Utilities/Manage Information Fields/Add), then adding that field to the information displayed for each Location (Utilities/Edit Hierarchy/select field to add from drop down). Next, go to the Data Manager screen – this screen populates the End Data Date field with the appropriate date from the summary table into the locations table. If it exists, the field “Last Download” will also be updated automatically.
• Information Lists (Utilities) – previously the PDF output format was “List” by default. Now you have a choice to print the Information in the “List” or the “Table” format.
• Several repairs were made to the Notes function to improve ease of use.
• The Utilities/Local Backup/Backup of Imported Files function now gives you the option to backup the files as PEM2 files, CSV, or European CSV (requested by users in Denmark).

We are well aware that all our users want to overlay graphs and we are developing the programming to allow the graphing views to function as they do in PEMdata.com. This will probably work from the Pick List with the ability to select locations and graphs and to print graphs and work them into reports.

Feature Topic #1: Thoughts on MyClimateData, PEM2 and PEMdata.com

Please consider the initial WebERA project goals and design criteria as you review the past year of activity and complete the project survey.

As stated in our grant application, the primary research and development activity of the WebERA project was the creation of a web server application for environmental risk assessment with participation and input from a group of 15 research partners who would evaluate and refine the system.

Design criteria for MyClimateData.com included ease of use, data upload over the web, and beneficial analysis and reporting functions. The system would be built around the monitored space, including an organizational location hierarchy. It was also important to include a searchable database linked to each monitored location with descriptions of the type of collections and materials present in the space, mechanical system information and so on.

IPI’s research-based philosophy encourages a more holistic, long-term view of managing the environment for preservation. We want to persuade users to move away from straight line temperature and RH settings and concern over short term fluctuations and to focus more on seasonal cycles and metrics that identify the actual effect of environment on material decay.
We want to promote the sharing of this information with institutional stakeholders in collection care, facilities management and administration.

Please assess the relative value of what we’ve designed, including MyClimateData, PEMdata and the PEM2 data logger. Consider the pros and cons of each software program – and if you are familiar with Climate Notebook desktop software, let us know how that compares as well.
We know there is a disconnect between how people are used to managing the environment for preservation and the philosophy we’ve developed – how should IPI address this? Do the tools we’ve developed help?

Feature Topic #2: Marketing and Pricing Considerations

Another objective of the WebERA research project was to determine, with the help of the pilot group, how best to structure an environmental monitoring system (the PEM2 loggers and a web-based collection storage system) and how much museums and libraries could afford to pay for it. One approach is to lease PEM2 loggers on an annual basis, with free access to either PEMdata or MyClimateData. Another is to sell the loggers and charge for use of the website on a monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription basis. Charges could be applied depending on the number of loggers or monitored locations perhaps. We could consider a series of products and prices – starting with a basic version of PEMdata, adding modules such as the location database, the Notes system, the Photos and Maps functions, etc., for additional cost. We have also considered charging for IPI consultation services such as setting up an environmental monitoring system, data analysis, providing energy saving suggestions, etc. We are very interested in your thoughts and suggestions about pricing and marketing IPI’s environmental tools and services.

Feature Topic #3: Additional Suggestions

IPI, as an organization, is currently undertaking a strategic planning process to insure our long term viability and relevance to our constituency. IPI has long served its audiences well in providing significant research, publications and tools to enable preservation of collections. However, we are in a transitional period as funding sources that have subsidized our activities are reduced, many cultural heritage institutions move their focus from object to data preservation, and the photo industry is subsumed into the printing and consumer electronics industries. We are a non-profit research organization but we also have to raise enough money to sustain the lab, the staff and the work that we do. One of our goals is to develop concrete environmental management products and services, price them correctly, and market them to the right audience.

If you have any thoughts related to this issue, or any additional suggestions about our environmental products and services, we would love to hear them. We have always tried to work with the best interests of our constituents in the preservation field in mind, and we appreciate your input.

As WebERA research partners you have two primary responsibilities—test the design and function of the MyClimateData system, and coordinate environmental management activities within your institution. We hope that you have had the opportunity to review the use of MyClimateData within your institution as well as professional colleagues, and that you have shared the data and associated information with other “stakeholders” in the process. The topics featured in this blog are related to these activities.

Feature Topic #1: Working within the Institution

One of the primary reasons for designing MyClimateData as a web-based system was to allow broader access to data within an institution. Based on IPI’s experience while working with institutions over the past decade, we know that information sharing among various institutional stakeholders—conservation, collections, facilities, and administration—is essential in order to achieve and maintain a preservation environment. When you reach the point of instituting mechanical system changes, which will result in improvements in the storage environment for preservation, you will have to work as a team with informed, active participation from both collection care and facility management staff, as well as administrative support.  We feel it is very important to create a process and a forum through which information can be shared and decisions can be taken collectively.

Our questions for you are:

• Which departments in your institution are involved in monitoring, reviewing, and analyzing environmental data?
• How is the collected data used in your institution? Is the data shared, and if so, how?
• How does information based on the collected data inform decisions about collection storage, use of space, or other long-term preservation issues?
• Do you routinely work as part of a team with representatives from both facilities and collection care on issues related to the storage environment? If so, how does this work? If not, do you think this is something that could be done effectively in your institution?
• Have you shared the MyClimateData site with others in your institution? Who and why? What were the results?

Feature Topic #2: Security Issues

The server that stores and backs up your MyClimateData site is secure. Your individual sites are password protected. As a local administrator, you can assign access and permissions to users to add, delete, or change information within your institution (more about this in Feature Topic #3).

When MyClimateData was initially designed, we felt one of the primary reasons for using the web to access data was the ability to share information within an institution. Web access made the information and analysis more accessible to preservation, collections, facilities, and administrative staff. We have been surprised to learn that a few institutions were uncomfortable sharing environmental data internally—particularly between curatorial or collections departments. In addition, we have been asked by some users to limit access by department or by location (if done, this will be a major programming change). What are your thoughts about this? Are there legitimate reasons to limit access to environmental data or to the location information included in the database? What has the experience been at your institution?

We know that some institutions regulate the posting of maps or floor plans. How important do you think the inclusion of floor plans in MyClimateData is?

Do you have any other concerns related to the security of the site or the information stored within it?

Feature Topic #3: Assigning User Permissions

As mentioned in Feature Topic #2, MyClimateData was designed to share access to data and associated information broadly within an institution. At the same time, we knew it was important to control or limit the ability to add, delete, or alter the information in the site. This control is managed by the local administrator through the assignment of user permissions (from the Utilities page, select Edit Logins, and then click Add New Account to create a new account or Edit to edit an existing account).

For any user account, you can assign a range—or no—permissions to each user. Each assigned permission allows the user to perform a different task within MyClimateData. This gives you the flexibility of assigning a designated user or multiple users permission to perform various functions.

For ease of use, permissions are grouped into several sections. These sections are Location Information, which includes tasks related to the information database associated with each location; Data Management, which includes tasks connected to managing temperature and RH data; Notes, which includes tracking activities associated with storage locations; Utilities, discussed in Feature Topic #4; and Administration.

Do you think that the sections are well defined and organized? Do the corresponding permissions fit the section and are the descriptions understandable? Are there additional permissions that you feel are important, or are any of the existing permissions unnecessary? Does the function of assigning permissions work well? We welcome any input that you have about this feature.

Feature Topic #4: Utilities – Additional Functions Available in MyClimateData

The Utilities section contains a slew of options that help you create, manage, and customize most elements of your MyClimateData site. These options have been grouped together and briefly described in a way that we hope makes it easy to find the function that you are looking for and understand what it does. For example, actions within the Manage Locations group allow you to create a new location, rename a location, or permanently remove a location.  The Manage Information Fields options are related to the associated information database and associated notes. Custom Text & Graphics should be self-explanatory.

The options within the System Administration section, on the other hand, are not as commonly used. These options are geared more toward the local system administrator. The Local Backup option allows you to download content such as database files (location data, summary data, etc.), notes, photos, maps, files that have been uploaded, files that have been imported, and site specific logos and icons. The MyClimateData site is backed up remotely every night, so this feature exists in case you want to make your own backup to store it locally. Although the remote backup is reliable, we recommend that you backup your original data files (PEM2 files, Climate Notebook DBF files, photos, maps, site specific images) since it is easier to restore data from original files should that ever be necessary.

As the local administrator, you can use the System Notes option to send a message that relates to the function of the database itself to users in your institution. A message displays at the top of the homepage stating when the last system note was entered:

System Notes Message Example

To view the note, click on this message. The System Notes page displays, which contains a list of the system notes that were sent, with the most recent note at the top. These notes can be sent to anyone with a particular security level within your institution (from the Utilities page, click System Notes, and then click Add New Note).

The Information Lists option allows you to create various lists and tables of information. This list reflects all the information fields available and all the data that was entered into these fields. You can determine which fields to include, and can choose what level of entry you want for that field.

For example, you would like to send a technician to a particular building to gather data. When you create the list, select “Table” from the Style section and then select the building name, the floor, the room, and the logger location. Clicking View generates a table that includes the selected information. This list can be printed using the Print option located in your browser’s File menu.

The location name always displays within the list. Information Lists can be formatted as tables, lists, CSV files, or PDF files. You may have to work with this feature to get the desired list, but it can be very useful.

We are looking for your input regarding the organization and description of the options located on the Utilities page. Do the groups and text help you find the option you want easily? Are there any utility functions you would like to add or remove? Do you think that the functionality of these options works well? If not, how would you improve it?

Please respond with your comments by March 9, 2009.

As most of you may already know by now, the PEM2 has encountered an unexpected but solvable issue that has been discovered with the monitor’s handling of the leap year transition.

On or after the last day of the leap year (12/31/08), when uploading data from the monitor an error message will appear showing the number 4 and the wrench icon on the display. This issue is easily rectified and data prior to 12/31/08 will not be lost or compromised in any way.  However, there will be a gap in data collection from 12/31/08 until the monitor is reset.  Prompt resetting will minimize any impact in long-term data analysis. 

The steps for resetting the monitor are relatively simple.  Should you prefer to implement them yourself, instructions can be found at:
http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/pem2_restore.shtml

Below are some helpful tips from a fellow webERA partner, Wayne Gathright UW-Madison:

“University of Wisconsin-Madison has monitors in ten buildings spread throughout the 933 acre main campus. To make the job more efficient, I took a wireless-equipped laptop and two USB flash drives to each of the monitor locations. Each location has wireless access. I used one flash drive to retrieve the data from the PEM2. The other flash drive contained the reset command file.

After I retrieved and corrected the data files, I saved them to the laptop’s hard drive. Using the wireless Internet connection, I could verify that the files were corrected and viable as described in section 2, step 8.

IMPORTANT STEP: After the corrected data files have been verified as viable, the retrieval flash drive needs to be cleared using “Quick Format”. (Right click on the drive letter for the flash drive. Select Format. Check the Quick Format option.) Otherwise, the next PEM2 can’t write the data file to the flash drive.

I cleared the retrieval flash drive and used the flash drive with the command file to reset the monitor.

I wanted to visit each location only once. This setup worked quite well for me.” 

- Wayne Gathright UW-Madison

We have been contacting everyone to implement the solution, which takes only a few moments.  You may also call us at (585) 475-5199 and we will assist you at your convenience.  Our goal is to reset all monitors as quickly and efficiently as possible, with minimal interruption to the users. 

If you have anything else to add or need assistance, please leave a comment. 

Update on September and October Topics

Thanks to all of you who have provided input and helpful suggestions on the September and October blog topics – particularly Carl Stewart at the University of Colorado! I don’t think that Carl left any element of the site unturned, which is what we need. Unfortunately, only six out of fifteen of our research partners responded. We really need a better response than that. I know it takes time, but all of you did agree to provide your time in exchange for the free loggers and other elements of the project.

By now, all of you should have uploaded and imported data into all of your locations. Last time I checked (10/22), eight of you had not. If you are having difficulty with this function, let us know by email, and we will work with you to get the data into the system.

Feature Topic #1: Analysis using Preservation Metrics

We need more input from all of you regarding environmental risk analysis and the use of the environmental quality ratings (Good, OK, Risk), which are based on the Preservation Metrics (TWPI, MRF, %DC, EMC Max and Min, and Corrosion). These are the elements of IPI’s approach to environmental monitoring and analysis, which are unique, and we feel have a great deal of potential for helping users manage the storage environment for preservation.

Please read the following PDF document: An Evolution in Environmental Control. If you need more detail about the development of the Preservation Metrics, please re-read the “Understanding Preservation Metrics” handout provided at the workshop last March.

Revisit the Risk Summary page for various groups of locations that you choose to compare. Are the ratings of use to you? Does the page function in ways that are helpful? Please give us your feedback.

Feature Topic #2: Compare Locations

Review the Compare page for groups of selected locations. This page includes the risk ratings as well as average temperature, RH, and metrics. There are also links to graphs and detailed information about a location.

Consider how you can use the information provided on this page to analyze the preservation quality of storage and the capabilities of your mechanical system. Let us know what works, what does not, what improvements could be made.

Feature Topic #3: Storage Planning – Evaluate Locations and Explore Materials

Options within the Storage Planning section are designed to help you determine the best storage environment for long-term preservation of collections. Clicking this link, displays the Evaluate Locations, Explore Materials, and Environmental Risk Ratings options.

Evaluate Locations is designed as a search option for spaces that meet certain criteria based on environmental quality. The page displays search options as well as a list of materials entered for your institution and the ratings they require for long term preservation.

Explore Materials allows you to explore the match between the environmental quality that specific materials require and the environment being provided in the spaces that currently house the material. You can also search for monitored locations that would provide a better environment for the material.

The Environmental Risk Ratings page is provided as a quick reference to the explanation of the ratings used to analyze the preservation quality of the storage environment.

Please review these options and let us know your thoughts on the presentation of these options.  Let us know how useful they are to you, how you would apply them, and how they could be improved.

Please respond with your comments by December 15, 2008.

Finally! Direct Data Upload is Available

Your WebERA sites have been re-directed to an updated version of MyClimateData. Just go to www.myclimatedata.com and log in as usual. All the functionality remains but the look has been updated, many of the tasks have been streamlined, and the instructional text has been improved. Most importantly, the updated site allows direct upload and import of the data, which you have been collecting since March.

A new Data Manager link exists on the top navigation bar. This new feature centralizes upload, import, export, removal, and viewing of data. The Data Manager section contains four options – Location List, Upload Files, Import Files, and Upload Weather Data. To access and use the upload and import files functions, the correct permission has to be assigned. I have assigned these to your account, but you may want to assign them to other users in your institution (refer to Creating or Editing User Accounts in MyClimateData). 

The Upload Files and Import Files options allow you to upload the data that you have been collecting. To upload and import data: 

1. From the Upload Files section, upload your files. You are now ready to import them. 
2. From the Import Files section, assign the data file to the correct location, save it, and import it. The file name is saved in the Import File Name field on the Information page and is automatically associated with this location during subsequent uploads until you change it. (The Import File Name information field is now a required field and it has been added to your Information page.)

For complete instructions on how to upload your data, refer to Uploading Data in MyClimateData.
 

The Location List contains a list of all the locations within the system and all the data that has been imported. Here you can export, remove, or view data from each location. This section also allows you to change the association between the logger ID, import file name, and location.

The Upload Weather Data option allows you to upload weather data from a NOAA weather station in your area.

For more information about the options within the Location List as well as uploading weather data, refer to Using the Data Manager Section in MyClimateData.

For this post, upload and import the data that you have been collecting from all the PEM2 loggers. If you have data from any original PEMs or Climate Notebook files, they can be uploaded and imported as well. Once you have data in the system, please focus on the three feature topics discussed below during the next month.

Feature Topic #1: Search Functions

MyClimateData contains several search functions. These functions are Search For, Search By, Jump To, Location Tree, and Pick List. The functions are located in the left pane of the site. The search functions are available whenever the Location Tree is displayed. In addition, the results for all the search functions display in the right pane.

The Search For function allows you to search the entire database for a word or number included in the information entered for each location.

The Search By function allows you to narrow a search based on various information fields. 

Example: You may start your search with the Collection Type field. The next drop down will ask which Collection Type you want to find. You can then choose from all the terms you have entered. You can submit the search at this point or continue to narrow down the selection. 

The Jump To function allows you to go directly to a single location. 

Clicking on any level of the Location Tree displays a comparative view of all locations within that level (Compare tab). At the Building level you will see all locations within the building, at the Floor level, every location on that floor, etc. You can also compare locations using the Pick List function. You can select any number of locations based on your own criteria. In addition, you can save these lists for later retrieval by assigning the list a name in the Save a List field. This saved list displays in the View a List drop down, where you can select it anytime. To clear a list or to delete a saved list, use the options located at the bottom of the page. 

For all searches, you can set the time frame for the data you want to view by selecting a time from the time frame drop down and clicking Set Year. Twelve months is the shortest time frame. All the data that is available from the last twelve months displays, which may not be a complete year.

Please try each of these search functions and let us know your thoughts – do they meet your needs, are they useful, would you like to see another type of search function, etc.

Feature Topic #2: Comparison of Locations

The search functions listed in Topic #1 allow you to compare locations within the selection. The search function results display on the Risk Summary page, which gives you an overview of the environmental risk ratings for each location in the selected time period. Besides the Risk Summary option, five other options are available, which allow you to view other information associated with this group of locations. These options are Metrics, Maps, Photos, Notes, and Compare. For this topic, we will focus on the Compare option.

When the Compare option is selected, the Compare page displays. The page contains a table that allows you to evaluate several elements of the environment in the locations. The list is automatically ordered by degree of risk with the best spaces at the top. You can change the order by clicking on any column heading.

Risk is represented by the Environmental Risk Ratings (Chem, Mech, Mold, and Corr). In addition, the number/values within the table display using the color red.

To view a graph associated with a data, click on any number/value within the table. You can also view a bar graph comparison for a specific item (such as Mold, % DC, etc.), by clicking Bar Chart within the heading of that item. The bar chart displays only the data for the selected heading/item. (To go back to the table view, click on any of the headings within the table (such as Mold)).

To view more information about a space, click on a location name.

To see the comparative placement among all your spaces, mouse over a number/value within the table. The values display above the table headings.

Please use the compare features and let us know how they work for you.

Feature Topic #3: Value of Environmental Risk Ratings

The Environmental Risk Ratings are based on preservation metrics calculated from temperature and relative humidity data. To view how the ratings are assigned, from the top navigation bar, select Storage Planning and then select Environmental Risk Ratings (from the secondary navigation bar).

The environment in each location is automatically rated for its tendency to increase the rate of natural aging (chemical change), mechanical damage, mold growth, and metal corrosion.

When you compare multiple locations, the Risk Summary page displays the rating for each location. However, when you look at a single location, the Risk Summary page focuses on that single location and the information is split into multiple sections. The Environmental Risk/Type of Decay section displays the ratings for the location. The next section, Material/Location Matchup, indicates whether the environment is a good match or a potential risk for the materials housed there. These Xs and check marks are based on a comparison between the environment and the environmental requirements set for each material (which can be accomplished by going to Utilities | Materials | Edit).

We are very interested in what you think about the Environmental Risk Ratings. How do you use them? How valuable do you think they are? Do you understand the use of preservation metrics and their application to environmental monitoring? 

Please respond with your comments by October 27, 2008.

Update on May and June Topic

The comments posted on the first Feature Topic were great – although there were several of you who we did not hear from. I am hoping for more participation this time around. Your insights did help us to have a clearer view of the initial setup process. We will be working through the new user setup functions and testing them more thoroughly for future users. We will also give more thought to the terminology and descriptions used to identify collection types, materials, and names in the final version of the program. Finally, we need to reconsider how we explain the importance of the location name in identifying the monitored site.

This month’s focus is on adding photographs and maps or floor plans to a location. We originally intended to include reports as a topic, but have decided to delay that until you have data to work with on the site.

Direct data upload to your WebERA site should be available soon. Both the upload and import functions have been programmed, and we are currently testing and preparing written documentation and instructions. We will let you know when it is ready for use.

Remember to send any technical support questions that need immediate attention directly to Patti at pafpph@rit.edu.

Feature Topic #1: Photographs, Maps, and Map Icons

The uploading of photographs, maps, and maps icons functions were included in the site when we worked with the National Museum of Denmark. The administrator was managing over 150 locations and needed images as a reminder of the actual location as well as the placement of the logger. He felt that the images would also help the staff that collected data for him. We are interested in knowing how valuable you think these features are, and how you would expect to use them.

We experimented to determine the correct size and type of image to be uploaded. The best approach is to select the photographs that you want to include in advance, and ensure that they are properly named, sized, and oriented before uploading. Photos and maps must be JPG images and the size limit is 3 MB.

The assigned image file name will be presented whenever the image is displayed. The file name does not have to be the same as the location name, although, it can be. Each photo is individually uploaded and linked to a specific location. One map can be linked to several locations on the same floor. At this time, the system is limited to one photo upload and one map link per location.

Instructions for adding, updating, removing, and viewing photographs and maps are on pages 30 – 34 of your WebERA instruction manual. Please note that the map upload function has been updated and instructions are listed below. Previously, a map had to be uploaded individually to each location. Users preferred having one map per floor with every location (and associated incident icon) on the same map so this change was made.

Below are links to instructions in PDF format:

• Uploading a Map
• Viewing a Map
• Adding an Icon and a Note on a Map

Over the next month, please experiment with uploading and naming photographs and maps as well as incorporating icons onto the maps. We welcome your feedback about the process.

Feature Topic #2: Adding and Using Notes

Instructions for working with the notes system are on pages 27 and 28 of the WebERA instruction manual. Notes were developed to address the need for some institutions to track activities or incidents associated with storage locations. In the beginning, we simply had a field in the location information for additional comments. Users wanted a way to track and search these entries by various levels of the tree hierarchy–from site to building to location. They also wanted to categorize the entries and search by these categories or types of notes. It is up to the user to define the various note types, which could include water incidents, construction activity, collection moves, and so on.

The General Notes button located at the top of the location tree in the left pane, displays all the notes in the system. From here, you can search by various levels and effectively narrow down the display of notes by building, floor, and so on. Using this “top down” view allows you to see all the notes; however, it does not work the other way around. In other words, if you are looking at the notes for an individual location, it will not show those applied further up the tree to the floor, building, or site that it occupies. When you view notes from the higher levels of the tree, such as site, building, or floor, then you will see all those that apply down to the location level.

Please use the notes system and give us your input–is it useful, how would you apply it, how can it be improved, etc.

Please respond with your comments by August 11, 2008.

The WebERA Project Blog is a central location for communication between IPI, the WebERA Research Partner group, and Zak Software.

General discussion about the project will be ongoing, with focused discussion on feature topics introduced approximately every two months. The IPI Team will post feature topics based on the current Myclimatedata site on a regular schedule over the next twelve months. The early topics do not require you to have a lot of data to view and compare, since your PEM2 loggers only recently started collecting data. Please experiment with the features within the topics and review them with your colleagues. In addition, please document the ease of use, information value, effectiveness, and potential appeal to a broad audience of collecting institutions. You may also note any potential time and cost savings to users. All of your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Please forward any technical support issues, which require an immediate response, directly to Patti at pafpph@rit.edu (or (585) 475-2843). Patti will make sure that someone will address your issues as soon as possible. Later, these technical issues will be categorized and posted under the Technical Support section on this blog. The Technical Support section can be used as a tool to discover solutions to issues that others or you might have.

We expect the review of feature topics to proceed as follows:

Week 1 and 2:
IPI and Zak Software will review the Feature Topic, prepare a written introduction, and then post it on the blog in order for you, the Research Partner group, to review.

Week 3 to 6:
The Research Partners will have a month to explore and comment on the Feature Topic. During the same time, IPI and Zak Software will implement changes to previously reviewed topics as needed.

Week 7 and 8:
IPI and Zak Software will review the posted comments, decide what to change and how, prepare a written summary and response, and post the response. IPI and Zak Software will then start the cycle again with a new Feature Topic.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Workshop Reflection & MyClimateData Setup

Our first feature topic for your review and comment is based on the work done at the initial two day WebERA workshops.

During each workshop, we presented and discussed the Workbook process, or the new user wizard, which guided you through the process of:

• Designing functional location names
• Defining consistent terms for the Location Tree hierarchy (site, building, floor, room)
• Developing a controlled vocabulary for certain data kinds – collection types, materials, and collection names
• Identifying and organizing data kinds and kind groupings
• Setting up and editing the information page for each location

We wanted to encourage a broad overview of all the collection storage and exhibition locations in your institution, which could be narrowed down to the most important locations to be monitored. At the conclusion of the first workshop, we felt that our emphasis on this was misguided and potentially confusing and overwhelming for new users – yet, it still has value. The second workshop benefited greatly from our less-than-ideal presentation of these topics the first time around. However, we felt that even though the presentation went smoother than the first workshop, the process could still be improved. We are interested in your thoughts and comments about your experience during the workshop as well as your suggestions for improving the presentation.

One of our goals was to convey the importance of developing a unique location name that was functional and recognizable to collection staff, facilities staff, administrators, and others. At the second workshop, we started with this premise. Did you find the process of determining the location name understandable?

We also stressed the value of setting up consistent terminology for the Location Tree hierarchy and controlled vocabularies for collection types, materials, and names. Did we make the importance of developing terminology and thinking through organizational features of the site clear? Would it be easier to pre-define the information kinds and the vocabulary for collection types, etc. in advance for new users, and give them the ability to easily modify them? We welcome your suggestions for improvement.

Finally, please feel free to include any general comments about the Myclimatedata site, since you have had a few weeks to review it, as well as the PEMdata site, which is a site created for institutions who purchase the PEM2.

We would like your response to this feature review by June 7, 2008. We look forward to your comments!