Managing and supporting large integrated and interdisciplinary field studies: The BOREAS example

Abstract

Large integrated and interdisciplinary field studies, such as the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS), are conducted to refine our understanding of the interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere. Viewed as a case study, the BOREAS research objectives and final data set exemplify the complex nature and requirements of earth systems science research. The management and data system activities required to execute the study also echo this complexity. Rather than several research teams providing the needed management and data support, BOREAS management used a dedicated project staff to handle these functions. As the study progressed, the project staff transitioned from support of logistics and study management to information system operation and data publication, drawing upon the background knowledge gained from the earlier stages of the project. Data publication involves the creation and distribution of quality-checked and documented data with all ancillary information required to make it useful to someone unfamiliar with the study. We assert that the success of large integrated and interdisciplinary field studies depends upon having a dedicated staff. This staff focuses on the overall goals of the study throughout all phases of the effort: contributing to project planning, logistics, management, and data collection efforts; distributing, quality checking, and integrating the diverse data sets; working with the science teams to develop standardized data set documentation; integrating the diverse data and documentation for archiving; and publishing the data for long-term use by the larger scientific community. In this paper, the different phases of BOREAS are discussed, and the contributions that the dedicated staff made are examined. The value of spending resources on a centralized staff for project support and data publication activities is also examined.