Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

CANADA #18:Canadian IPY Publications Database  (Canadian IPY Publications Database)

Outline
The Canadian IPY Publications Database will contain descriptions of all publications that result from the Canadian IPY Program. Publications will be identified by working with the Canadian IPY Secretariat, project steering committees and individual researchers. Publications produced for education, outreach and communication purposes will be given as high a priority as research publications. Each database record will contain a citation, an abstract, and detailed subject and geographic terms. Records will also contain URLs for publications that are available on the Web, and standard library symbols for at least one library that provides interlibrary loan access to the publication. The Canadian IPY Publications Database will be available from a free bilingual website linked to the Canadian IPY website. The database will be created as a subset of the Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS) database. The NCP Publications Database at http://www.aina.ucalgary.ca/ncp is an example of an ASTIS subset database. Database records will automatically be included in the main ASTIS database, other relevant subset databases (such as the Nunavut Environmental Database, the Nunavik Bibliography, etc.) and in the international Arctic & Antarctic Regions database that combines all of the world's major polar databases. The Canadian IPY Publications Database will make the results of the Canadian IPY Program available to researchers worldwide, will demonstrate the success of the IPY Program to funders, and will allow northern Canadians to see what publications have resulted from the research done in their region or community.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The Canadian IPY Publications Database will make Canadian IPY publications on all six of the IPY themes more accessible. The Canadian IPY Publications Database addresses three of the IPY targets: it assists in Education/Outreach and Communication by allowing educators, communicators and the public to find IPY publications about a particular subject or geographic area; it assists in Data Management by ensuring that, just as with IPY datasets, IPY publications are archived and a metadata catalogue is created for them; and it leaves a Legacy for future researchers and resource managers by ensuring that information about northern Canada created by the IPY is not forgotten and will always be available and accessible.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
As part of preparing a full proposal for this project ASTIS will, through the Polar Libraries Colloquy, plan with bibliographic databases in other countries to ensure that all IPY publications are captured, unnecessary duplication is avoided, and bibliographic records for all IPY publications are brought together in a single database such as the Arctic & Antarctic Regions database.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
The Canadian IPY Publications Database does not involve fieldwork. Work will be conducted at the Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
The Canadian IPY Publications Database will use the existing facilities of the Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS). These include: a database and Web server with redundant components, an uninterruptible power supply, a 100 Mbps Internet connection and off-site backup; established and tested database software; and highly trained and experienced staff. These facilities are already shared by several northern Canadian database projects.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
The Canadian IPY Publications Database will leave a legacy of database records describing publications resulting from the Canadian IPY Program. In addition to being available in the ASTIS and Arctic & Antarctic Regions databases, these records will be able to be easily included in future bibliographic databases about northern Canada that cover subjects or geographic areas in which IPY research was done.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

No logistics are required.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
This pre-proposal has been reviewed and is being submitted by the Canadian Steering Committee (CSC). Ongoing discussions will integrate this pre-proposal into a larger network of related national and international initiatives.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
Expansion

The Canadian IPY Publications Database is a component of the ongoing Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS). ASTIS has been in operation since 1978.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The Canadian IPY Publications Database will be organised and managed by the Arctic Science and Technology Information System under the direction of the Canadian IPY Steering Committee and Secretariat. International coordination of IPY bibliographic work will be organized and managed by members of the Polar Libraries Colloquy (an international organization of polar libraries and bibliographic databases) under the direction of the IPY International Joint Committee.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Direct user feedback has shown that ASTIS and its existing subset databases are used by all of the target audiences for IPY education, outreach and communication efforts listed in the Framework document. School children and teachers, young and potential new polar researchers at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels, arctic communities, the general public and decision-makers will use the information in the Canadian IPY Publications Database.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
The Framework document discusses the management of IPY datasets but overlooks the fact that IPY publications also require management. The Canadian IPY Publications Database will provide a metadata catalogue for publications resulting from the Canadian IPY Program.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
This project will cost $4000 + $60(N-M) + $350D, where $4000 is the cost of creating the bilingual website for searching the database, N is the number of publications resulting from the Canadian IPY (we would welcome your guesses), M is the number of those publications whose records would be paid for by other ASTIS contract projects (e.g., ASTIS currently has an ongoing contract from the Nunavut Planning Commission that will pay for all records about Nunavut and adjacent waters) and D is the number of days of ASTIS staff time required to remind researchers to report their publications (which could be kept to a minimum by making it a condition of Canadian IPY funding that all publications be reported to the database). If the Canadian IPY results in 1000 publications, of which 300 are paid for by other ASTIS contracts, this project would cost about $50,000. ASTIS will raise $10,000 of that from the northern Canadian petroleum industry, and we are hopeful that the remaining $40,000 will come from Government of Canada funding agencies through the Canadian IPY.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Mr  Ross Goodwin
University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. N.W., Calgary, Alberta


T2N 1N4
Canada

Tel: 403-220-4036
Mobile: no
Fax: 403-282-4609
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation