Panel Review of Data Management Practices in the Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center conducts an annual peer review process to carefully examine its science programs. In 2010, we invited a panel of independent experts to review and evaluate our approaches to management of scientific data. The panelists were asked to provide recommendations for improving data management practices and the quality of data services provided to clients.

Our fishery-independent data collections are highly diverse, ranging from small sets of measurements on fish otoliths to high-volume, multi-dimensional acoustic data from pelagic fish and cetaceans and complex survey data from coral reef ecosystems. Fisheries monitoring data include many new and legacy collections crucial to fisheries management. In sessions open to the public, our staff described data management projects, practices, and issues in all research and monitoring programs and data management support groups.

The panel's review covered all major scientific programs and revealed the complexity of data management challenges. The panel also met with key stakeholders, in a closed session, to receive candid input on our ability to provide timely and high-quality scientific data. 

Review Panel:

• Chair: Mark Fornwall, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Biological Informatics
• Dave Colpo, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
• Ted Habermann, NOAA National Geophysical Data Center
• Jim Sargent, NOAA Fisheries
• Steven Smith, University of Miami

Stakeholders (invited):

• Ned Cyr, NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science and Technology
• Steven Murawski, NOAA Fisheries
• Mike Tosatto, NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Regional Office
• Allen Tom, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Pacific Region
• Naomi McIntosh, Hawaii Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary 
• Aulani Wilhelm, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
• Kaylene Keller, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
• Eileen Shea, NOAA IDEA Center 
• Kristina Kekuewa, NOAA Pacific Services Center
• Jo-Ann Leong, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology
• Jim Potemera, University of Hawai‘i Asia-Pacific Data-Research Center and PacIOOS
• Kitty Simonds, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
• Pat Caldwell, NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center, Pacific Islands
• Jeff Campbell, NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center, Coral Reef Conservation Program 
• Sarah O’Connor, NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center, Coral Reef Information System