Data Management

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I&M Networks

Integration of Resource Management Applications (IRMA)

The goal of the Inventory and Monitoring Program is to provide useful scientific information about the status and trends of park natural resources. A comprehensive data management system is vital to achieving this goal, particularly for long-term projects that will span across decades.

I&M network and national data management systems are established with the following objectives:

• Quality: awareness of the quality of data is fundamental to their proper use. Analyses performed to detect ecological trends or patterns require data with minimal error or bias. To ensure that networks produce and maintain data of the highest possible quality, procedures are established to identify and minimize errors at each stage of the data lifecycle.
• Security: Data management systems are established to ensure network security and systems backup. Both digital and hard copy data are maintained in environments that protect against loss, either due to electronic failure or poor storage conditions.
  
• Longevity: Countless data sets have been lost or become unusable over time either because the format becomes outdated (e.g., punchcards), or because documentation was insufficient to determine a data set's collection methods, scope and intent, quality assurance procedures, limitations, or format. While proper storage conditions, backups, and migration of data sets to current platforms and software standards are basic components of data longevity, comprehensive data documentation is equally important.
• Availability: One of the most important responsibilities of the Inventory and Monitoring Program is to ensure that data collected, developed, or assembled are available for decision-making, research, and education. The Internet provides an essential mechanism for ensuring data and information reach the broadest community of users possible.