RRes - SSC Department

EuroSOMNET (European Soil Organic Matter Network)

Funded by the European Commission ENRICH programme (ENV4-CT97-0434)

Draft report of second/third EuroSOMNET meeting

14-16^th May 2000 - UFZ Leipzig-Halle

Present:

Pete Smith - Rothamsted
Pete Falloon - Rothamsted
Kevin Coleman - Rothamsted
Martin Korschens - UFZ-Bad Lauchstadt
Uwe Franko - UFZ-Bad Lauchstadt
Lyudmila Shevtsova - VIUA-Moscow
Vladimir Romanenkov - VIUA-Moscow
Victoria Rodionova - VIUA-Moscow

1) Report of existing status and progress:

Every group gave an overview about state of the work and progress since last meeting:

Metadata are now available as html-files on the Rothamsted-server. This gives users a quicker access to the information. New metadata will be available from Italy
A great amount of data has been collected by the Russian colleagues. Most part of these data is now available for metadata and for actual data as well. The work will be finished by the end of the project
Lyudmila Shevtsova presented first results from modelling
The database for actual data has now its final structure. Minor changes will be made until end of project. Software is now available for all participants. A public version will be available at the end of the project
At the end of the project the EURO_SOMNET database (actual data) will contain data from about 20 European experiments

2) Discussion of Problems and conclusions:

main principles of long-term information assessment

Long term experiments are included in SOMNET by providing the metadata. Dataholders who provide the available actual data for the main treatments of their experiment and agree to data sharing will have access to other data from the EURO_SOMNET database. There will be only these two levels of information exchange.

principles of dataset exchange

Dataholders decide on the state of the publicity of their dataset (related to each experiment). Possible states are : private (access only for datahoders), somnet (access to all dataholders sharing data within somnet), public (access to al internet users), friends ( one provided IP-address has access to a special experiment)

database structure

Results concerning organic matter analytics or plant development, that relate to the experiment as a whole will be stored in the results table with the specification 'valid for experiment'. A better solution avoiding double data records should be found in future.

publication of project results

following publications will be prepared:

P. Smith et al.: GCTE-book

U. Franko et al.: Journal publication about database

P. Falloon et. al.: Journal publication about metadata

L. Shevtsova et al.: Journal publication about perpectives of long term experiments

M. Körschens et al.: UFZ-report summarizing main ideas of all publications

target journals will be Computer&Agriculture/ Modelling&Software/ PlantNutrition&SoilScience

continuation of work

Participants agree that work should be continued. Sketches for new projects will be elaborated (roughly 1 page) and should explain the scientific problem and methods to address the problem. Coordinator will contact EU to find the topics for the next call.

4) Visiting of experimental fields

The workshop participants visited the experimental fields in Halle (continuous rye), Bad Lauchstädt (Static Experiment), and Seehausen (F1-07(F1-70).

5) Next actions

Preparation of third EuroSOMNET Workshop Report : Uwe Franko by 1 June 2000
Checking readiness of dataholders from NATO-workshop to include data in database: Pete Smith by 1 June 2000
Draft of a letter expressing the importance of selected long term experiments: Pete Smith by 1. June 2000
Extension of metadata according to criteria proposed by Martin Körschens; Draft for a link between metadata and actual data.: Pete Falloon by 20. June 2000
Contact EU to find the topics for the next call: Pete Smith by 31. June 2000
First draft of papers to be published: first authors by 15 August 2000
Sketches of future projects from all participants by 15. August 2000
Proposal for the proper use of special terms: Martin Körschens by 15 August 2000
Submission of final papers: first authors by 31 September 2000
Partners provide their section for the final report: P. Smith / L. Shevtsova / M. Körschens by 15. October 2000