International Conference on Ocean Data and Marine Information Systems (IMDIS) Conference

The speed and the ease with which users can identify, locate, get quick access, to marine data and data products represent key elements to the success of marine research and marine economic activities including issues related to the management, protection and conservation of the marine environment. Therefore the International Conference on Ocean Data and Marine Information Systems (IMDIS) aims at providing a forum for exchanging and disseminating information on data availability, state of the art on standards, technology and infrastructures related to data and information management, sharing experiences between data providers and data users, assessing the new needs.

May 31 - June 3, 2005, Brest France.

More information: http://www.ifremer.fr/imdis/

I hope this is of your interest. Regards,

Jorge Brenner

Improving European participation in GBIF: The participants' point of view Workshop

Second ENBI Forums Workshop (Palma de Mallorca, 10 - 12 May 2005).

This workshop is based on the experience and conclusions of the past ENBI events: "Workshop on the continuity and sustainability of biodiversity databases and network organisations" (Chania, January 1 7 - 18, 2005) and the 3rd ENBI electronic conference: "Improving European participation in GBIF" (February 14 - 28, 2005), with the respective topics of Continuity of ENBI and other European initiatives in biodiversity information and scientific community.
In these events the aspect of "Improving European contribution to GBIF" was focused on the idea of setting up a European GBIF node. This time we aim to bring the country GBIF nodes, and the would-be-nodes together; to learn from success stories and to workout solutions for the standing problems.
The workshop is envisaged as an opportunity to bring together stakeholders of the GBIF initiative from several areas: GBIF nodes, EU projects, GBIF secretariat, European organisms, etc to: establish links, learn from each other, and get a better understanding of the implications of participating in GBIF (at global, European and country level), and, in the end, to contribute to a better European participation to GBIF.

Workshop organisation:
Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats - Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de mallorca, Spain.
Real Jardín Botánico and Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain.
Contact: <enbiforums@ma-rjb.csic.es>, ENBI Forums management.

More info: http://www.enbi.info/forums/ws2/index.php

There is limited financial aid in order to attend.

I hope this is of your interest. Regards,

Jorge Brenner

Métodos de clasificación de datos en Arcview

Este documento se encuentra en el Help de Arcview v3.x, bajo el Menu: Buscar y empleando la palabra "classification methods".

Textual del manual:

You can explore your data by applying the different classification techniques found in the Graduated Color and Graduated Symbol Legend Editors or by typing in your own classes. The purpose of classification is twofold: to make the process of reading and understanding a map easier and to show something about the area you’re mapping that is not self-evident. Try each of the classification types and see if any interesting spatial patterns appear.

ArcView provides six classification methods to display data:

Natural Breaks
This is the default classification method in ArcView. This method identifies breakpoints between classes using a statistical formula (Jenk’s optimization). This method is rather complex, but basically the Jenk’s method minimizes the sum of the variance within each of the classes. Natural Breaks finds groupings and patterns inherent in your data.

Quantile
In the quantile classification method, each class contains the same number of features. Quantile classes are perhaps the easiest to understand, but they can be misleading. Population counts (as opposed to density or percentage), for example, are usually not suitable for quantile classification because only a few places are highly populated. You can overcome this distortion by increasing the number of classes. Imagine the difference, for example, if five classes are used in the chart instead of three. Quantiles are best suited for data that is linearly distributed; in other words, data that does not have disproportionate numbers of features with similar values.

Equal Area
This method classifies polygon features by finding breakpoints so that the total area of the polygons in each class is the approximately the same. (ArcView determines the total area of the features that have valid data values.) Classes determined with the equal area method are typically very similar to Quantile classes when the sizes of all the features are roughly the same. Equal Area will differ from Quantile if the features are of vastly different areas.

Equal Interval
The equal interval method divides the range of attribute values into equal sized sub-ranges. Then the features are classified based on those sub-ranges.

Standard Deviations
When you classify data using the standard deviations method, ArcView finds the mean value and then places class breaks above and below the mean at intervals of either 1/4, 1/2, or 1 standard deviations until all the data values are contained within the classes. ArcView will aggregate any values that are beyond three standard deviations from the mean into two classes, greater than three standard deviations above the mean ("> 3 Std Dev.") and less than three standard deviations below the mean ("< -3 Std. Dev.").

Espero que esto les ayude. Saludos,

Jorge Brenner

Ocean Sciences 2006 Conference

Proposals are welcomed on all topics related to Ocean Sciences 2006 Conference, February 20-24, Honolulu, Hawaii, US.

The Program Committee will review all submitted proposals in early June after which time you will be advised of the acceptance status. Session Proposals may be edited, modified, or combined at the suggestion of a Program Committee member, and with appropriate discussion with the convener. Session proposals must be based on scientific criteria and/or outcomes. Suggested topical themes for the conference include, but are not limited to:

• Biodiversity and biocomplexity,
• Ocean science education of the future,
• Observing systems and technology,
• Natural hazards in the coastal marine environment,
• Oceans and human health,
• Mesopelagic and Deep Sea,
• Oceans role in climate,
• Ocean physics.

Sessions Submission Deadline: 16 May 2005

Conference webpage: http://www.agu.org/meetings/os06/?content=program

I hope this is of your interest. Regards,

Jorge Brenner

International Summer School on Coastal and Marine Management Course in Germany - Baltic Sea and North Sea -

International Summer School on Coastal and Marine Management - Baltic Sea and North Sea – 5.9.-17.9.2005, Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany

Scope: During the past decades coastal zones have experienced a tremendous increase in population and utilisation by men. It is estimated that more than half of the world population lives 60 km or closer to the sea coast, with increasing tendency. In many areas, such as the North Sea and Baltic Sea, coasts are no more a natural environment but heavily affected and modified by past and ongoing human activities: exploitation of gas and oil, shipping and industry, land reclamation, offshore wind-farming, utilization of marine resources and mariculture, and tourism with all kinds of construction work including protection of coastal settlements. Coastal zones are subject to environmental threats that endanger the human population, economic activities and the ecosystem. A sustainable use of coastal zones requires a rational management, balancing the various human activities and the natural developments. Integrated management of coasts and seas asks for people with a comprehensive and interdisciplinary scientific background, a knowledge of legal frameworks and management needs, an awareness of economic, social and natural pressures as well as a willingness to cooperate with coastal population and stakeholders. The summer school on "Coastal and Marine Management" provides the opportunity to deepen the understanding of the functioning and behaviour of regional sea ecosystems broaden the knowledge on natural and anthropogenic influences on coastal seas familiarize with recent developments, pressures and problems in coastal and marine systems get an overview of administrative, legal and planning frameworks receive an insight in applied research and practical coastal management improve their didactics skills by developing online information modules The summer school is a co-operation of the following institutions: Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar and Marine Research GKSS Research Centre Baltic Sea Research Institute Research and Technology Centre Westcoast EUCC-Germany Application requirements and grants Applicants should be graduates or post-graduates preferably in natural, life or geosciences, but other sciences are welcome, too. The number of participants is limited to 20. The language of the course is English and participants have to prove good English language skills. The selection will be based on criteria given on the application page. For successful applicants the attendance in the course is free. The stay in a youth hostel, breakfast and partly other meals are covered by the organisers. Depending on travel distance and country, participants can receive travel grants.

Deadline for applications is May 20, 2005 . Information on acceptance will be mailed by June 1, 2005. Please note that visas are required for nationals of some non-EU countries and that you take care of your own travel arrangements to Warnemünde.

Coursewebpage: http://www.eucc-d.de/summerschool2005/

Source: Marinet

I hope this is of your interest. Regards,

Jorge Brenner