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4.0 Methodology

The questions and information requirements of the Ministry for the Environment were converted into an interview and reporting table. The first two parts of the table were designed to address the Ministry's metadata requirements.

There was a requirement that the report followed the draft MFE-ANZLIC metadata standard where possible, recognising that the metadata standard was still a draft. Some of the terms and concepts in the draft were not sufficiently developed for use in this type of document. In addition several key concepts, e.g. parameters, had been omitted from the metadata standard. After discussion with Ministry for Environment and Landcare Research Ltd staff, the draft metadata standard was modified for this project. The metadata is in the first two sections (general and technical evaluation) of a database table.

In addition to metadata the Ministry for Environment had a number of questions relating to management. These included:

• Original purpose
• Current limitations for use.
• Who uses the database
• Public awareness of the database
• Existing/developing relationships with other classification systems or databases.
• The identification of current and emerging uses as a spatial and/or temporal framework for: determining historic and / or current baselines; aggregating and reporting data locally, regionally and/or nationally; monitoring site selection and developing sampling designs; modelling possible future scenarios; risk assessment.

The management related questions are in the "management evaluation" part of a database table.

Table One- Explanation of Database Template -includes an explanation of each component used in the database reporting form.

Data collection proceeded in stages. The first stage was to identify the database names, organisations and contact people. For some databases and organisations this was a complex task with many leads being followed. This review includes national databases for which information was available at the time the report was prepared (August - October, 1999); and which could be relevant to the confirmed EPI Programme indicators for land, water, terrestrial biodiversity and freshwater biodiversity. This includes databases that contribute to the national spatial frameworks or environmental classification systems addressed in Froude and Beanland (1999). Limited funding precluded following up every lead with every potentially applicable database. Nevertheless, every effort was made to be as comprehensive as possible. Other possible databases that could be pursued are listed in section 15.

The second stage was to collect information about the databases and visit/contact persons with a role in managing/developing the database.

A database template table was completed for each database. Where necessary further information from a variety of sources was sought to allow completion of the forms.

The paper report was submitted to the Ministry for the Environment in October 1999. In 2001 each database entry was sent to the appropriate database manager for confirmation/updating. Several databases were subsequently updated by the author in December 2001 to take account of changes that had occurred since the report had been originally prepared.