A data archive (usually in electronic form) is a collection of data sets with accompanying metadata, stored in such a way that a variety of users can locate, acquire, understand and use the data. Archived data is secure against natural and man-made disasters, and are conserved in a form that will continue to be accessible as technology changes.
As ecology research moves toward regional and global multi-disciplinary investigations, mechanisms are needed to promote the sharing of data among many disciplines (meteorology, hydrology, soil science, forestry, agriculture, botany, etc.) and to insure future data accessibility. Official archives for ecological data will someday make this process possible. Submitting data to archives and acquiring data from archives will become an integral part of tomorrow’s scientific process. However, archiving of data has not yet been given the attention, resources, or recognition required to become a routine part of the research and publication cycle. Although there is a limited number of official data archives for ecological data, ecologists can manage their data today in ways that meet local needs for data security and access. This will prepare their data for eventual inclusion into data archives.
A data archive is established for the ‘preservation with understanding’ of ecological data. Optimally, it is a permanent collection of data sets with accompanying metadata such that a variety of users can readily acquire, understand, and use the data. The design of an archive is defined by three constraints:
i. Scope of the data to be stored;
ii. Capabilities for searching and access;
iii. Resources for operation and maintenance.
