diff --git a/_docs/index.md b/_docs/index.md index 26f06c4..7aecdd0 100644 --- a/_docs/index.md +++ b/_docs/index.md @@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ toc: false summary: This documentation describes the Marine Life Data Network (MLDN) data and file formatting recommendations. --- +## Contribute to Marine Life Data Network Recommendations + +All of the content for this website is managed through Markdown documents found in the respective [GitHub repository](https://github.com/ioos/marine_life_data_network/tree/gh-pages). If you would like to contribute to this documentation, use the `Edit me` button above to suggest changes. If you would like to raise concerns about the guidance, or need clarification, please create an appropriate [issue](https://github.com/ioos/marine_life_data_network/issues/new). For more guidance on contributing to these recommendations, see our [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/ioos/marine_life_data_network/blob/gh-pages/CONTRIBUTING.md) guide. + ## Introduction The vision of the U.S. IOOS Office [Marine Life Program](https://ioos.noaa.gov/ioos-in-action/marine-life/) is to provide access to marine life observations, data and information products for management, forecasting and decision-making towards resilience and stability of living marine resources and human communities in the face of change. The IOOS Marine Life Data Network (MLDN) aims to meet the needs identified by the broader marine life observing community for access to and tools for integration and analysis of national and regional data and co-developed data visualization and information products. In the context of this data network, marine life observations and data are defined as **any observations of life across multiple trophic levels (from plankton to whales and including habitat-formers such as corals, seagrasses, macroalgae, etc.) in aquatic (ocean, coast, and Great Lakes) environments.** This includes any data that identify living organisms, document abundances and distributions, describe lifecycles, explore functional interactions, and document the impacts of environmental change on organisms and their communities. @@ -19,7 +23,7 @@ The Marine Life Data Network will support the Program by connecting partners and The Marine Life Data Network builds on the successes of the [U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)](https://marinebon.org/us-mbon/), [U.S. Animal Telemetry Network (ATN)](https://atn.ioos.us/), the [National Harmful Algal Bloom Observing Network (NHABON)](https://ioosassociation.org/nhabon/), and other marine life related efforts led by the IOOS Regional Associations. IOOS Regional Associations and other partners use a range of marine life observing methods including acoustic and satellite telemetry, still and video imagery, active and passive acoustics, remote sensing, eDNA, traditional survey methods, and automated sampling. As opposed to a central repository or data assembly center, the MLDN is a network of IOOS-recommended repositories, standards, tools, and products that make up the marine life data ecosystem and support the ocean observing system objectives of IOOS. -This website describes the recommendations for formatting and sharing data and metadata for the MLDN community. The materials presented here were developed through the MBON Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure Working Group (MBON DMAC WG). The working group charter can be found [here]({{ site.url }}/mbon-docs/working-group-charter.html). If you would like to contribute to this documentation, see [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/ioos/marine_life_data_network/blob/gh-pages/CONTRIBUTING.md). +This website describes the recommendations for formatting and sharing data and metadata for the MLDN community. The materials presented here were developed through the MBON Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure Working Group (MBON DMAC WG). The working group charter can be found [here]({{ site.url }}/mbon-docs/working-group-charter.html). ## Categories of Marine Life observations - Taxonomic data