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Integrated Information System for Pelagic Fishery Research and Management

The goal of this project is to develop a capability for the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC), JIMAR/PFRP investigators, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) offices, and other appropriate fishery investigators to gain easy access by computer systems to pelagic fisheries and related environmental databases housed at the NMFS Honolulu Laboratory (HL).

The key objectives of this project are to:

• prepare user interfaces, data browsers, and query systems for the pelagic fishery Oracle database that supports WPRFMC, JIMAR/PFRP, and NMFS requirements for fishery management and research;
• provide user-friendly mapping capabilities to the pelagic fishery information system; and
• provide statistical and summarization routines to facilitate fishery monitoring and analyses using the fishery information system.

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Robert Skillman
National Marine Fisheries Service
Honolulu Laboratory
2570 Dole Street, Room 213
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 USA
Phone (808) 983-5345
FAX (808) 983-2902
email: rskillma@honlab.nmfs.hawaii.edu

Progress Report - FY 1998

• Prepare user interfaces, data browsers, and query systems for the pelagic fishery Oracle database that supports WPRFMC, JIMAR/PFRP, and NMFS requirements for fishery management and research;
• Provide user friendly mapping capabilities to the pelagic fishery information system;
• Provide statistical and summarization routines to facilitate fishery monitoring and analyses using the fishery information system.

Work has continued on the development of Oracle reports duplicating existing reports that have been prepared using various technologies. Previously a report using Oracle Reports was completed that reproduced a summarization of the W. Pacific Longline Logbook D ata that the NMFS Honolulu Laboratory routinely distributes quarterly. To that report, a complete set of graphics using Oracle Graphics has been added.

A procedure written in SQL for extracting W. Pacific Longline Logbook Data from the Oracle database and aggregating it by latitudinal and longitudinal blocks has been developed. This application was developed to support exchange of data, for example non-confidential 50 latitude by 50 longitude data, in support of international data exchange. Using this tool, aggregated data summaries have been prepared for the South Pacific Commission and the Interim Scientific Committee.

Similarly, a SQL coded procedure was developed for extracting observer program swordfish life history data from the Honolulu Laboratory database in Oracle. The procedure can be used for any life history data collected by the NMFS Southwest Region's western Pacific longline observer program. Swordfish data were provided for exchange with other members of the Interim Scientific Committee.

In support of data management activities for loading pelagic and other data into the Honolulu Laboratory's Oracle database, a Perl script was written for converting data set formats maintained in wordprocessor formatted files so that loading of key data into reference tables in the Oracle database could be automated.

Considerable improvements have been made in developing a front end for constructing geographical plots using the Generic Mapping Tool (GMT) with data extracted from the Honolulu Laboratory's Oracle database.

Some exploratory work has been done on using Oracle Web Server and associated tools for providing access to the Honolulu Laboratory's Oracle database via the Internet.

The major task to be worked on for the remainder of this project involves providing Internet access to pelagic data in the Honolulu Laboratory's Oracle database. The first release of Oracle Web Server did not allow utilization of previously developed Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports for gaining access to data. The current version does provide such support. Work will continue to develop applications for data summarization and extraction needs in support of research and data exchange.

This page updated August 22, 2006