Notes by Jerry Franklin (jfranklin@lternet.edu)
Handouts (2) were provide with:
Francisco's presentation on plans for the Latin American Meeting in Brazil in May. Agenda:
In discussing the Latin American Network Mission:
Jim Gosz provided/flashed the
ILTER Mission Statements and
suggested that they might be
a starting point.
Comment by Miles that the notion
of facilitating development and operation of such a program needs
to be present in statement for benefit of potential funding agencies
David Norton: keep in mind GTOS
mission statement in mind since we want to tie into it with our
ILTER mission.
Francisco: Moving on to working groups- Dedicate two days of workshop to the three working groups. Will produce final document of meeting, along with what each country brings
Networking and communications
is seen as one of the major problems--everyone agrees. Comments?
Another working group is proposed:
Data management--adopting and refining standards on data management.
Francisco--doesn't this really fall into communication? Doesn't
want to have too many groups--makes it difficult. Yes, but data
management could fall into either Networking or Basic Needs working
group.
Basic Needs--everyone will know
this for their country but also have to think about the needs
associated with the intercountry networking. Also,focus on COMMON
needs, not so much the needs specific to any country.
Giselle: Not jus physical facilities,
but also things like people or expertise that are needed.
Fernando: Capability for transmission
of information is important. Many sites remote. May need technologies
such as radiophones. Francisco: if sites have NO capability maybe
should be left to their future development.
Christine French: some basic
needs may be able to be taken care of as part of a group effort.
I.e., site or network A may be able to meet the need of site
or network B.
Fernando: Some of best sites
may be very remote--no facilities developed. Some of most developed
sites may have little or nothing of value to study. Could be
problem.
Francisco: Each country must
make clear what it is willing to do to make sites functional parts
of network.
Gisselle: Have already may a
national survey and have selected potential sites. For this next
meeting--more detailed information about the sites re. infrastructure
and research needs. Also: determine potential of sites to be
strengthened.
Francisco: Climate Change and
Biodiversity are the two major topics or umbrellas which we are
all dealing with. Might be good to keep these in mind (e.g.,
in terms of a sites' potential contribution) in assessing potential
areas. Need to be thinking about research themes.
Monica: Need to have structure
or guidelines for preparing the country reports. What are the
important goals of each working group. Need to determine so that
the information is available.
DIALOGUE BETWEEN MONIQUE AND
FRANCISCO IN SPANISH ON ABOVE POINT. DIDN'T GET IT!
She is worried that the meeting
itself has to have some well defined goals. Next step from this
meeting. Discuss the next two points and come back to it (Francisco)?
Francisco: perhaps there is a
need for collaboration between countries, at a common site.
Cho: Example from SE Asia. Development
of white papers for each country. First goal--establish position
papers with the initial selction of LTER sites.
Francisco: Working Group on Funding.
There are some possibilities and strategies which might be identified
for obtaining funds. In developing Basic Needs will be providing
the basis for development of an application to some existing programs.
Strategies group would obtain information from other Working
Groups and, based upon in, would be able to identify the basis
and requirements for funding application. Could go to European
Union or GTOS with a proposal for a regional project.
Norton explained some of the
possibilities with GTOS.
On logistics, would it be possible to have some of the work done before the meeting electronically? Actually do some surveying on each working group topic prior to the meeting? Get it out to the participants before they arrive? So they have thought about it?
Argument that maybe move workshop
a little later so as to minimize the "inperson" work.
Jim: Could some countries produce
a "proto-document"?
Francisco: Really concerned about
the time, whether really could do much ahead of time. Postponing
meeting is not good idea. Can have further meetings.
Christine: What kind of country
participation in working groups do you expect? Country participation
in each workshop? Have to pick between workshops? Francisco:
Plenary sessions to report back to larger group.
Monica: Many other needs besides
funding. Several agreed and piped up. Training, exchanges, common
sites.
Fernando: Thinks that exchanging
information by email is good, but procrastination is problem.
Electronic discussion is good, should try it. But, still need
to have the meeting.
Rudolf: Good experiment. How
about we set up some email discussion groups. Suggested we can
set one common address up in Seattle for the meeting and preliminary
discussions.
Suggestion of a preliminary country
survey for specific information.
Walter: Don't have a net yet!
Don't know who is going to be at this meeting. Need to go step-by-step.
FIRST STEP: National meeting and organization.
Francisco: Concerned about the
amount of progress between Puerto Rico and this meeting. Individual
countries have made good progress. Many expressed "wishes",
others indicated that they were NOT representatives of their country.
See that some moved well but some countries are just at the beginning
of this process. Going to be hard job to have the NATIONAL MEETING
and obtain people who are bona fide representatives of the country.
Am willing to try the email process.
See if it works. But want to keep feet very much on the ground.
Mexico: Agree with you. Have
had two meetings, this will be the third. How can we make progress.
Norton: If you can make success from countries represented here, than other countries will have the incentive to come on board.
Accept the difficulty of email,
but if can get process going even before the national meetings,
it might help in refining the agenda for the national meetings.
Coming into regional workshop, could have provisional set of
goals. Worth giving it a try.
Francisco: Rudolf can you set
up the address in a very short time? Rudolf: yes, most of participants
here have provided email addresses. If you want group for meeting--can.
Or, if want subgroups can do that, too. Use Ilternet.edu.
Jim: Success of networking depends,
eventually, upon adoption of electronic network.
Fernando: For proposals, sometimes
have to use specific channels, governmental blessing. Need to
have this document in Spanish if going for governmental blessing.
Discussion of what language the
documents need to be prepared in. I suggested that the communications
could all be in Spanish. but here are good reasons why not to--english
is the official language of the ILTERNetwork. Discussion: depends
upon where we are going for funding. If intergovernmental approval
is required--will need Spanish documents. Many other venues--will
need to be in english. Francisco--to work in Spanish is to go
backwards. English is the common language.
Guatemala: Wants some goals for
the working groups so don't just make presentations without arriving
at specific conclusions.
Francisco: Argued again about
the difficulty of arriving at specifics.
Giselle: Argues against doing
things a step at a time in order not to get negative reactions.
Francisco: Workshop will have
Conclusions and Recommendations. Have to have a representative
group running the net (Steering committee). Have to be thinking
about that. Can't have steering committee with members from every
(32) countries. Ultimately: Must be thinking NETWORK, about regional
or biomic representation. The Steering Committee could be the
group which submitted a proposal. Comments?
Need to have a working group to organize this workshop in May. Members: Columbia (Humboldt Institute), Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia.
Brazil. LTER NEtwork office will contribute. Mexico. Costa Rica.
Participants identified/volunteered for organization of meeting:
Ecuador
Brazil
Columbia (Humboldt) [don't currently have email]
Bolivia
Peru
Mexico
Costa Rica--Jorge to provide point on networking
Network Office (service role)
[Haven't heard much from Venezuela--surprise
to me. Also, we are really missing Panama representation here.]
Discussion of identifying someone
to serve as the point person on each of the topics for the workshop.
Francisco asks for volunteers. Eventually, decided to operate
as a committee of the whole on the various topics, except networking.
Discussion of the problem of
inviting ARGENTINA AND CHILE to participate in the Brazilian workshop.
Network office will help in explaining how it happened that they
were not invited to this meeting. Recognized that they will not
be able to get their country "acts" together in time
for the Brazilian meeting.
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GOSZ presentation on the progress
of ILTERNetwork. Listed countries which have programs and which
are in process of developing them (see Gosz slides)
Future Meetings, ILTER Network Committee Meeting
1997 Chile (Jan) @ Southern Connections
1997 Japan (March, 2nd SE Asian LTER
1997 Taiwan (Nov 14-16), IUBS meeting
1998 Italy (July), INTECOL
1998 China (Sept); CERN anniversary
1999 Africa
2000 US, LTER 20th anniversary
2001 Canada
2002 Australia
Presentation by CHO on the proposed
meeting in Taiwan next year in connection with the IUBS meeting.
ILTER Meeting in Taipei on Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday
(14-15 or 15-16 November). Cho provided a tenataive program,
including a session of papers on DIWPA (Diversity in Western Pacific
Area). Following scientific program/business meeting, 2-3 day
field trip to LTER sites in Taiwan.
Discussion on the 1998 meeting,
INTECOL presence for ILTER. Franklin raised the potential importance
of moving the official ILTER meeting from China (on the fifth
anniversary of CERN) to Italy. Edit spoke up on behalf of major
activity at INTECOL in Italy. David Norton: How about a European
regional workshop in Italy, still do the ILTER meeting in China.
Several Europeans spoke in favor of meeting in Europe.
Gosz indicated we will revisit
this issue later.
Gosz discussed generating a new
ILTER Network volume. Have asked countries for chapters. Will
be primarily in electronic form so that can continually update
the document. Even hard copy form will be designed for additions
and modifications. Looking for two page documents from countries
for this meeting but actually will want longer chapters for the
book.
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Jorge covered some logistical
items.