The IRIS DMC is developing an application to facilitate access to station log information. With a simple and intuitive user interface for entry and management, the application will manage information such as station notes and site visit logs, data problem and resolution reports, and station hardware inventory. With this information in place, the user community will be able to query for known data problems or other station activity, or request a station’s hardware configuration, for a given time.

Network operators will be able to use the application to enter and manage station information and restrict access to sensitive information. Field engineers can use the data-entry component to record notes and site visit actions. The Data Collection Centers may then provide access to the user community for data problem reporting and querying through a controlled interface. Logs and reports will be uploaded and synchronized with the DMC which will also support the reporting and querying interface for the user community. If a DCC does not wish to support the user community access interface, that responsibility can be handled entirely by the DMC. Synchronization messages and reports will be handled in XML.

A goal of this effort is to enable simple, on-line access by the user community and by network operators and field engineers to pertinent information about a station’s operation and data. A field engineer may want to browse data problem reports or past log entries in the field; a scientist may want to know if there any reported problems or hardware changes during the time period of their requested data. A future goal is to automatically include this information with every requested data set.