Frequently Asked Questions

What are the conditions for using datasets from this repository?

Whirling Disease Initiative Data Repository participants have made their data available for use according to the terms of the Data Use Agreement. Please understand these terms before using data from this repository.



WHIRLING DISEASE INITIATIVE DATA REPOSITORY DATA USE AGREEMENT


Conditions of Use

The re-use of scientific data has the potential to greatly increase communication, collaboration and synthesis within and among disciplines, and thus is fostered, supported and encouraged. Permission to use this dataset is granted to the Data User free of charge subject to the following terms:

1. Acceptable Use. Use of the Dataset will be restricted to academic, research, educational, government, recreational, or other not-for-profit professional purposes. The Data User is permitted to produce and distribute derived works from this dataset provided that they are released under the same license terms as those accompanying this Dataset. Any other uses for the Dataset or its derived products will require explicit permission from the Dataset Owner.
2. Redistribution. The data are provided for use by the Data User. The metadata and this license must accompany all copies made and be available to all users of this Dataset. The Data User will not redistribute the original Dataset beyond this collaboration sphere.
3. Citation. It is considered a matter of professional ethics to acknowledge the work of other scientists. Thus, the Data User will properly cite the Dataset in any publications or in the metadata of any derived data products that were produced using the Dataset. Citation should take the following general form: Creator, Year of Data Publication, Title of Dataset, Publisher, Dataset Identifier. For example:
   

   Vincent, Dick. 2006. Water Temperature of Montana Streams During Sentinel Cage Exposure. Bozeman, MT: Whirling Disease Data Repository. http://bsi.montana.edu/web/whirling/ (1 May 2006)

4. Acknowledgement. The Data User should acknowledge any institutional support or specific funding awards referenced in the metadata accompanying this dataset in any publications where the Dataset contributed significantly to its content. Acknowledgements should identify the supporting party, the party that received the support, and any identifying information such as grant numbers. For example:

    

   Datasets were provided by the Whirling Disease Initiative, a partnership between the Montana Water Center, Montana State University-Bozeman, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Significant funding for collection of these data was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS Grant # 98210-6-J009).

5. Notification. The Data User will notify the Dataset Contact when any derivative work or publication based on or derived from the Dataset is distributed. The Data User will provide the data contact and the Montana Water Center (101 Huffman Building, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717-2690) with two reprints of any publications resulting from use of the Dataset and will provide copies, or on-line access to, any derived digital products. Notification will include an explanation of how the Dataset was used to produce the derived work. The Data User also must notify users that such derivative work is a modified version and not the original data and documentation distributed by the WDI.
6. Collaboration. The Dataset has been released in the spirit of open scientific collaboration. Data Users are thus strongly encouraged to consider consultation, collaboration and/or co-authorship with the Dataset Creator.

By accepting this Dataset, the Data User agrees to abide by the terms of this agreement. The Data Owner shall have the right to terminate this agreement immediately by written notice upon the Data User's breach of, or non-compliance with, any of its terms. The Data User may be held responsible for any misuse that is caused or encouraged by the Data User's failure to abide by the terms of this agreement.

Disclaimer

While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and documentation contained in this Dataset, complete accuracy of data and metadata cannot be guaranteed. All data and metadata are made available "as is". The Data User holds all parties involved in the production or distribution of the Dataset harmless for damages resulting from its use or interpretation.

Definitions:

• “Data Use Agreement” – Agreement that specifies the conditions for data use. For Type I data the General Data Use Agreement specifies general roles, obligations, and rights enjoyed by users regarding the use of datasets released for the general public. For Type II data (released under specific restrictions) a Restricted Data Use Agreement will be developed; it will be unique to the dataset, and in most cases, the General Data Use Agreement can be modified as appropriate.
• “Dataset” – Digital data and its metadata derived from any research activity such as field observations, collections, laboratory analysis, experiments, or the post-processing of existing data and identified by a unique identifier issued by a recognized cataloging authority such as a site, university, agency, or other organization.
• “Data User” – Individual to whom access has been granted to a Dataset, including his or her immediate collaboration sphere, defined here as the institutions, partners, students and staff with whom the Data User collaborates, and with whom access must be granted, in order to fulfill the Data User's intended use of the Dataset.
• “Dataset Creator” – Individual or institution that produced the Dataset.
• “Dataset Owner” – Individual or institution that holds intellectual property rights to the dataset. Note that this may or may not be defined as a legal copyright. If no other party is designated in the metadata as Dataset Owner, it may be presumed that these rights are held by the Dataset Creator.
• “Dataset Distributor” – Individual or institution providing access to the Datasets.
• “Dataset Contact” – Party designated in the accompanying metadata of the Dataset as the primary contact for the Dataset.

Are these datasets QA/QC-ed?

While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and documentation contained in this Dataset, complete accuracy of data and metadata cannot be guaranteed. All data and metadata are made available "as is". The Data User holds all parties involved in the production or distribution of the Dataset harmless for damages resulting from its use or interpretation.

What is metadata?

Metadata is a description of the content, quality, lineage, contact, condition, and other characteristics of data. The description of the data is organized in a standardized format using a common set of terms. Metadata is literally "data about data." Metadata records are similar in concept to library catalog records: details about a book such as title, author, and publisher are recorded in a standard way to ease the search for information.

Biological metadata records work in the same way: information is recorded in a standardized format about a dataset (content, quality, condition, and more) for use and analysis. Metadata ultimately makes information about datasets more easily accessible to scientists and researchers.

A metadata record answers the following questions about a dataset:

• Who collected the data?
• Who maintains the data
  
• How were these data collected?
• Where were they collected?
  
• When were the data collected?
• Why were the data collected?
• Where are the data stored?
  

Is this a standard format for metadata?

Metadata in this repository were collected and are displayed according to the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)- Biological Data Profile, FGDC-STD-001.1-1999. The CSDGM - Biological Data Profile was developed by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), a 19 member interagency committee comprised of representatives from the Executive Office of the President, Cabinet-level and independent agencies.  Load the full text of the CSDGM - Biological Data Profile (270 KB PDF).

Please define the terms used in a metadata record.

All terms in the metadata record are defined in the glossary.

Why do some funded projects provide no metadata or datasets in this data repository?

From 1997 to 2005, the Whirling Disease Initiative did not have a formal data submission and use policy. Consequently, those project Primary Investigators were not legally obligated to share their metadata and datasets with others. Thankfully, some of those investigators have chosen to share their data.

In 2006, the Whirling Disease Initiative established a formal data policy; all Primary Investigators and grantees are now required to abide by this policy, which includes guidelines and requirements for data and metadata submission. This document also includes guidelines for dataset access and use.

What is the difference between Type I and Type II data?

All datasets in this repository are governed by a Data Use Agreement. Most datasets are Type I data; these are freely available to all users of the Whirling Disease Initiative Data Repository who agree to the conditions of the General Data Use Agreement. This document specifies general roles, obligations, and rights enjoyed by users regarding the use of Type I datasets released for the general public.

Type II data are subject to a Restricted Data Use Agreement and will be made publicly available under certain restrictions. Principal Investigators who wish to designate datasets as Type II must provide written justification that describes a well supported need. Justification must be approved by the WDI Program Director and the Whirling Disease Steering Committee. Possible conditions warranting Type II data restrictions are legal questions, data quality assurance and control issues, and publication concerns. If you wish to request access to Type II data indicated in this data repository, contact us.

What is the Whirling Disease Initiative?

The Whirling Disease Initiative is a national research program. Its purpose is to conduct research that develops practical management solutions to maintain viable, self-sustaining wild trout fisheries in the presence of the whirling disease parasite.

The Whirling Disease Initiative is a project of the Montana Water Center. The Water Center advances water research, information, education, and problem-solving partnerships throughout Montana and beyond. It is one of 54 Centers in the nation collectively known as Water Resources Research Institutes.

 

Is the Whirling Disease Initiative the same as the Whirling Disease Foundation?

No. The Whirling Disease Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit corporation established in May, 1995 with a mission to raise the funds needed for researched solutions to the damage caused by whirling disease, the leading threat to wild trout populations.

I know of recent Whirling Disease Initiative projects that do not appear in this repository. Why not?

Whirling Disease Initiative-funded investigators are typically be given two years to write and publish findings before data are released. If researchers do not publish during this time period, data will be released so that others may utilize them.

Is this data repository secure?

Yes. All metadata submitted to the Whirling Disease Initiative Data Repository are archived in a password-protected MySQL database at the Big Sky Institute (Montana State University). This database is secured behind both the MSU and BSI firewalls. Primary Investigators submit datasets at a password-protected file upload site managed and secured by the Montana Water Center. Users of the file upload site only have access to their own data files. Primary Investigator usernames and passwords are encrypted and stored in a database, and uploaded datasets are securely stored on the Montana Water Center’s server, administered by the Burns Technology Center.

I am having problems downloading datasets. Who do I contact for assistance?

Please use the online form on the Contact Us page.