• dpa

    ARMS RESTORE

    This platform is a repository of data collected as part of the ARMS Restore project studying the sea and coast of Ranobe Bay, Southwest Madagascar (armsrestore.com) and the Madagascar National Oceanographic Data Center (MD-NODC). ARMS Restore is supported by the Belmont Forum, which includes the National Science Foundation (USA), National Research Foundation (South Africa), SIDA (Sweden), and FORMAS (Sweden). The data in this repository come from over thirty researchers, including undergraduates, Masters students, and doctoral students.

    The purpose of this platform is to organize, store, and share data across the many disciplines of the ARMS Restore project to allow for ongoing analyses, reproducible research, and policy decisions in Madagascar and elsewhere. Below are the datasets/types that will populate the platform and will be made immediately available or available after required embargo periods:

    ARMS Restore data from the Bay of Ranobe, southwest Madagascar (link to map):

    • Underwater visual surveys on SCUBA
      • Benthic species distribution and diversity
      • Fish abundance and species diversity
    • Surface seawater eDNA
      • COI amplicon libraries for eukaryotic species diversity
      • 12S amplicon libraries for fish diversity
    • Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS)
      • Temporal changes in species composition (succession) in situ by viewing on SCUBA
      • COI amplicon libraries for eukaryotic species diversity
      • 16S amplicon libraries for prokaryotic species diversity
    • Water conditions
      • Temperature
      • Light
      • Oxygen saturation
      • Salinity
      • Nutrients (N, P)
    • Fish catch of artisanal fishers
      • Fish diversity 
      • Catch per unit effort
    • Fisher movements
      • GPS tracking traces
    • Aquaculture activities 
      • Species diversity, geographic scope, and place in social systems
    • Human Health and Well-being
      • Survey data on a wide range of human health and livelihood metrics
    • NODC:

    DATA POLICIES AGREEMENT AND CONSENT

    Please take a moment to read and agree to our policy. By agreeing you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and will abide by the policy outlined below.

    Accessing the Database Library

    An account is required to access our platform. Through your account you will gain access to our large collection of resources and data, including ARMS Restore data, documentation, and research papers. Having an account allows us to track your usage, limit accessibility to certain data, and to provide recommendations based on your interests.

    Getting an account

    We value the security and integrity of our resources, and therefore, account creation is managed directly by our dedicated administrator. Please fill out our account request form at https://macmatlas.net/access_registration to initiate the account registration process. Our administrator will guide you through the necessary steps and provide you with the credentials required to access the platform. 

    Accounts are individual accounts that are not sharable
    You are not allowed to share your account password with anyone. Allowing other individuals to log into your account or use your account is a violation of our DUA and will result in the termination of your account.

    DUA and IRB approvals

    Before using our data in analyses or referencing data sourced from our repository, you must check with our team to ensure that these data can be used/shared and to approve your project and usage. Please do so by submitting a usage request initiation form. Even if you already have access to the data, please submit a request for every project. Failure to do so is a violation of our DUA and will result in the termination of your account. It is important to remember that these data comprise work towards undergraduate and graduate degrees and are the product of public financial support, which requires certain considerations in use and publication. Note also that in some cases you may not be able to access certain datasets, such as those that contain human subjects and are governed by University Institutional Review Boards (IRB). 

    Data Security and Access Controls

    We implement robust data security measures to protect shared data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Access to shared data is granted only to authorized individuals who have a legitimate need for the data based on their research objectives or collaborations, as you will describe in the account creation form.

    Data Sharing

    We are committed to conducting ethical research and safeguarding the privacy and confidentiality of the data we collect. As part of our data sharing practices, as per the DUA and IRB, we ensure that appropriate ethical considerations are met when using and sharing research data. Data has to be on the platform and accessed using the www.macmatlas.net API and cannot be downloaded from the platform. Violations come with serious consequences that jeopardize everyone’s work.

    Data usage and resources

    Fair Usage, Optimization, Prioritization and Approval:

    All teams and individuals must use our data and resources in a fair and responsible manner. Excessive or inappropriate usage that hinders other team’s ability to work or impacts platform performance is strictly prohibited.

    Requests for additional data usage or server resources beyond the allocated quotas should be submitted for approval. Priority will be given to critical projects or situations where resource requirements are justified.

    All teams are expected to optimize their data usage and server resources to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. This goal includes regular reviews of resource use, identifying opportunities for optimization, and adopting best practices.

    DATABASE LIBRARY ACCESS

    As per DUA and IRB Approvals, any individual or organization wanting access the platform is expected to fill out and submit an access and usage request form using the following steps:

    1. Go to https://www.macmatlas.net.
    2. Click on the database library and an access account registration form will appear.
    3. Fill out all required fields.
    4. After the submission, the administrator will review your form and approve your account/access via the email address you provide.

      Once approved, your account will need email verification and then you will be able to access the MACMA platform with all the databases you requested.
      For more informations contact : admin@macmatlas.net