The expression input field supports many advanced search features. To see some examples, simply mouse over the query expression label.

The dashed area, just below the query expression, serves as a dashboard, providing an up-to-date view of selections made within the vertical control tabs. Selections made within the Geographic and Subject query controls are displayed next to the query selections element. Each of the other elements (place, topic & media) display selections associated with their respective filter control. Selecting this icon resets selections displayed in that group. This action immediately refreshes the view of the current result set.

The default batch is 10 and simply controls the number of records displayed on each page of the default response. It can be set at anytime, immediately updating an existing result set. Once set, it will be applied to any future changes (query and/or filter).

Query controls expose relevant search terms that can be used to supplement a query expression. They can also be used, without an expression, to formulate a query (term mapping) or simply browse the catalog holdings (use the down/up-arrow keys). The order in which terms are selected has no bearing on the final outcome of the result set. Selections are displayed on the dashboard accompanied by the current condition setting.

The Geographic Query Control is displayed, by default, when loading the search page. It provides a faceted interface, exposing details of the placename gazetteer. Additionally, it provides a condition radio-button set that controls the way in which selected terms are submitted to the query service. An AND condition setting (default) causes the control to act as a reduction filter, populating ONLY those placename terms in succeeding categories (i.e. Ecological Regions, Estuaries) that match the character of the results. An OR condition setting serves to broaden the field of placename terms, accompanying the broadened character of the results.

The Subject Query Control displays a default set of topic categories (server setting). Term selections within this control add to existing term selections, updating the query selections element within the dashboard view. Again, the condition setting within the Geographic Query Control applies to term selections made in this control.

To personalize (client setting) this control, checkout the icon for more details about this feature. This icon is displayed in the upper left of the control view. You will be able to select one or more topic/theme categories from a list and include those in your subject query control.

Remember... once you have customized it, bookmark the resulting URL. This allows you to use your customized subject query control when you return - using the bookmark.

The default response formats and returns results in relevance ranking order. A detail radio button set (upper left of the search form) allows you to select between detail off or detail on (default). Detail off returns result details on a single line per item, using icons as a means of exposing additional information as mouse-over tooltips and access to other online information. Detail on returns result details on two lines per item, using text-based labels to expose additional information as mouse-over tooltips and access to other online information.

Custom responses (OpenGIS compliant), located in the upper right of the search form, are available for viewing results and saving (as appropriate for the end client) query parameters as a RESTful request. Future service requests (via this URL) will reflect the latest available results.

Note - Custom responses are updated each time there is a change (i.e. query changes and/or filter selection changes) in the default response view.

The KML response is best viewed in Google Earth 5 or newer. The KML document is loaded into the 'Temporary Places' location within the left navigation pane. If you wish to save the result set for access at a later time, simply move into 'My Places'.

The geoRSS response is best viewed in IE 7 or newer. This response can be used as a normal RSS feed subscription. The resulting URL has a parameter called filterby which is set to topic by default. This parameter (and its effect on the resulting response) is ignored by all clients except Internet Explorer (IE). When displayed in IE 7 or 8, a filter by category feature is activated. Selecting a term in this list filters the displayed items in the feed. The list (below) shows other values that the filterby parameter can be set to in the URL and refreshed, providing different categories of terms to filter displayed results (in the feed) by.

topic [default]
theme
media
ecosystem
ecoregion
estuary

As the heading implies, filter controls provide a means to clean-up the contextual-anarchy that can accompany full-text search results. An important distinction to understand about filters is that they ARE NOT a query - their function is to operate on a result set. And - just as you can use Query Controls to browse the catalog holdings, once a query has been submitted, you can use filters to contextually browse catalog results.

Again - In the absence of any filter, results are based on a full text search process that takes a very broad brush view, with respect to term evaluation. Selecting Gulf of Mexico as a query term will return a result set that includes any record that has both gulf and mexico terms anywhere within the record - potentially in unrelated contexts.

On a fundamental level - filters can provide a way to set context boundaries, if desired, eliminating potential ambiguities. They can be used to emulate a compound search statement, providing more flexibility in how you tune the view of a result set. And, they can be used to package results - or, more specifically, they can adjust the view of results to display only those that meet filter (selecting one or more filters) criteria.

Terms that are selected are updated on the dashboard next to their appropriate element. They persist between query updates, immediately controlling displayed results in the default response. They are also set and updated within each custom response, maintaining an accurate representation of results when selected and viewed in their respective clients.

Note - the place and topic filter controls are empty when the search form is initially displayed. They depend on the existence of a result set - so until a query is submitted, they will remain empty. Likewise, their contents will be updated each time a query is submitted.

The Place Filter Control provides access to placename terms associated with the query result set. Terms are organized around the taxonomic structure of the gazetteer (i.e. ecosystem, ecoregion & estuary) and each includes a number, alongside, that represents the number of results that are contextually related to the term.

The Topic Filter Control provides access to topic terms associated with the query result set. Terms are organized within environmental topic and theme topic collections and are a result of merging terms from different term categories. Again, each term is accompanied by a number that represents the number of results that are contextually related to the term.

The Media Filter Control provides access to a multi-stage filtering feature. You may use it to select one media category and one or more of the resulting media formats - or select one media category without selecting any media formats - or select one or more media formats without making any category selection.

One other thing to consider about filters - they can be used to establish context boundaries on a query that currently returns zero results. This can be useful in setting up custom views that you would like to track - over time. Once setup, simply select a custom response and save (according to the client used). If you choose to use the geoRSS response, setting it up as a feed subscription on a scheduled update will provide the desired effect - namely, when new records are added to the catalog that meet the criteria (query and filters selected), they will show up in the feed - when updated.

This search strategy uses a fully customizable faceted search controller which appears to work just like the Geographic Query Control. However, unlike the full-text results, these query results are based on an active filter process which is triggered for each term selection, eliminating any contextual ambiguities.

The faceted nature of the category lists allow you to drill down and quickly refine a result set. Each selection (supports multiples) updates the number of displayable records on the "records to load" button. Select this button when you are ready to project the record set (spatial ONLY) onto the Google Map viewer. Marker icons are displayed for each record in the viewer. Mouse-over a marker icon to see the data type(s) associated with the resource. Click on the icon to view more details, access the resource and view related records, if available.

The default view loads a set of vocabularies (server setting) for you to experiment with. However, there is a personalize my theme search tab available, allowing you to fully customize (client settings) the categories and their order. The resulting URL can be bookmarked, allowing you to return to this search interface with your personalized search controller displayed.

Ecowatch query services are supported by an underlying architecture that includes an evolving semantic Metadata model, tuned for search-n-discovery, supporting a facet-based classification system. The model was implemented around the concepts outlined in ISO 13250(1999) and described in "The TAO of Topic Maps".

An ecosystem represents an extremely complex environment requiring interaction between diverse groups of stakeholders - each bringing their own knowledge to the table, represented as discreet terms of reference. This discovery portal provides a knowledge management strategy to address the challenge of describing knowledge structures among the diverse environments that constitute an ecosystem and facilitate the association of data and information resources against them.