Biodiversity Information Networks

Dataflows for interdisciplinary sciences

www.biodiversity.aqwww.scarmarbin.be

Bruno Danis & Mark ParsonsRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

National Snow & Ice Data Center

• Background

• Our vision

• Achievements and products

• Uptake of GBIF tools

• The Future: Technological and Cultural challenges

Layout

Backgroundandvision

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Antarctic Treaty

« In order to promote international cooperation in scientific investigation in Antarctica, as provided for in Article III (1c) of the Treaty, the Contracting Parties agree that, to the greatest extent feasible and practicable: […] Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely available. »

(our inspiration)

SpecialthingsaboutAntarc8ca• Antarc8cTreatysystem(nogovernment)

• TheScien8ficCommunityonAntarc8cResearch

• Veryac8vecommunity

• Logis8cs

• Biodiversity

– Highlyadapted

– Mostlymarine

– Probablyextremelysensi8ve

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• www.scarmarbin.be:marinebiodiversityinforma8onnetwork

• www.biodiversity.aq:biodiversityinforma8onfacility

• Corefunding:BELSPO.be(un8lJune2012)

• Interna8onalPolarYear2007/08

• CensusofAntarc8cMarineLife

• OceanBiogeographicInforma8onSystem

• GlobalBiodiversityInforma8onFacility

SCAR‐MarBIN&AntaBIF

• Buildanelectronicecosystem

• Offerfreeandopenaccesstodataandtechnology

• Exposeallthe(biodiversity)dataandmetadata,inmul8plecontexts

• Remaincommunity‐driven,andcollabora8ve

• Adoptstrongstandardiza8on

• Workforscience,conserva8on,management

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General philosophy

Achievements

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Taxonomy

• ThefirstRAMS

• Boardof60+editors

• FeedsWoRMS,CoLandEoL

• 17,098taxa(RAMS)

• BuildingadynamicRAS

• 24,248taxa(RAS)

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Geospa8aldata

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• 1,288,441records

• 198datasets

• 119geodatasets

• 5,235taxa

• FeedsOBIS,GBIF

• Downloadable

• WebGIS

• Webservices

Webportals

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• Up since Oct 2005

• taxonomy, occurrence, metadata

• vizualisation

• open access

• 909,915 visitors

• 8,093,774 hits

• >50,000,000 dld records

• ANTABIF proto up

Dataproducts

• Antarc8cFieldGuides

• BiogeographyAtlasoftheSouthernOcean

• Communityprojects

• Incen8vesforpublishing/reviewingdata

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Antarc8cFieldGuides

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• Iden8fica8onaid

• Bestavailablepictures

• Descrip8ons

• Publica8on/sharingplahormforcustomizedFGs

• Manycontributors

• Dynamicallybuiltfromvarioussources

afg.biodiversity.aq

Antarctic Field Guides

BiodiversityAtlasoftheSO

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• Paperanddigitalversions

• Publishthema8cmaps

• Publishpredic8vemaps

• Buildaninterac8veplahorm

• Dynamicgenera8onofthecontent

• Capacitybuilding

• Fillingaps

• 60contributorsfrom36ins8tu8onsin16countries

atlas.biodiversity.aq

BENTHOS

PLANKTON

Gapsinourknowledge

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Gapsinourknowledge

Hedgpeth1969’sFolio

(near)Future

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• Bekerdocumenta8on

• Manydataportals

• (much)Enhanceddataflow

• Thecommunityfeelsresponsibility

• Conserva8on/Managementarefactual

• Op8miza8onofBiodiversityresearchefforts/resources

FutureFuture

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• Expor8ngthemodeltootherdisciplinessoundslikeaplan

– SCADM:StandingCommikeeonAntarc8cDataManagement

– SOOS:SouthernOceanObservingSystem

• SCAR/IASC:Goingbipolar

• (much)Enhancedinteroperability

• Integra8ve,connectedscience

ThePolarInforma8onCommons

• Drama8cenvironmentalchanges

• Emergencysolu8on

• Setupofacommons

– ITcloud

– Setofnorms

• Allpolardata(IPY)

• Simpleprocedure:

– badgedataset(s)(describe,chooseaCCLicence)

– throwitinthecloud

– done27

www.polarcommons.org

Dataarediscoverable,open,linked,useful,andsafe

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Radicalopenness:

Discoverable

Datashouldbeaccessiblesoonamercollec8on(onlinewhereverpossible)inadiscoveryportalsuchastheGlobalChangeMasterDirectory.

Open

OpenDataisaphilosophyandprac8cerequiringthatcertaindataarefreelyavailabletoeveryone,withoutrestric8onsfromcopyright,patentsorothermechanismsofcontrol.—Wikipedia

AnythingelsethanOpenslowsdownprocessesandscience(andwedon’thave8me).

Linked

ThetermLinkedDataisusedtodescribeamethodofexposing,sharing,andconnec8ngdata[using]theWeb.—Wikipedia

Web2.0philosophy.

Useful

Datafromdifferentprojects,disciplines,anddatacentersshouldbeeasilyunderstoodandusedinconjunc8onwitheachotherin

standardtoolsandanalysisframeworks

Datashouldbewelldescribedsotobeusefulforabroadaudience.

Interoperable

Metadataanddatashouldbereadilyinterchangeablebetweendifferentpolardatasystemstoenabledatadiscoveryacrossmul8pleportals.

Sowestopreinven8ngthewheelallthe8me...

Safe

Safefromhackers,fromobsolescence,fromundocumentedchange,fromloss,andfromtheravagesof8me.

Thebiggestchallengeis

C U L T U R A L

Thanks

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www.biodiversity.aq

www.polarcommons.org

image©NYTimes