Summary of

Pre-Workshop Questionnaire

ENABLING BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH: THE ROLES OF

INFORMATION AND SUPPORT NETWORKS

DECEMBER 1, 2009

SUMMARY PROVIDED BY TERRI KILLEFFER

INFORMATION INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATES
 2

The
questionnaire
results are
intended to
provide
background
information as
well as
discussion Monarch butterfly specimens
© Liz Sellers, Courtesy of life.nbii.gov

guidance to
workshop The hardcopy questionnaire summary
participants. follows the presentation.
8 Responses
Questionnaire Responses
3

65 Requests
58%
Response
Rate
 38 Responders to Questionnaire
A
A Pan-European
Pan-European Alfred P. Association of Biodiversity BIOTA/FAPESP
BIOTA/FAPESP Board
Board on
on Research
Research
Botanic
Botanic Gardens
Gardens
Species
Species directories
directories Program:
Program: The
The Data
Data and
and Information,
Information, Conservation
Conservation
Infrastructure Sloan Zoos and Heritage Virtual National Research
Infrastructure Virtual Institute
Institute of
of National Research International
International
(PESI)
(PESI) Foundation
Foundation Aquariums
Aquariums Library
Library Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Council
Council (BGCI)
(BGCI)

Committee
Committee onon Data Consortium Consultative
Consultative Group Council
Council for
Consortium for
Community Center
Center for
for International Data Group for
Community
Cyberinfrastructure
Cyberinfrastructure for
International
Earth Science
Science Information for
for Encyclopedi
for Earth Information
for Science
Science and
and the
on
on International
International Agricultural
Agricultural
Advanced
Advanced Marine
Marine Microbial
Microbial Network
Network (CIESIN),
(CIESIN), The
The
Technology the Barcode
Barcode of
of Agriculture Science
Science &
Ecology Research and
Ecology Research and Earth
Earth Institute, Columbia
Institute, Columbia Technology
Life
Agriculture & a of Life
Analysis (CAMERA)
Analysis (CAMERA) University
University (CODATA)
(CODATA) Life Research
Research (CGIAR)
(CGIAR) Technology
Technology

Global
Global Mountain
Mountain International
International
European Genomic
Genomic Global
Global Biodiversity
Biodiversity
European Biodiversity Global
Global Names
Names Union
Union for
for
Distributed Institute
Distributed Institute FishBase Standards
Standards Information
Information
Biodiversity
Assessment
Assessment (GMBA)
(GMBA) Architecture Conservation
Conservation of
of
of
of Taxonomy
Taxonomy (EDIT)
(EDIT) Consortium
Consortium (GSC)
(GSC) Facility
Facility (GBIF)
(GBIF) of
Architecture
of DIVERSITAS
DIVERSITAS Nature
Nature (IUCN)
(IUCN)

John
John D.
D. and
and JRS LifeWatch
LifeWatch Marine
Marine Biodiversity
Biodiversity Morphbank National
National Aeronautics
Aeronautics National
National
Catherine
Catherine T.
T. Infrastructure
Infrastructure for
for and
and Ecosystem
Ecosystem and
and Space
Space Association
Association of
of
Biodiversity Image Administration Marine
MacArthur
MacArthur Biodiversity
Biodiversity Functioning
Functioning Administration Marine Laboratories
Laboratories
Foundation
Foundation Foundation Research
Research (MarBEF)
(MarBEF) Repository (NASA)
(NASA) (NAML)
(NAML)

Ocean
Ocean Ocean Organization Royal
Royal Botanic
Botanic
National
National Center
Center for
for Natural
Natural Science
Science NatureServe Biogeographic
Organization Gardens, Kew
Ecological Collections Biogeographic Genome for Tropical Gardens, Kew (Incl.
(Incl.
Ecological Analysis
Analysis Collections Information Millennium
& Information Millennium Seed
Seed
& Synthesis
Synthesis Alliance
Alliance (NSCA)
(NSCA) Legacy, Inc. Studies Bank
System
System Bank Project)
Project)

The
The Academy
Academy of of TreeBASE:
TreeBASE: A
A Zoological
Sciences
Sciences for
for the
the Database
Database of
of
Developing Phylogenetic Society of San
Developing World
World Phylogenetic
(TWAS)
(TWAS) Knowledge
Knowledge Diego

4
 5

Part I

Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum)

© 2008 Ted Niehaus, Courtesy of life.nbii.gov

Identify the enabling support

provided by the organization
27 $28,140,000
26 $19,000,000
25 $10,500,000
24 $8,500,000
23 $7,500,000
22 $5,750,000
21 $2,500,000
20 $2,500,000
19 $1,924,000 ANNUAL BUDGET
18 $1,700,000 SPENT ON BIODIVERSITY BY
17 $1,600,000
16 $1,100,000 RESPONDERS
15 $1,000,000 $95,350,012
14 $800,000
(WHICH RANGES FROM <1% TO 100% OF THEIR TOTAL BUDGET)
13 $600,000 27/38
12 $540,000
11 $450,000
10 $250,000
9 $250,000
8 $150,000
7 $150,000
6 $150,000 MORE THAN HALF SPEND >50% OF THEIR BUDGET ON
5 $108,000 BIODIVERSITY
4 $70,784
ONLY 13 RESPONDERS RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THE
3 $60,000 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
2 $57,228
1 $51,000
$50,000 $5,050,000 $10,050,000 $15,050,000 $20,050,000 $25,050,000
6
 Primary Funding Sources
7
25

20

15

10

0
 Approximate Percent from National Science Foundation
8

12 RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THE

●

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

RESPONDERS (NSF)

100%
90%
90% 85%
80% APPROXIMATE PERCENT FROM NSF 75%
70% 66%
60%
50%
40% 33%
30% 30%
30%
21%
20%
7% 10%
10% 5% 5%
0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
 Geographic Focus
(35/36)

9
None or N/A
2%
National
10%
Transnational
6%

Continental
19%

Global
63%
 Organizational Activities
10
30

25

20

15

10

0
 Information Provided
11

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
 Taxonomic Groups
(Free text; no pick list)

12

Included Emphasized

All taxonomic groups All taxonomic groups

4 organizations
 17 organizations
Other organizations emphasize one or a
Other organizations focus on
few taxonomic groups (the following were
one or a few taxonomic groups mentioned individually at least once) :
(the following were mentioned individually at  Plants
least once):  Bacteria

 Plants  Archea

 FAO annex 1 crop

 Amphibians
 Select exotics
 Birds  Fishes
 Reptiles  Amphibians

 Eukaryotes  Marine

 Microbes
 Fishes
 Lichen
 Marine  Non-lichenized fungi
 Arthropods higher fungi  Select invertebrates
 Ecological Data
(Free text; no pick list)
13

Physicochemical Ecological
Biogeography Ecosystem type
characteristics indicators

Biogeographic
Climate data Digital soil map Station data
distribution

Evolutionary Population
Life history Trophic ecology
relatedness dynamics

Environmental Ecological Digital elevation Population

preferences thematic layers model distribution

Remotely-sensed Marine International

Demographic Ecological
Biodiversity/Ecosystem Resource Management Data Types
(Allowed to select all that apply)
14
35

30

25

20

15

10

c es ies ion ces ves ies ies sity nge ses ism one ms her
r vi pec vat ur ser pec pec er ha sea ur N st e Ot
Se d S ser eso pre icS r S Div e C Di oto l sy
m r e on l R d o t he ic at c ra
te e a n x t t E u
ys ang C
ur s a E O ne lim ult
o s at k Ge C ic
c d N r r
E En Pa Ag
 Habitat Types
(Allowed to select all that apply)
15
35

30

25

20

15

10

0
e l c s e s l s s r s s d d r
ir n asta rcti nd rat pic tria rest nd ate and ert ate p e
th
e
a o A lt a pe o s o l a w l e s v l o O
M C e m T r rre F ass sh rub
e D u l ti
e ve
W Te Te G
r
Fr Sh C D
 Genetic Data Types
(Allowed to select all that apply)
16

16

14

12

10

0
Sequence Other Bar codes None Annotation
 Digital Library Types
(Allowed to select all that apply)
17
16

14

12

10

0
Secondary Other Original literature Biodiversity Policy None
Services (eg and Legal
indexing and Documents
abstracting)
 Web Services – Data/Information Types
(Allowed to select all that apply)
18
25

20

15

10

0
ta s es er gy e
a c ol u h o on
n
d to lo
g O
t
nol N
it o o ta i
pr a m
r va s/ c te
r
se rd es d
ob da a m lle
or ta
n N tro
s n
en or Co
m .
eci oc
Sp D
 Web Services – Applications/Tools
(Allowed to select all that apply)
19

25
Apps/Tools
20 Open source

15

10

ons list GI
S
tic
s
ent ode ons ent ent
i ck a c ti
at e m em e a em em
plic ch fo
r
na
g
ur
c
pl
ic
na
g
na
g
ap ic n a o p a a
om oi m s a m
eb n B i
t a e b
to p
o n it ym
W x o da W s k ti al
c
Ta iv
e D
e
olle q u
p t C ta
c ri D
a
es
D
 Developer and Service Provider of Infrastructure
20

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO No answer
Developer or Provider of Data or Metadata Standards and Protocol
Developments
21

30

25

20

15

10

0
YES NO No answer
 Types of Biodiversity Informatics Tools
(Allowed to select all that apply)
22

20

18

16

14

12

10

0
Visualization Analytical Other Modeling
 Provide Website(s)/Portal(s)
23
30

25

20

15

10

Info from multiple sites Own information only

 Target Users for Products and Services
(Allowed to select all that apply)
24
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

it st
s
nts or
s lic ers ies ers lic her
t b r b
n de a pu ak ia ag pu O
t
ie St
u uc e m e d a n l
Sc Ed tiv l ic
y
r m m era
n
Po te ce n
tte in r Ge
e-
a
o n s ou
c i e
ie
n at l R
c m a
S f or tur
In a
N
 Availability of Products/Services
25

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
Free Fee-based Otherwise restricted
 Logistical Support for Biodiversity Research
26

Organizations providing
How?
logistical support
30 Support
25
 Financial
 Policy
20  Logistical
Technology
15
 Tools
10  Infrastructure
5
 Standards
Training
0
YES NO No answer Networking/Collaboration
 Assist with Research Permitting?
27

Yes/No? What restrictions/how?

35 Must follow policies set

30
by individual countries
25 Organizations may
20 have member groups
15 involved in permitting
10 but not participate
5
themselves
0
NO YES No answer
 28

Part II

Red-eared Sliders on American alligator's back

© 2008 Bruce Avera Hunter, Courtesy of life.nbii.gov

Key Scientific Questions

What are the top three scientific questions that need to be addressed in
order to characterize the dimensions of biodiversity?
29

What species exist?

How many species exist?
How are species to be defined?
 Taxonomic classification disputes
 Relevant units of biological diversity (macro vs. micro)
What are the influences of phylogeny and genetics to species
diversity/evolution?
 What role does the environment play?
Where are the species?
 Biogeography
 Range, depth, and elevation
 Landscape, habitat, etc.
 CONTINUED – “ […] questions that need to be addressed in order to
characterize the dimensions of biodiversity?
30

What changes are taking place with biodiversity?

 Threats
 Areas most at-risk
 Loss of ecosystem services
How can we predict, model, measure, or characterize
the ecological processes of biodiversity in order to:
 Assess impacts of anthropogenic or climatic changes
 Create key mitigation/conservation/management plans
 CONTINUED – “ […] questions that need to be addressed in
order to characterize the dimensions of biodiversity?
31

 Human aspect
 Anthropogenic influence/disturbance
 Livestock-agroecosystem interactions
 International cooperation
 What do we already know?
 Technology
 Normalizing information for synthesis and analysis
 Digitization
 User interfaces
 Development of composite indicators
 What is our baseline?
What are the top three scientific questions that should guide our
exploration of the Earth’s unknown dimensions of biodiversity?
32

What don’t we know?

 Undiscovered species, critical thresholds, ocean exploration, etc.
What are the trends and how can we predict the
future?
 Impacts of climate change, invasions, adaptation, land-use, etc.
What are the functions and services of ecosystems?
 How does society depend upon these?
 How do these affect decision-making?
What are the spatial, temporal, genetic, and
phenotypic patterns of diversity?
 How are these defined and scaled?
In what fields of biodiversity science will additional funding be most
likely to achieve breakthroughs in understanding of biodiversity?
33

Informatics
Genomics
Field work
Modeling
Data intensive analysis

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

John J. Mosesso /life.nbii.gov
 34

Part III

Glass sponge (Euplectella sp.); Randolph Femmer /life.nbii.gov

Gap Analysis
 What are the three largest barriers to success in
accomplishing your organizational mission?
35

Data integration, sharing and access

 Lack of infrastructure
 Incompatibilities of data
Willingness to share
 Turf sensitivity
 Individual competition
 Publication first
 Needs for proper attribution
Lack of manpower and expertise
 Taxonomists
 Field biologists
 Staff
Lack of financial resources
 Erratic short-term funding
What are the three largest unmet needs in providing information
and support related to biodiversity research globally?
36

Access and sharing of data

Integration of biodiversity data with other data and
tools
Biodiversity indicators for general public as well as
decision-makers
Use and development of advanced web-technologies
and tools
Metadata
 Is current capacity (including human resources) sufficient to
support a major new research effort on Dimensions of Biodiversity?
37

Capacity Exist? Unmet Needs

Majority of responders Assessing the capacity of

said “No” developing countries

 More people
 A few said “yes”
 Taxonomists
Others weren’t quite
 Biodiversity informaticians
sure  Curators
Support
 Policies
 Funding
 Public
 What are the top three major gaps in the support
infrastructure for biodiversity science?
38

Gaps How to fill gaps

Limited or no access to data, Increase bioinformatics and

information, specimens, etc. cyberinfrastructure
 Need digital conversion  Data integration
 Barriers (e.g. bandwidth, trust)  Data digitization
Need for “Biobanks” or Creation of data centers
research/data centers  Supportive services
 Capacity development, manage
 Outreach to developing countries
collections, data mining, taxonomic Increase in funding
research, etc.  Build a business model
Lack of training for:  Approach non-traditional funding
 Biologists in modeling, spatial Education
statistics, etc.  Policy & decision-makers, classroom,
 Young researchers informal, media, etc.
 39

A written report
of the workshop
including the
pre-workshop
questionnaire
summary will be
circulated to
attendees for Wolf spider
review. The final Courtesy of life.nbii.gov

report should be
available on the
Workshop Web Terri Killeffer
Information International Associates, Inc.
Site in early Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA
865-298-1230
2010. tkilleffer@iiaweb.com
Questions/Discussion
40

FUNDING PROVIDED BY