Information Management and Biodiversity Research – The Role of the Biodiversity

Information System of Colombia

Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute– Coordinator Institution –

Contents

• Context • A national alliance• Sharing biodiversity information

– Quality and accesibility of data – Controlled vocabulary for researchers– Information for multiple purposes: research and

decision making

• Building and strenghting national capacities • Colombia, the region, the world• Intellectual Property Rights

– A scientific tradition of more than 200 years– Megadiversity – Biological collections, databases, publications– It means an enormous ammount of data and

information– Strong environmental legislation– Complex institutional landscape:

• Environmental authorities (policy and decision makers)

• Science and technology system• Other sectors of society (both public and

private)

An Overview to the Context in Information Sharing of Colombia

Institutional Landscape

NGOs

Government research institutes

Universities and academic research centres

Biological collections

Scientific societies and networks

Data P

rovid

ers

Ministerio de Ambiente: National authority

General public

National System of Protected Areas

Regional and local environmental authorities Users

Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute

Created by Law 99/1993

Mission

To promote, coordinate and make research that

contributes to the knowledge, conservation and

sustainable use of biodiversity in Colombia

One of its functions

The implementation of an information system, as a

supporting tool for the National Biodiversity Inventory

Our strategy to implement the system

To encourage alliances with agencies, researchers and authorities to build a National Information

Network:

Biodiversity Information System of Colombia

• What are we doing? – Making available a broad range of information resources by

providing tools to facilitate access, sharing and use of biodiversity data

– These advances are being available nationally and internationally

• How are we achieving this? – By promoting a cultural change towards the open

sharing of data: • Confidence and transparency

• Intellectual property rights (Creative Commons)

• Clear rules and policies for data sharing• Distributed ownership (equal opportunities for contribution and

participation)

SIB today – Our vision

The Biodiversity Information System of Colombia

(SiB) is a national alliance developed to facilitate

data and information management. We seek to

efficiently support research, education and

decision making processes related to knowledge,

conservation and sustainable use of the

biodiversity of Colombia

• Biological Characterizations • Protected Areas

• Threatened species Conservation

• Traditional knowledge and uses of biodiversity

• Access to genetic resources

• Design of policies and strategies

Research processes

Heterogenous data, for specific purposes

• Decision Making

• Policies

• Research

• Education

Information Needs

Strategic information Products & Services

Research and biodiversity information

National Environmental

System/ Biodiversity

S+T NationalSystem

Data with a purpose: SiB Colombia and Biodiversity Research

Research Processes

• Research Institutes

• Biological Collections

• Universities

• NGOs

More than an Information Facility, SiB is a knowledge community: supporting not only research / decision making processes, but providing

tools for the scientific community and the decision makers.

We do that by strenghting the decision makers capacities in handling and using information, as well as the tools available

National capacity building

Data and Information Contents

Technological Infrastructure

Information Products & Services

Available at present >>>Access to distributed information

Processing and analysis information tools

Strategy: Implementation Work Areas

Alliances as the base of Biodiversity Information management processes

MEMBERSHIP SCHEMA

SIB`s Director Committee

Advisory Members

Information managers (owners)

Multipliers

Metadata administrators Data administrators

Coordinator Institution Coordinator Team

Su

b-n

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na

l a

nd

th

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atic

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SYSTEM STAKEHOLDERS

Involved Stakeholders

Interested Groups

General Public

Information

Biological

Species

Organisms

Specimens

Uses

Distributed Searches

Historia naturalCATÁLOGO

de organismos

Taxonomic Information

Taxonomic Authority Files

Species useWhoHow

Yoscua: Traditional uses and knowledge

catalogue

Terminology

Methods and Attributes Catalogue

Non-structured information

Simple searcher

Context National Metadata Catalogue

Ocurrencies

Scientific Terminology Common

terminologyTaxonomic Authority Files

Thesauri

SiB as a Reference Center: supporting biodiversity research and management

Biota Electronic Magazine

Methodologies

Reference for Biodiversity Research and Management

Information

Biological

Species

Organisms

Specimens

Uses

Historia natural

Taxonomic Information

Species useWhoHow

Terminology

Methods and Attributes Catalogue

Non-structured information

Context

Ocurrencies

Scientific Terminology Common

terminologyTaxonomic Authority Files

Thesauri

Methodologies

Archivos de autoridad taxonómica, Tesauro, Catálogo de métodos y atributos(en funcionamiento desde 2003-2004)

Reference Information Description

Information available -

2007

Taxonomic Authority Files Scientific Names 32.000+ names

Thesauri on biodiversity issues (7 micro-thesauri)

Terms on biodiversity 45.000+ terms

Biodiversity Research Methods and Atributes Catalogue

Names and description of the methods and attributes used for biodiversity research

700 attributes and 120 methods

Information

Biological

Species

Organisms

Specimens

Uses

Historia natural

Taxonomic Information

Species useWhoHow

Terminology

Non-structured information

Context National Metadata Catalogue

Ocurrencies

Scientific Terminology Common

terminology

Methodologies

Reference for Biodiversity Research and Management

National Biodiversity Metadata Catalogue (Context information for data sets on biodiversity)

Cataloguing Tool

Searches on SIB portal

Pacific Node

(IIAP)

Caribe Node

(Invemar)

Amazonia Node

(Sinchi + partners )

National Catalogue

SIB Col

Orinoquia Node

(CAR2 + partners )

Corpochivor Node

National Network on Biodiversity and Environmental Metadata

Andes

Information

Biological

Species

Organisms

Specimens

Uses

Distributed Searches

Historia naturalCATÁLOGO

de organismos

Taxonomic Information

Taxonomic Authority Files

Species useWhoHow

Yoscua: Traditional uses and knowledge

catalogue

Terminology

Non-structured information

Simple searcher

Context

Ocurrencies

Scientific Terminology Common

terminology

Biota Electronic Magazine

Methodologies

Reference for Biodiversity Research and Management

Distributed Searches

•Basic Data

•Real time searches

•Remote – Distributed Access

•Data property and custody

•Data and Metadata

•More than 1Million Data (since june 2006)

Species of Colombia – On-line Catalogue -

YOSCUA: Uses and traditional knowledge about species (Wiki)

Some Cases of Use

On-line information service: species of Colombia with commercial potential

Ministry of Environment

Biotrade Colombia and Biodiversity Information System of Colombia at Humboldt Institute

Risk analysis tool for supporting decision making on GMO

Ministry of Environment

Biodiversity Information System of Colombia at Humboldt Institute

Benavides & Aguía, 2006

A tool for mobilising heterogeneous datasets in a distributed environment

based on the use of controlled vocabularies

National Environmental Authority

Biodiversity Information System of Colombia at Humboldt Institute

Creative Commons slide