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Ocean Biogeographic Information System
Edward Vanden [email protected]
‘Mission’
• OBIS publishes primary data on marine species locations through www.iobis.org – It facilitates data discovery and exploration by
• Searching by species, higher taxa, time, location, depth, database
• Mapping, overlaying species distributions on ocean environment, modelling of potential environmental range
– Integrates data over marine themes• Microbes to whales• Genetics and morphology• Poles to equator…
– Enables data capture for re-use
Why do this?
• Proper management of natural resources requires properly managed data and information– More data -> more knowledge
• OBIS model makes data and information management more efficient– Share responsibilities, tools, standards…– Share data across different organisations and
countries• OBIS is a way of ensuring data is not lost
– Archaeology and rescue for historic data– Repositories for new data
• Assist in data discovery– Links with EoL, BOLD…
OBIS in context
• IT component of CoML– Capturing and integrating data
– Support the 2010 synthesis
• Marine component of GBIF– Fully inter-operable with GBIF standards
– Extending with marine-specific elements
• Marine component of Species 2000– World register of Marine Species (WoRMS)
– http://marinespecies.org
• Partner with IOC, FAO, (UNEP)– Several OBIS Nodes are NODCs– FAO is large data provider and consumer
OBIS functions
• Caches species distribution data from many databases
• Creates taxonomic and geographic indices
• Seeks out new datasets • Develops standards for data
exchange and management• Develops software tools for online
use • Makes all data freely accessible
online
Distribution of cod, Gadus morhua, shown as ‘c-squares’ map
Predicting distribution of invasive species, Pterois volitans
Standards
• Biogeography: GBIF/TDWG– Darwin Core, Extended to OBIS Schema– ABCD
• Metadata: discovery metadata– Global Change Master Directory – NASA– MEDI – IODE; FGDC – US Gov?
• Taxonomy: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) – Contribution to Species 2000, Catalogue of Life– Collaboration with ITIS
• Geography– Polygon sets
• EEZs, FAO areas, IHO…– Gazetteer
Standards: taxonomy
• Aphia is general species register maintained at VLIZ– Consists of several overlapping subsets
• defined geographical (ERMS, NWARMS…) • defined taxonomic (Porifera,
Platyhelminthes…)• defined thematic (HABs, invasive species)
• Exposed through www.marinespecies.org
• WoRMS = Aphia + external GSDs– Algaebase, Hexacorallia, FishBase…
WoRMS plans
• 100,000 valid species end 2007• 2x0,000 valid species end 2008
– 85-90% of known species• Distribution records for all of these by
2010– Many species only known from holotype!!
• Management classification – Species 2000, ITIS
• Gap analysis– Filling gaps in collaboration with ITIS
Standards: ‘OBIS Schema’• Minimum data
– Taxonomic name– Position: lat/long– Bookkeeping fields: unique ID, date last
modified, collection name
• Highly recommended– Date of observation– Depth– Taxonomic authority
• Others– Date of identification, specimen
accession number…
Standards: metadata
• Global Change Master Directory– Separate portal
• Enriched with information extracted from the database– Taxonomic, geographic scope– First/last observation– Map of distributions
• Needs revision!
OBIS Nuts and Bolts
• Distributed system– Making use of recent developments in
technology (XML, DiGIR)– Web based
• Three-tier system– OBIS provider installed at site of
contributing database• Registry of providers
– OBIS portal, which can be accessed by the end-users
DiGIR
DiGIR• Distributed Generic Information
Retrieval– Semantics decoupled from protocol and
software
• Need to agree on a ‘federation schema’– Defined as an XML schema
• OBIS Schema, Darwin Core Schema (GBIF)
– Specifies which data elements are exchanged, and how they are labeled
• Data exchange and query formulation are XML files
OBIS number of records
• 231 databases
• In cache:– 13.6 million records, 147,000 names
• In index:– 6.9 million records at genus level and below,
80,000 species
• Among the largest provider to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Limitations of OBIS and OBIS data• We don’t know the total
biodiversity– New species are discovered
• Selective sampling in geography– Mostly in surface waters– Temperate zones
• Selective sampling in taxonomy – Mostly big things, vertebrates
New species are discovered
Data from http://marinespecies.org
Geographical bias
Bias in depth: deeper than 2500m
Taxonomic bias
Taxon # species # in OBIS %Cetaceans 133 117 88Seals… 45 36 80Fish 24139 21258 88
Echinoderms 6199 1624 26Bryozoans 6000 1096 18Decapods 8227 3796 46
Analysis of OBIS data
• First attempts at diversity pattern on a global scale, with a large number of taxa– Previously either local or on one taxon
(e.g. commercial large fish like tuna, forams…)
– ‘Safety in numbers’• Results not affected by idiosynchrasies of
single taxon or study
• Results very preliminary, and need data cleaning and further checking– E.g. by artificially removing datasets
from analysis
Global pattern of sampling effort
Pattern in number of species
Corrected for bias: ES(50)
Current priorities
• Filling some of the gaps– In collaboration with existing RONs– By creating new RONs
• Philippines, Oman
• Completing the inventory of known marine species: WoRMS– Prioritise on having at least one
distribution record per species, preferably the type locality
• Creating an inventory of existing data– Also data not now available through OBIS– Importance of metadata
Plans for the future
• More data and analysis• Develop thematic portals, on issues
of direct societal relevance– Invasive species, HABs…
• Develop demonstrator projects– Species distributions, hotspots…
• Support CoML scientists– Integration across themes– 2010 Synthesis– Publications: theme section(s)