VegBank and the ESA Cyber-infrastructure for Vegetation Science R.K. Peet, Don Faber-Langendoen, Michael Jennings, & Michael Lee Ecological Society of America Vegetation Panel We are pleased to acknowledge the support and cooperation of Ecological Society of America Gap Analysis Program National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis National Biological Information Infrastructure Federal Geographic Data Committee National Science Foundation The new community ecology Intersection of 3 data types Site data: climate, soils, topography, etc.Site data: climate, soils, topography, etc. Taxon attribute data: identification, phylogeny, distribution, life-history, functional attributes...Taxon attribute data: identification, phylogeny, distribution, life-history, functional attributes... Co-occurrence data: attributes of individuals (e.g., size, age, growth rate) and taxa (e.g., cover, biomass) that co-occur at a site.Co-occurrence data: attributes of individuals (e.g., size, age, growth rate) and taxa (e.g., cover, biomass) that co-occur at a site. The Vegetation Plot The primary unit of vegetation observation. Universal attributes: date, location, area, species list, species importanceUniversal attributes: date, location, area, species list, species importance Optional attributes: environment, soil, disturbanceOptional attributes: environment, soil, disturbance Protocols and formats: many & flexibleProtocols and formats: many & flexible Available data: > 10 6 plot records containing > 5x10 7 species occurrence records.Available data: > 10 6 plot records containing > 5x10 7 species occurrence records. VegBank VegBank a public archive for vegetation plot observations (http://vegbank.org).VegBank a public archive for vegetation plot observations (http://vegbank.org).http://vegbank.org VegBank functions in a manner analogous to GenBank.VegBank functions in a manner analogous to GenBank. Plot data can be deposited, cited, discovered, referenced, viewed, shared, annotated, updated, & downloaded.Plot data can be deposited, cited, discovered, referenced, viewed, shared, annotated, updated, & downloaded. Plot data can be used for documentation validation and reanalysis.Plot data can be used for documentation validation and reanalysis. VegBank strategies Standard exchange formatStandard exchange format Supports multiple protocols.Supports multiple protocols. Flexible and expandableFlexible and expandable Tools for data discovery, integration, and summarization.Tools for data discovery, integration, and summarization. Generalizable to most types of species co-occurrence data.Generalizable to most types of species co-occurrence data. Incentives to participate.Incentives to participate. The ESA Vegetation Classification Panel was established in 1993 with a mandate to support the emerging U.S. Vegetation Classification. Background Vegetation field plots.Vegetation field plots. Documentation & description of floristic types.Documentation & description of floristic types. Submission & peer review of proposed types.Submission & peer review of proposed types. Management, citation, & archiving of vegetation data.Management, citation, & archiving of vegetation data. ESA Guidelines for vegetation classification The ESA Vegetation Panel has developed guidelines for vegetation classification covering requirements for: North American Vegetation Classification Ecological Society of America Standards, peer review & publication.Ecological Society of America Standards, peer review & publication. US Federal Geographic Data Committee US government standards.US Federal Geographic Data Committee US government standards. NatureServe Maintenance and distribution of the Classification.NatureServe Maintenance and distribution of the Classification. USDA & ITIS Taxonomic standards for organismsUSDA & ITIS Taxonomic standards for organisms NatureServe Biotics Classification Mgt. US-NVC Panel Proposal submission Analysis & Synthesis VegBank & other plot archives US-NVC --- Proposed data flow Extraction NatureServe Explorer Peer Review NVC Proceedings Legend External Action Internal Action Software Entity T T T Biodiversity data structure Taxonomic database Observation database Occurrence database Observation/ Collection Event Specimen or Object Bio-Taxon Locality Observation or Community Type Observation type database Project Plot Observation Taxon / Individual Observation Taxon Interpretation Plot Interpretation Core elements of VegBank T T T Requirements: exchange standards for plot data Standard data structure (draft by VegBank team) in implementation.Standard data structure (draft by VegBank team) in implementation. XML Schema (draft by VegBank team, modification proposed by the German team).XML Schema (draft by VegBank team, modification proposed by the German team). International standards and compatibility (Active Working Group within the International Association for Vegetation Science).International standards and compatibility (Active Working Group within the International Association for Vegetation Science). Taxonomic database challenge: Standardizing organisms and communities The problem: Integration of data potentially representing different times, places, investigators and taxonomic standards. The traditional solution: A standard list of organisms / communities. Standardized taxon lists fail to allow dataset integration The reasons include: Taxonomic concepts are not defined (just lists),Taxonomic concepts are not defined (just lists), Relationships among concepts are not definedRelationships among concepts are not defined The user cannot reconstruct the database as viewed at an arbitrary time in the past,The user cannot reconstruct the database as viewed at an arbitrary time in the past, Multiple party perspectives on taxonomic concepts and names cannot be supported or reconciled.Multiple party perspectives on taxonomic concepts and names cannot be supported or reconciled. USDA Plants & ITIS Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa var. arizonica One concept ofAbies lasiocarpa Flora North America Abies lasiocarpa Abies bifolia A narrow concept of Abies lasiocarpa Partnership with USDA plants to provide plant concepts for data integration Relationships among concepts allow comparisons and conversions Congruent, equal (=)Congruent, equal (=) Includes (>)Includes (>) Included in (A. bifolia sec FNA A. lasiocarpa v. lasiocarpa sec USDA >A. lasiocarpa sec FNA A. lasiocarpa v. lasiocarpa sec USDA >