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
atio
na
l a
nd
th
em
atic
N
etw
ork
s
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