Transcript BioBomp

We can foster collaboration and improve
the results of Biodiversity Informatics
Antonio Mauro Saraiva
Universidade de São Paulo
Research Center on Biodiversity and Computing - BioComp
Agricultural Automation Laboratory
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It is not a question !
It is an affirmation !
Biodiversity Informatics has clearly evolved
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Standards development and adoption has
increased
New national and global systems
Digitization and sharing has increased
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GBIF data portal
• 405.720.566 indexed registers
• 10.139 datasets
• 493 publishers
Tim Hirsch, GBIF
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But we are lagging behind the needs of Biodiversity
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Biodiversity and ecosystem services are still
under huge threat
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Millennium ecosystem assessment
CBD 2010 report
IPCC 2013 report …
We have an important role to help change it
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The increasing power of ICTs is in our hands
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How close are our systems hitting their target?
How fit for use are they?
Are they effective ?
in terms of biodiversity conservation & sustainable use?
We already know we need systems with
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Richer data content
Better quality data
Wider coverage (geography and time)
Better (& ever changing...) user interfaces
Mobile portability
More robust modeling algorithms
Different contents for different audiences
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(That) support decision & policy making more effectively
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Huge task!
Heavy load!
In order to achieve that, we need
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To be more effective
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Faster and better results
Get more with less money
Global engagement
Our systems to be sustainable in the long run
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Keep alive / online
Keep getting new data
Keep evolving technologically
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We need
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Less repetition, less competition
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More collaboration
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New systems, old efforts
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How much effort (& time & money) could be saved if we
could develop new systems building on top of the best of
previous systems?
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Learning from previous experiences (good and bad)
Sharing code or services
Advancing technically mutually
Leveraging funding mutually
Speeding up biodiversity informatics worldwide
Heterosis or hybrid vigor: Hybrids are sometimes stronger than
either parent variety
That is where more collaboration can
make a difference
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Challenges & Opportunities () for collaboration
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Willingness
Awareness
Organization
Funding
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Willingness
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Do we want to share what we have done?
To which extent?
Data must be shared!
What about software ?????
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Open software is nice (if it is your software)
State funded software ~ state funded data ? 
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Willingness (2) – Collab is a two way road
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“Come be part of MY big project and share YOUR
data” approach
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Get some credit (well hidden in the metadata…)
Get feedback on your data problems, etc
Reciprocity is welcome 
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Provide services back:
• ex. aggregated data from others
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Share a tool to build a local node of the “big project”
• Hierarchical structure
Collaboration as a partnership, more symmetrical14
Good examples 
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GBIF
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Receives data from all over
• Global data portal
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Provides tools: free software
• Data portal tool, IPT, HIT
• National /local level
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Provides training
ALA – Atlas of Living Australia
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Open software
Coaching groups in Brazil, Costa Rica and Spain
Their funding (working capacity) is limited …15
Awareness
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What is out there ?
Where to look for existing projects, experiences,
tools, software, methods?
TDWG can help 
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An up-to-date project repository?
• TDWG´s “Biodiversity Information Projects of the World”
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TDWG Interest Groups & Task Groups
• Focal points for specific topics
• But they need to be active !!!
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TDWG meetings role (one of)
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Organization
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Collaboration in software development is a
challenge
Requires methods, tools, leadership: feasible
GBIF, TDWG and others might take the lead in
proposing some structure to it 
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Services that might be developed and provided
Training, guidelines (standards), etc.
Collaborate globally and act locally
Some of it has been done? Let´s do it better!
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Funding (& Sustainability )
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Funding agencies want brand new products
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Innovation, visibility
Can be a problem
Opportunities 
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International collaboration and visibility is welcome
Technical and budgetary arguments for software reuse
Collaborators can get funding for specific components
• Why not have GBIF/ALA partners working on specific parts of their
systems regularly?
Co-funding, distributed funding
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IABIN – PTN as an example
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Pollinators Thematic Network (PTN)
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InterAmerican Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN)
Tasks:
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IT infrastructure: data portal, digitization tool, experts roster
Data Digitization: seed money
Training
Budget (~ US$180k)
Distributed team: Pollinator Partnership, USP,
Smithsonian/ITIS, NBII/USGS
Distributed partners: LatAm countries institutions
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IABIN-PTN: Collaboration was fundamental
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GBIF - data portal
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Code (under development at that time)
Support (add other data/schema: interaction)
NBII/USGS expert roster
USP – sw dev. and additional funding in Brazil
All team: commitment, enthusiasm, collaboration,
despite the huge difficulties
Team building with the colleagues from other
LatAm countries
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Training and seed money for digitization
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specimens
interactions
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Do you have a plan?
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Data quality
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Symposium on Data Quality
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Presentations on Monday and Tuesday
Proposal of an Interest Group (TDWG)
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Good example of expertise that can be shared also as
code, services, training, etc
Place to organize, collaborate, share …
Will we collaborate ?
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Not every area has such potential to
collaborate as Biodiversity Informatics
A strong group of volunteers and enthusiasts
Two organizations such as TDWG and GBIF
Leading role & Recognition
Of course there has been collaboration !
But we need much more !!!
Is this an utopia?
Most of what we do now would be considered an
utopia 20 years ago…
Grazie ! Obrigado! Thank you !
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Antonio Mauro Saraiva
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BioComp – Research Center on Biodiversity and
Computing
Universidade de São Paulo - USP
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[email protected]
www.biocomp.org.br
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