This document discusses open access and biodiversity conservation challenges in developing countries. It notes that [1] while developing countries harbor much of the world's biodiversity, researchers there often lack access to biodiversity information. [2] Open access initiatives could help make biodiversity data more accessible worldwide, but developing countries face challenges adopting open access due to lack of funds and infrastructure. [3] The document calls for increasing freely available biodiversity data online to help conservation in developing nations.
Barcoding fungi can help promote mycology in Africa by:
1. Building fungal DNA reference libraries to aid identification of Africa's poorly documented fungal diversity.
2. Establishing collaborative networks to conduct targeted surveys, build collections, and generate high quality data on African fungi.
3. Leveraging barcoding technologies and global expertise to study fungal ecology at large scales and address challenges like limited local capacity and infrastructure.
The crop wild relatives of potato have been largely and successfully used in breeding to acquire agronomical attributes that can help the cultivated potato to be more resistant against pest, diseases and extreme environmental conditions. Assessing the representativeness of these species in genebanks, is a fundamental step to secure these genetic resources for plant breeding and future availability of this crop.
Poster prepared for the International Potato Center (CIP) Board of Trustees meeting, December 2014
The document proposes creating an Agricultural Ontology Service (AOS) to organize agricultural knowledge. It would integrate existing thesauri and allow semantic searching. The AOS would have a registry of concepts with attributes, definitions, labels and relations. It would facilitate information sharing and reuse across organizations. Next steps include defining the structure, collaborations and maintaining the AOS through an iterative knowledge registration process.
This document provides resources for botany research available at Warner Memorial Library. It lists databases like EBSCOhost, PubMed, and JSTOR that contain authoritative articles. It also lists relevant books in the online catalog and ebook collections. Websites with botanical information are mentioned, such as the Botanical Society of America and Plant Information Online.
Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects (2016)Anatol Alizar
This document is a report by the Committee on Genetically Engineered Crops that examines the past experiences and future prospects of genetically engineered crops. The committee is convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and includes experts from universities, research institutions, and private industry. The report provides an independent evaluation of genetically engineered crops and their impacts.
Development and evaluation of a trapping system for Anoplophora glabripennis ...Myers Shaiyen
This document describes the development and evaluation of a trapping system for the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in Massachusetts. Over 4 years, 1013 traps baited with different lure combinations were deployed in the Worcester area. The lures contained various releases of the male-produced pheromone, plant volatiles, and combinations. A total of 45 beetles were captured in 40 traps with lures. Trap catches helped locate previously unknown infestations and studies continue to optimize lure composition and placement.
In the use of biodiversity data is where the efforts of all the people working to make the data available digitally bears fruit.
In this module we will make a general review of the most frequent scenarios of data use, with two objectives: to help GBIF Node managers to promote them, but also to help them build their own arguments, strategies and plans.
Published on Aug 26, 2019
CONTENTS
-For the first time in Africa: 24th International Grassland Congress
-Buffelgrass: Broadening the frontier of genetic resources conservation, research and utilization
-Potential of Namibian native forage legumes as ruminant fodder
-Dairy farmers in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania reap big from Brachiaria grasses
-Agronomic status of grasses of the genus Urochloa in Grupo Papalotla
-Andropogon gayanus: Adoption and impact in Mexico
-Announcements
Barcoding fungi can help promote mycology in Africa by:
1. Building fungal DNA reference libraries to aid identification of Africa's poorly documented fungal diversity.
2. Establishing collaborative networks to conduct targeted surveys, build collections, and generate high quality data on African fungi.
3. Leveraging barcoding technologies and global expertise to study fungal ecology at large scales and address challenges like limited local capacity and infrastructure.
The crop wild relatives of potato have been largely and successfully used in breeding to acquire agronomical attributes that can help the cultivated potato to be more resistant against pest, diseases and extreme environmental conditions. Assessing the representativeness of these species in genebanks, is a fundamental step to secure these genetic resources for plant breeding and future availability of this crop.
Poster prepared for the International Potato Center (CIP) Board of Trustees meeting, December 2014
The document proposes creating an Agricultural Ontology Service (AOS) to organize agricultural knowledge. It would integrate existing thesauri and allow semantic searching. The AOS would have a registry of concepts with attributes, definitions, labels and relations. It would facilitate information sharing and reuse across organizations. Next steps include defining the structure, collaborations and maintaining the AOS through an iterative knowledge registration process.
This document provides resources for botany research available at Warner Memorial Library. It lists databases like EBSCOhost, PubMed, and JSTOR that contain authoritative articles. It also lists relevant books in the online catalog and ebook collections. Websites with botanical information are mentioned, such as the Botanical Society of America and Plant Information Online.
Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects (2016)Anatol Alizar
This document is a report by the Committee on Genetically Engineered Crops that examines the past experiences and future prospects of genetically engineered crops. The committee is convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and includes experts from universities, research institutions, and private industry. The report provides an independent evaluation of genetically engineered crops and their impacts.
Development and evaluation of a trapping system for Anoplophora glabripennis ...Myers Shaiyen
This document describes the development and evaluation of a trapping system for the invasive Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) in Massachusetts. Over 4 years, 1013 traps baited with different lure combinations were deployed in the Worcester area. The lures contained various releases of the male-produced pheromone, plant volatiles, and combinations. A total of 45 beetles were captured in 40 traps with lures. Trap catches helped locate previously unknown infestations and studies continue to optimize lure composition and placement.
In the use of biodiversity data is where the efforts of all the people working to make the data available digitally bears fruit.
In this module we will make a general review of the most frequent scenarios of data use, with two objectives: to help GBIF Node managers to promote them, but also to help them build their own arguments, strategies and plans.
Published on Aug 26, 2019
CONTENTS
-For the first time in Africa: 24th International Grassland Congress
-Buffelgrass: Broadening the frontier of genetic resources conservation, research and utilization
-Potential of Namibian native forage legumes as ruminant fodder
-Dairy farmers in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania reap big from Brachiaria grasses
-Agronomic status of grasses of the genus Urochloa in Grupo Papalotla
-Andropogon gayanus: Adoption and impact in Mexico
-Announcements
This document discusses the opportunities of open data sharing in the big data era, including quicker responses to problems, more collaboration, and harnessing crowd-sourced efforts. It provides examples of open data enabling scientific progress, such as genome analysis that helped control an E. coli outbreak. Open data can provide credit to data sharers and incentivize open science. The document advocates for removing barriers to open data like paywalls and silos through initiatives like GigaDB and GigaScience that integrate publishing and data platforms to maximize data utility.
This dissertation aimed to develop a framework for integrating in situ and ex situ biodiversity data management through the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). The author conducted case studies of representative species conservation programs and identified their data needs and current data management practices. Many programs used a combination of databases, documents and media that made data analysis inefficient. The author then aligned the data requirements and tools with ZIMS functionality to illustrate how it could standardize data collection and sharing between conservation partners. While ZIMS currently covers many needs, recommendations were made to further develop its in situ data management capabilities and fully integrate processes between programs.
INBio is a biodiversity institute in Costa Rica that collects and catalogs species. It has gathered information on over 28,000 species of plants, animals and fungi. Specimens are preserved, collected, labeled and digitized. Data is made accessible online and includes georeferenced location data and barcodes. Goals include identifying 4,000 arthropod and 500 fungal species. Challenges include implementing a new information system and increasing financial resources. The website averages over 700,000 monthly visits, with the majority viewing species records.
This document discusses the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and its role in assessing extinction risk and prioritizing conservation efforts. Some key points:
- The IUCN Red List provides standardized categories (vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered) to assess extinction risk for species based on population decline and other threats. However, it currently only covers a small fraction of known species.
- Developing countries in particular lack comprehensive red list assessments due to limited data and resources. For example, Pakistan has only assessed 52 of its 6000 plant species.
- The IUCN aims to expand red list assessments to better inform conservation planning and action. It is also developing a Red List of Ecosystems to similarly
Conservation planning for crop wild relatives brings agricultural organizatio...CWRofUS
Our native crop wild relatives have proved useful as genetic resources in breeding better food, forage and feed, industrial, and ornamental crops. Their utilization is expected only to increase with better information on the species and improving breeding tools, but may well be constrained by their limited representation in conservation systems and the ongoing loss of wild populations due to habitat modification, invasive species, climate change and other impacts. Complementary ex situ and in situ conservation efforts for native crop genetic resources are therefore warranted, with species-specific requirements, and the necessity for education and outreach in conservation, making collaboration across conservation institutions the most prudent way forward. We present foundational information useful to collaborative efforts. An inventory of U.S. crop wild relatives has prioritized taxa related to a broad range of important crops. Utilizing occurrence data gathered from herbaria and genebanks in combination with expert inputs, resulting potential distribution models are enabling the identification of hotspots of taxonomic diversity of wild relatives in the country, and a ‘gap analysis’ methodology is facilitating efforts to identify those taxa and geographic areas of particular conservation concern. Results indicate that a broad range of wild relative diversity remains to be conserved. Numerous populations of high priority taxa could be actively managed in existing conservation areas, although many are distributed in areas without long-term habitat protection. We discuss the value of collaboration across agriculture and botanic garden organizations to better conserve our nation’s heritage of crop wild relatives.
African rainforest dynamics: interactions between ecological processes and co...Alison Specht
The presentation of the CESAB group RAINBIO at the 2016 french ecology conference in the FRB-CESAB session "Using a treasury of knowledge to tackle complex ecological questions." Presented by Thomas Couvreur.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Agriculture Bhuvana Rao
The presentation has been prepared under the course Advances in Agricultural extension as a presentation part of the course work.
The content considered in the study are collected from renowned works of scientists, professors, Ph.D student's of varied educational institutes in their projects, thesis works.
The presentation gives a glimpse of what is ITK? and how it is important in Agriculture? and other aspects related to the context.
Seed Production and Variety Development for Organic SystemsElisaMendelsohn
The document discusses seed production and variety development for organic systems. It notes that while interest is growing in developing seed varieties specifically for organic production, this area is still in its infancy. Some public universities and seed companies are beginning to breed varieties suited to organic farming through participatory breeding programs and selecting traits that confer natural resistance. However, no commercially available seeds have been bred specifically for organic production yet. The document outlines challenges around increasing the supply of organic seeds and regulatory issues affecting U.S. organic farmers.
Donat Agosti - Copyright, Biopiracy and the Taxonomic Impediment ICZN
The document discusses several issues related to open access of taxonomic publications, including:
1) Taxonomic publications currently face a "taxonomic impediment" due to copyright restrictions that limit access. Making publications open access could help address conservation and research needs.
2) Descriptions of new species in particular should be considered open access similar to gene sequences, as they represent factual scientific knowledge.
3) Potential solutions include making all taxonomic publications openly accessible online, or at least allowing open access to the actual species descriptions within publications.
Robert E Sharp (with Shannon K King, Rachel K Owen, Jonathan T Stemmle and Shaozhong Kang), Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri. Missouri China Programme: Science Communication
Re-imagining the role of Institutional Repository in Open ScholarshipLeslie Chan
Keynote at the OpenAIRE and COAR Joint Conference Open Access: Movement to Reality
Putting the Pieces Together. Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece, May 21-13, 2014
1. The document discusses the role of academic libraries in promoting open science. It defines open science as making research data and processes openly available and accessible.
2. Academic libraries are changing with technology and there is increasing demand for multiple formats and tools to access information. Open science allows for more collaboration and knowledge sharing through open access to research results and data.
3. The objectives of the study are to identify current open science activities, assess academic library involvement, examine promotion methods, determine challenges, and make recommendations. Open science through academic libraries can improve research, education, and unite humanity in sharing knowledge.
OpenAIRE-COAR conference 2014: Re-imagining the role of institutional reposit...OpenAIRE
Presentation at the OpenAIRE-COAR Conference: "Open Access Movement to Reality: Putting the Pieces Together", Athens - May 21-22, 2014.
Re-imagining the role of institutional repositories in open scholarship, by Leslie Chan - Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Enhancing the WFO in support of GSPC.pptxWilliam Ulate
This document discusses the World Flora Online (WFO) project, which aims to create an online flora of all known plant species by 2020 in support of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. It provides background on previous efforts to comprehensively catalog the world's flora. The WFO will include a taxonomic backbone curated by experts, as well as descriptive content like names, distributions, images and conservation status. It seeks to make plant data more accessible and relevant to users like conservationists. The project supports objectives of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework around improving accessibility and building expert capacity.
Scott Edmunds from GigaScience on 'Publishing in the Open Data Era", at the "Open, Crowdsource and Blockchain Science!" hangout at Hackerspace.sg, 23rd March 2015
The environment has been erroneously perceived as a god’s-given resource to be explored and exploited for production of goods and services necessary for the satisfaction of human needs and comfort. This perception inspired man to engage in breath-taking explorations into the huge vaults of the heavens with ozone layer depletion, green house effect as consequences resulting to global warming, climate change, loss of biodiversity on one hand and pollution, deforestation, flooding, draught, famine, flood, extreme weather events on the other hand, as global catastrophic threats to human kind. These problems have become a major concern of the international community who has called for a new type of education for a better understanding of the complexity of the problems of the environment as well as for effective management of environmental resources. This type of education is referred to as environmental education. This paper explored the library as a medium for the dissemination of knowledge of the environment and its problems. It explored various ways through which knowledge of environmental problems and their prevention is promoted through the instrumentality of the library. It concludes that library as a reservoir of knowledge should be equipped with materials containing information on environmental problems and as well as be made accessible to all humans in every part of the globe.| Publisher: International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
2014 CrossRef Annual Meeting Keynote: Ways and Needs to Promote Rapid Data Sh...Crossref
Keynote address: "Ways and Needs to Promote Rapid Data Sharing" by Laurie Goodman of GigaScience.
Data is the base upon which all scientific discoveries are built, and data availability speeds the rate at which discoveries are made. Given that the overall goal for research is to improve human health and our environment, waiting to release data until after the first publication (sometimes taking years) is unacceptable. There are myriad issues that impede researchers from openly, and most importantly, rapidly sharing data, including lack of incentives: no credit, limited funding benefits, and little impact on career advancement; and cultural issues: the fear of being scooped. However, scientific publishers —the communicators of science and a key mechanism by which a researcher’s productivity is measured— can, and should, play a central role in promoting data sharing. Data citation and publication are just some of the ways we can support and encourage researchers who share data. Here, I will provide examples to help make clear the need for publishers to play an active role in this process and provide potential ways to facilitate our ability to promote open and rapid data sharing. This is not easy; but it is essential.
Biodiversity Informatics: An Interdisciplinary ChallengeBryan Heidorn
"Impacto de la Informática en el Conocimiento de la Biodiversidad: Actualidad y Futuro” at Universidad Nacional de Colombia on August 12, 2011. https://sites.google.com/site/simposioinformaticaicn/home
This document discusses the opportunities of open data sharing in the big data era, including quicker responses to problems, more collaboration, and harnessing crowd-sourced efforts. It provides examples of open data enabling scientific progress, such as genome analysis that helped control an E. coli outbreak. Open data can provide credit to data sharers and incentivize open science. The document advocates for removing barriers to open data like paywalls and silos through initiatives like GigaDB and GigaScience that integrate publishing and data platforms to maximize data utility.
This dissertation aimed to develop a framework for integrating in situ and ex situ biodiversity data management through the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). The author conducted case studies of representative species conservation programs and identified their data needs and current data management practices. Many programs used a combination of databases, documents and media that made data analysis inefficient. The author then aligned the data requirements and tools with ZIMS functionality to illustrate how it could standardize data collection and sharing between conservation partners. While ZIMS currently covers many needs, recommendations were made to further develop its in situ data management capabilities and fully integrate processes between programs.
INBio is a biodiversity institute in Costa Rica that collects and catalogs species. It has gathered information on over 28,000 species of plants, animals and fungi. Specimens are preserved, collected, labeled and digitized. Data is made accessible online and includes georeferenced location data and barcodes. Goals include identifying 4,000 arthropod and 500 fungal species. Challenges include implementing a new information system and increasing financial resources. The website averages over 700,000 monthly visits, with the majority viewing species records.
This document discusses the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and its role in assessing extinction risk and prioritizing conservation efforts. Some key points:
- The IUCN Red List provides standardized categories (vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered) to assess extinction risk for species based on population decline and other threats. However, it currently only covers a small fraction of known species.
- Developing countries in particular lack comprehensive red list assessments due to limited data and resources. For example, Pakistan has only assessed 52 of its 6000 plant species.
- The IUCN aims to expand red list assessments to better inform conservation planning and action. It is also developing a Red List of Ecosystems to similarly
Conservation planning for crop wild relatives brings agricultural organizatio...CWRofUS
Our native crop wild relatives have proved useful as genetic resources in breeding better food, forage and feed, industrial, and ornamental crops. Their utilization is expected only to increase with better information on the species and improving breeding tools, but may well be constrained by their limited representation in conservation systems and the ongoing loss of wild populations due to habitat modification, invasive species, climate change and other impacts. Complementary ex situ and in situ conservation efforts for native crop genetic resources are therefore warranted, with species-specific requirements, and the necessity for education and outreach in conservation, making collaboration across conservation institutions the most prudent way forward. We present foundational information useful to collaborative efforts. An inventory of U.S. crop wild relatives has prioritized taxa related to a broad range of important crops. Utilizing occurrence data gathered from herbaria and genebanks in combination with expert inputs, resulting potential distribution models are enabling the identification of hotspots of taxonomic diversity of wild relatives in the country, and a ‘gap analysis’ methodology is facilitating efforts to identify those taxa and geographic areas of particular conservation concern. Results indicate that a broad range of wild relative diversity remains to be conserved. Numerous populations of high priority taxa could be actively managed in existing conservation areas, although many are distributed in areas without long-term habitat protection. We discuss the value of collaboration across agriculture and botanic garden organizations to better conserve our nation’s heritage of crop wild relatives.
African rainforest dynamics: interactions between ecological processes and co...Alison Specht
The presentation of the CESAB group RAINBIO at the 2016 french ecology conference in the FRB-CESAB session "Using a treasury of knowledge to tackle complex ecological questions." Presented by Thomas Couvreur.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Agriculture Bhuvana Rao
The presentation has been prepared under the course Advances in Agricultural extension as a presentation part of the course work.
The content considered in the study are collected from renowned works of scientists, professors, Ph.D student's of varied educational institutes in their projects, thesis works.
The presentation gives a glimpse of what is ITK? and how it is important in Agriculture? and other aspects related to the context.
Seed Production and Variety Development for Organic SystemsElisaMendelsohn
The document discusses seed production and variety development for organic systems. It notes that while interest is growing in developing seed varieties specifically for organic production, this area is still in its infancy. Some public universities and seed companies are beginning to breed varieties suited to organic farming through participatory breeding programs and selecting traits that confer natural resistance. However, no commercially available seeds have been bred specifically for organic production yet. The document outlines challenges around increasing the supply of organic seeds and regulatory issues affecting U.S. organic farmers.
Donat Agosti - Copyright, Biopiracy and the Taxonomic Impediment ICZN
The document discusses several issues related to open access of taxonomic publications, including:
1) Taxonomic publications currently face a "taxonomic impediment" due to copyright restrictions that limit access. Making publications open access could help address conservation and research needs.
2) Descriptions of new species in particular should be considered open access similar to gene sequences, as they represent factual scientific knowledge.
3) Potential solutions include making all taxonomic publications openly accessible online, or at least allowing open access to the actual species descriptions within publications.
Robert E Sharp (with Shannon K King, Rachel K Owen, Jonathan T Stemmle and Shaozhong Kang), Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri. Missouri China Programme: Science Communication
Re-imagining the role of Institutional Repository in Open ScholarshipLeslie Chan
Keynote at the OpenAIRE and COAR Joint Conference Open Access: Movement to Reality
Putting the Pieces Together. Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece, May 21-13, 2014
1. The document discusses the role of academic libraries in promoting open science. It defines open science as making research data and processes openly available and accessible.
2. Academic libraries are changing with technology and there is increasing demand for multiple formats and tools to access information. Open science allows for more collaboration and knowledge sharing through open access to research results and data.
3. The objectives of the study are to identify current open science activities, assess academic library involvement, examine promotion methods, determine challenges, and make recommendations. Open science through academic libraries can improve research, education, and unite humanity in sharing knowledge.
OpenAIRE-COAR conference 2014: Re-imagining the role of institutional reposit...OpenAIRE
Presentation at the OpenAIRE-COAR Conference: "Open Access Movement to Reality: Putting the Pieces Together", Athens - May 21-22, 2014.
Re-imagining the role of institutional repositories in open scholarship, by Leslie Chan - Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Enhancing the WFO in support of GSPC.pptxWilliam Ulate
This document discusses the World Flora Online (WFO) project, which aims to create an online flora of all known plant species by 2020 in support of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. It provides background on previous efforts to comprehensively catalog the world's flora. The WFO will include a taxonomic backbone curated by experts, as well as descriptive content like names, distributions, images and conservation status. It seeks to make plant data more accessible and relevant to users like conservationists. The project supports objectives of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework around improving accessibility and building expert capacity.
Scott Edmunds from GigaScience on 'Publishing in the Open Data Era", at the "Open, Crowdsource and Blockchain Science!" hangout at Hackerspace.sg, 23rd March 2015
The environment has been erroneously perceived as a god’s-given resource to be explored and exploited for production of goods and services necessary for the satisfaction of human needs and comfort. This perception inspired man to engage in breath-taking explorations into the huge vaults of the heavens with ozone layer depletion, green house effect as consequences resulting to global warming, climate change, loss of biodiversity on one hand and pollution, deforestation, flooding, draught, famine, flood, extreme weather events on the other hand, as global catastrophic threats to human kind. These problems have become a major concern of the international community who has called for a new type of education for a better understanding of the complexity of the problems of the environment as well as for effective management of environmental resources. This type of education is referred to as environmental education. This paper explored the library as a medium for the dissemination of knowledge of the environment and its problems. It explored various ways through which knowledge of environmental problems and their prevention is promoted through the instrumentality of the library. It concludes that library as a reservoir of knowledge should be equipped with materials containing information on environmental problems and as well as be made accessible to all humans in every part of the globe.| Publisher: International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
2014 CrossRef Annual Meeting Keynote: Ways and Needs to Promote Rapid Data Sh...Crossref
Keynote address: "Ways and Needs to Promote Rapid Data Sharing" by Laurie Goodman of GigaScience.
Data is the base upon which all scientific discoveries are built, and data availability speeds the rate at which discoveries are made. Given that the overall goal for research is to improve human health and our environment, waiting to release data until after the first publication (sometimes taking years) is unacceptable. There are myriad issues that impede researchers from openly, and most importantly, rapidly sharing data, including lack of incentives: no credit, limited funding benefits, and little impact on career advancement; and cultural issues: the fear of being scooped. However, scientific publishers —the communicators of science and a key mechanism by which a researcher’s productivity is measured— can, and should, play a central role in promoting data sharing. Data citation and publication are just some of the ways we can support and encourage researchers who share data. Here, I will provide examples to help make clear the need for publishers to play an active role in this process and provide potential ways to facilitate our ability to promote open and rapid data sharing. This is not easy; but it is essential.
Biodiversity Informatics: An Interdisciplinary ChallengeBryan Heidorn
"Impacto de la Informática en el Conocimiento de la Biodiversidad: Actualidad y Futuro” at Universidad Nacional de Colombia on August 12, 2011. https://sites.google.com/site/simposioinformaticaicn/home
This document discusses the importance of natural history collections and the need to digitize specimens. It highlights efforts worldwide to digitize collections, with most developed countries digitizing some percentage of their collections. However, developing countries are lagging behind in these efforts due to lack of encouragement, expertise and infrastructure. The document then introduces SAMPADA, a software developed by the authors to help automate and digitize natural history collections in India. It proposes a national infrastructure to ensure digitization of Indian biological collections and disseminate the data.
Demand and Supply Situation for Medicinal PlantsAI Publications
From 2020 to 2015, it was predicted that the demand for medicinal plants in India will increase at an annual pace of between 17 and 23 percent to meet the needs of both domestic and international consumers. Small-scale farmers stand to gain financially and economically from a well-organized medicinal plant production and administration system. Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha are the three main Indian medical traditions, and together they are expected to bring in more than $500 million annually. In 2015, the gap between demand and supply of MAPs was predicted to be between 50,000 and 250,000 tons. In 2020, this hole was predicted to grow from 250,000 to 500,000 metric tons. Modified accelerated production (MAP) industries provide labor opportunities in economically depressed states, raising the standard of living and tax base of the area.
This Power point presentation is about the collection of information from the role of botanic Gardens in 21st Century and other related literatures. This is presented to the staff of Gullele Botanic Garden in order to strengthen the performance of individuals in the botanic garden. Primarily the ppt contains historical background of Botanic Gardens, current status and challenges of the botanic gardens worldwide and the future prospects including the governance structure. It is compiled by Dr. Talemos Seta, Lead Researcher In Ecology and Conservation Biology, Gullele Botanic Garden, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
This document provides guidance for science journalists on how to effectively research, write about, and engage audiences on scientific topics. It discusses challenges in science journalism like the spread of misinformation. The document outlines different models for communicating science to the public and emphasizes building trust by presenting information factually, transparently, and in a way that relates to people's lives. It provides tips for journalists on properly researching and verifying scientific claims by checking the credibility of sources and identifying limitations or biases. The overall goal is to help journalists immerse themselves in research and interact with scientists to produce stories that stimulate public understanding and discussion of important scientific issues.
The document discusses access to scholarly knowledge in Latin America. It notes that both well-funded and poorly-funded universities in the region face challenges in accessing paywalled scholarly articles due to budget constraints. Some strategies used to overcome this include requesting articles from other universities, using borrowed credentials, and tools like Sci-Hub that provide access to paywalled content. The document argues that knowledge in areas of "common causes" like conservation science and climate change should be openly accessible by default. It concludes that strategies to strengthen open access in Latin America must consider the specific regional context.
This document describes the development of an online spatial database called the Australian Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge (AIBK) database. The database was created by an working group to compile and map publicly available documentation on Indigenous biocultural knowledge in Australia. It currently includes over 1,500 documents, of which 568 are georeferenced. The goal is to increase awareness of documented Indigenous knowledge, identify gaps, and promote collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and land managers. The database is intended to support natural and cultural resource management by making Indigenous knowledge more accessible.
Doing more with less resources used to be a situation common just for academic scientists. This is unfortunately still true for academics but we are seeing others facing many of the same challenges. With the squeeze on budgets and cost cutting resulting from recent worldwide economic challenges, the failure of many drugs to make it through the pipeline to the market, and the increasing costs associated with the drug development process, we are now seeing in the pharmaceutical industry a dramatic shift, perhaps belatedly, to have to accommodate similar challenges of doing more with less
Conceptualising Framework for Local Biodiversity Heritage Sites (LBHS): A Bio...Vishwas Chavan
This document proposes a conceptual framework for establishing Local Biodiversity Heritage Sites (LBHS) in Maharashtra, India based on a social-ecological model. It discusses how the Biological Diversity Act of 2002 allows local communities to designate biodiversity-rich areas as heritage sites. The framework identifies potential LBHS in two habitats: sacred groves, which are forest patches traditionally protected for their cultural and ecological values; and rocky plateaus, which support unique biodiversity through indigenous management practices. The document argues LBHS can preserve genetic resources, species, ecosystems, knowledge, culture and traditions as a legacy for future generations.
State Biodiversity Boards: Towards Better GovernanceVishwas Chavan
India’s Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the three-tier
implementation mechanism of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), the State Biodiversity Board (SBB), the Union Territory Biodiversity Council (UTBC) and the Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) is close to two decades old. However, our collective and compounding national progress is much less than satisfactory. One of the major reasons is lack of empowerment
of the SBBs, the UTBCs and resultantly passive functioning of the BMCs. Bottom-upward empowerment of BMCs to SBBs and UTBCs is crucial in order to achieve the National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) and other national biodiversity conservation and sustainable development ambitions. In this article, author proposes a five pillared work program that can help empower
the SBBs and UTBCs that can result in vibrant and optimally governing BMCs. Some or all of the activities mentioned in this article may have been initiated or implemented by few SBBs and UTBCs. However, author calls for coordinated and performance evaluation mechanism being developed and steered by SBBs and UTBC to achieve the national goal of development inclusive biodiversity conservation.
Exploring the future of scholarly publishing of biodiversity dataVishwas Chavan
Little more than decade back biodiversity data publishing was opportunistic and secondary spin-off activity of the biodiversity research and conservation management chain. Today, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility facilitate free and open access to over 420 million primary biodiversity data records contributed by publishers across the globe. This is an outcome of a growing realization that free and open access to biodiversity data is crucial to take informed decisions and actions for sustainable use of biotic resources and conservation of biodiversity areas. In recent past use of biodiversity data in research, conservation and management activities is on rise. However, users often complain about the low degree of ‘fitness-for-use’ of the accessible data. Most of the times potential use of data is hampered because of lack of adequate metadata, that can demonstrate the fintness-for-use of a given dataset.
To overcome this an appropriate incentivisation mechanism is essential, that can provide due credit and acknowledgement to a research groups for their efforts in authoring good metadata. In recent past a concept of ‘scholarly data publishing’ is being talked about where in both data and metadata undergo peer-review similar to other scientific publications. Pensoft publishing has launched a fresh data only journal called ‘Biodiversity Data Journal, and accepts data papers in six of its other journal titles. European aquatic biodiversity community through EU funded project ‘BioFresh’ has engaged with editors of 29 aquatic biodiversity journals to being accepting data papers. GBIF node in Columbia and South Africa are planning to kick start a journal that will publish data papers. Recently, Nature Publishing Group has announced a peer-reviewed data publishing only journal called ‘Scientific Data’. These developments announce the arrival of the new data publishing era ‘Scholarly Data Publishing’. Biodiversity science and biodiversity informatics stands to gain a lot by being on the forefront of this tide.
The document discusses GBIF's 2010-2011 work programme highlights related to improving content for science and society. It outlines GBIF's approach to focus on community needs, expand content coverage to include multimedia and observations, and increase relevance through facilitating the flow of data and information to scientific publications and decisions. It also analyzes current coverage and content biases and trends to help guide GBIF's science focus in 2011.
This document discusses data citation mechanisms and services for primary biodiversity data. It outlines the need for data citation to provide recognition for data producers and publishers. An ideal data citation framework would address social, technical, and policy issues to incentivize all stakeholders. Core technical components would include persistent identifiers, a data citation mechanism, and a data usage index. The document reviews the history calling for data citation standards and proposes requirements for an effective data citation model, including attributing roles across data production and publication. It also examines challenges in developing data citation practices.
The document summarizes the recommendations of the GBIF Governing Board's Global Strategy and Action Plan for Mobilization of Natural History Collections Data task group. The task group recommends that GBIF facilitate discovery of non-digital collection resources, increase efficiency of data capture and quality of digitized specimens, and improve infrastructure for publishing digitized collection data globally.
The document summarizes the state of data publishing through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) network. It finds that while data records are increasing, the rate of increase is declining. Developing regions contribute the most data, with the Avian Knowledge Network as the single largest data publisher. Over 2.4 billion records have been identified by GBIF participants but only around 800 million are accessible digitally and participants have committed to publishing less than 25% of available records by 2010. There remains a need for more strategic and planned approaches to data discovery and publishing with an emphasis on both local and global efforts.
This article discusses Balanophora, a rare and endangered plant found in North East India. It belongs to the family Balanophoraceae. The 15 species in the genus are native to the Old World Tropics. Most species are parasites on tree roots and are found in dense forests in the Himalayan region. They have underground inflorescences that rupture and emerge above ground. The plants are dioecious. Balanophora is listed as an endangered species under Indian law and prohibited from export due to its rarity. The article provides a brief description of the plant's rhizome, scapes, and reproductive structure.
This document provides an overview of bioinformatics education in India. It discusses how bioinformatics education has evolved from short workshops to formal degree programs over time. A key development was the establishment of the Biotechnology Information System network in the 1980s by the Department of Biotechnology, which helped develop bioinformatics infrastructure and training programs in India. The document then describes the current landscape of bioinformatics education in India, including a case study of the master's program in bioinformatics at the University of Pune. It concludes by noting that many universities and institutions now offer bioinformatics education at various levels to train students for careers in this growing field.
The document summarizes recommendations from the GBIF GSAP-NHC Task Group on improving the publishing of natural history collections data. It recommends that GBIF facilitate access to information about non-digital collections, work to increase the efficiency of digitizing specimen data and enhance data quality, and improve the global infrastructure for publishing digitized collections data.
The document discusses a meeting agenda between GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) and Elsevier to discuss opportunities for collaboration around data publishing and sharing biodiversity data. Some key points discussed in the agenda include GBIF's role in facilitating open access to biodiversity data, its data publishing framework to encourage data mobilization and sharing, and potential areas of collaboration around simultaneous publishing of data and scholarly articles.
The document discusses GBIF's (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) goals of facilitating open access to biodiversity data worldwide to support scientific research. GBIF shares over 200 million biodiversity records through data publishers and resources. The document proposes a Data Publishing Framework to improve data mobilization and cultural acceptance of open data sharing. It describes challenges to the framework and its potential impacts, such as increased data usage and quality through incentives like data papers and a Data Usage Index.
The document summarizes recommendations from the GBIF GSAP-NHC Task Group on improving the digitization and publication of natural history collection data. It recommends that GBIF facilitate discovery of non-digital collection resources, increase efficiency and quality of data capture, and improve global infrastructure for publishing digitized collection data. Specifically, it calls for GBIF to publicize non-digital metadata, assess the scale of undigitized specimens, support technological innovations for digitization, and strengthen hosting and identification of published data.
The document discusses technologies and infrastructure for publishing biodiversity data from environmental impact assessments (EIA). It covers the types and formats of EIA biodiversity data, tools for data capture and digitization, platforms for data discovery and publishing, ensuring data quality, and hosting data centers to facilitate long-term archiving and publishing of EIA biodiversity data.
The document discusses the need for a Global Biodiversity Resources Discovery System (GBRDS) to address challenges in discovering biodiversity data. It proposes that GBRDS would act as a registry and discovery service to facilitate finding biodiversity information resources. GBRDS would provide an integrated 'yellow pages' reference for all biodiversity data by reconciling distributed resources and allowing meaningful discovery of data and services in a distributed manner. The document outlines how GBRDS could empower discovery of biodiversity data resources.
The document discusses the Global Biodiversity Resources Discovery System (GBRDS) registry which aims to create a single indexed registry of biodiversity data sources. It outlines activities to develop the registry including building a flexible database, user interface, and API. The registry will integrate distributed biodiversity data and enable discovery of institutions, collections, services, and more.
Dr. Sean Tan, Head of Data Science, Changi Airport Group
Discover how Changi Airport Group (CAG) leverages graph technologies and generative AI to revolutionize their search capabilities. This session delves into the unique search needs of CAG’s diverse passengers and customers, showcasing how graph data structures enhance the accuracy and relevance of AI-generated search results, mitigating the risk of “hallucinations” and improving the overall customer journey.
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
Sudheer Mechineni, Head of Application Frameworks, Standard Chartered Bank
Discover how Standard Chartered Bank harnessed the power of Neo4j to transform complex data access challenges into a dynamic, scalable graph database solution. This keynote will cover their journey from initial adoption to deploying a fully automated, enterprise-grade causal cluster, highlighting key strategies for modelling organisational changes and ensuring robust disaster recovery. Learn how these innovations have not only enhanced Standard Chartered Bank’s data infrastructure but also positioned them as pioneers in the banking sector’s adoption of graph technology.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 6DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 6. In this session, we will cover Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI webinar offers an in-depth exploration of leveraging cutting-edge technologies for test automation within the UiPath platform. Attendees will delve into the integration of generative AI, a test automation solution, with Open AI advanced natural language processing capabilities.
Throughout the session, participants will discover how this synergy empowers testers to automate repetitive tasks, enhance testing accuracy, and expedite the software testing life cycle. Topics covered include the seamless integration process, practical use cases, and the benefits of harnessing AI-driven automation for UiPath testing initiatives. By attending this webinar, testers, and automation professionals can gain valuable insights into harnessing the power of AI to optimize their test automation workflows within the UiPath ecosystem, ultimately driving efficiency and quality in software development processes.
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into integrating generative AI.
2. Understanding how this integration enhances test automation within the UiPath platform
3. Practical demonstrations
4. Exploration of real-world use cases illustrating the benefits of AI-driven test automation for UiPath
Topics covered:
What is generative AI
Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath integration with generative AI
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Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Maruthi Prithivirajan, Head of ASEAN & IN Solution Architecture, Neo4j
Get an inside look at the latest Neo4j innovations that enable relationship-driven intelligence at scale. Learn more about the newest cloud integrations and product enhancements that make Neo4j an essential choice for developers building apps with interconnected data and generative AI.
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Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
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Unlock the Future of Search with MongoDB Atlas_ Vector Search Unleashed.pdfMalak Abu Hammad
Discover how MongoDB Atlas and vector search technology can revolutionize your application's search capabilities. This comprehensive presentation covers:
* What is Vector Search?
* Importance and benefits of vector search
* Practical use cases across various industries
* Step-by-step implementation guide
* Live demos with code snippets
* Enhancing LLM capabilities with vector search
* Best practices and optimization strategies
Perfect for developers, AI enthusiasts, and tech leaders. Learn how to leverage MongoDB Atlas to deliver highly relevant, context-aware search results, transforming your data retrieval process. Stay ahead in tech innovation and maximize the potential of your applications.
#MongoDB #VectorSearch #AI #SemanticSearch #TechInnovation #DataScience #LLM #MachineLearning #SearchTechnology
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Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Climate Impact of Software Testing at Nordic Testing DaysKari Kakkonen
My slides at Nordic Testing Days 6.6.2024
Climate impact / sustainability of software testing discussed on the talk. ICT and testing must carry their part of global responsibility to help with the climat warming. We can minimize the carbon footprint but we can also have a carbon handprint, a positive impact on the climate. Quality characteristics can be added with sustainability, and then measured continuously. Test environments can be used less, and in smaller scale and on demand. Test techniques can be used in optimizing or minimizing number of tests. Test automation can be used to speed up testing.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 5DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 5. In this session, we will cover CI/CD with devops.
Topics covered:
CI/CD with in UiPath
End-to-end overview of CI/CD pipeline with Azure devops
Speaker:
Lyndsey Byblow, Test Suite Sales Engineer @ UiPath, Inc.
How to Get CNIC Information System with Paksim Ga.pptxdanishmna97
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GraphSummit Singapore | The Future of Agility: Supercharging Digital Transfor...Neo4j
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Threats to mobile devices are more prevalent and increasing in scope and complexity. Users of mobile devices desire to take full advantage of the features
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National Security Agency - NSA mobile device best practices
Oa & Biodiversity Conservation
1. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 1
OPEN ACCESS AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION:
CHALLENGES AND POTENTIALS FOR THE DEVELOPING
WORLD
Jitendra Gaikwad 1 and Vishwas Chavan 1*
1
Information Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, INDIA.
Email: gaikwad.jitendra@gmail.com, vs.chavan@ncl.res.in *
ABSTRACT
Access to and sharing of data is essential for biodiversity conservation. However, workers from
developing nations that harbor rich biodiversity often do not have access to biodiversity information
and often are not keen on making what data they have accessible to others. Open access initiatives
offer a great opportunity to make the world’s biodiversity information accessible to anyone, at any time
and in any place. This article reviews the state of open access in the developing world and argues for
the increase of data on biodiversity in the public domain. It makes specific suggestions about how the
developing world can reap the benefits of this global S&T movement to better conserve and sustain
biotic resources through the creation of a “virtual biodiversity research space”.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Open Access, Developing World, Archives, Public Domain, Conservation,
Biodiversity Informatics, Virtual Research Space.
1. BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION
Information technology has come up as an extremely powerful tool for disseminating information and
has capacity to reach at a faster and wider range. The Internet has made a strong impact on scientific
publications and communications, leading to opening of possibilities for scientists and researchers to
contribute to the global knowledge. To reduce the digital gap between the scholars from developed and
developing countries, barrier free open access mechanism is necessary for vital research (Smith, 2003),
which can be accessed through journals, archives, repositories and databases that are operated on open
access principles. It is now well established that information on biotic resources of a nation is crucial
for efficient and sustainable resource management (PCAST, 1998). Data and information on
biodiversity is a must in wide range of scientific studies such as ecological niche modeling and
forecasting, phylogeny, DNA barcoding, education leading to conservation, environmental monitoring,
natural resource management, socioeconomic aspect with respect to valuing ecosystem services
(Costanza, d’Arge, de Groot, Farber, Grasso, Hannon, et al, 1997), use of natural wealth for human
welfare and for decision makers to set up policies for sustainable conservation (Canhos, Souza,
Giovanni, & Canhos, 2004).
Even though only 1.8 million of the estimated 10-12 million species are described by science so far
(May 1999), data and information associated with these species is enormous (O’Neill, Bauldock, &
Lawlor, 2003). For instance, the world’s major natural history collections alone house over 3 billion
specimens associated with these described species (Butler, Gee, & Macilwain, 1998). However, similar
to uneven distribution of these specimens, data and information about biodiversity too is unevenly
distributed and accessible (Chavan & Krishnan, 2004). The world’s biodiversity is concentrated in
tropical regions consisting of developing and under-developed nations. Especially, emerging
developing nations such as India, China, Brazil, and under-developed regions like Africa are
“biodiversity storehouses” with unique taxa and species diversity (Peterson, Vieglais, Siguenza, &
Silva, 2003). Ironically information on this “biodiversity storehouse” is accessible through major
2. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 2
scholarly publications in the form of journals, which are from developed countries like USA and
European nations. Notably the important publishers from developed countries such as Elsevier,
Harvard University Press, and Blackwell advocate the loss of revenue and copyright issues due to
providing the open access to all (Agosti, 2005). This is contrary to the fact that for scientific studies
and sustainable management of this biotic diversity, information has to be made accessible to all when
and where needed (Lane, 2000).
In the past several initiatives were taken by open access supporters and scientific publishers such as
Oxford University Press, Public library of science (PLoS), International Scholar Communication
Alliance (ISCA) and Open Archives Initiative (OAI) to encourage, support and explore the possibilities
of open access publishing, but these calls themselves are not heard in the developed countries. For
instance, a survey conducted by the Centre for Information Behaviour and the Evaluation of Research
at City University London, reveals that 82% of scientists know little or nothing about open access
(Butler, 2004). Hence researchers and scholars across the globe need to make concerted efforts in
taking advantage of technology and share biodiversity information.
2. BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION AND DEVELOPING WORLD
In developing countries biodiversity information is not presently managed in a manner that enables
efficient and optimum use for conservation (Peterson, A.T. et al 2003) with few exceptions such as
Brazil, and Mexico (De Carvalho, Bockmann, Amorim, De Vivo, De Toledo-Piza, Menezes, et al.,
2005). Though cutting edge technologies are being developed for efficient spread of scientific
information in developed countries, it has been a difficult situation to implement them in developing
countries due to lack of funds, infrastructure and orthodox mind set. This is partly due to concern that
private agencies from the developed world would use the biodiversity information to produce
commercial products without giving any benefit to the developing and under developed world (Masood,
2004). Unfortunately both ecologically and economically valuable information in the developing
countries is often locked in cupboards in print format such as survey reports, monographs, research
reports and publications in low circulation local journals, making their access difficult (Chavan, et al
2004). Above all researchers are very skeptical for sharing information and do not appreciate use of
information technology in their research as they feel that it will reduce their importance. Often
researchers avoid sharing for the reason that the data are classified and cannot be shared or are
restricted for use within the nation itself. Further scientists interested in information management and
sharing activities are discouraged, as they are not considered as scientific activity. Accurate natural
resource inventory will completely depend on efficient and timely access to authentic information on
biodiversity resources, which the developing and under-developed countries lack. Hence the scientific
communities at large from developing and under-developed countries need to recognize the use of
information and communication technology in biodiversity conservation and ecology as the corner
stone for their future economy, social and environmental well being (Fonseca & Benson 2003 and
Chavan, & Krishnan, 2004). Further, it has become a matter of prime concern for the researchers and
scientists with respect to the identification and acquisition of information on species, yet to be
described and published, before they disappear.
3. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 3
In developing countries, subscription to multiple journals becomes prohibitive due to budget
constraints of many academic institutions. In sub Saharan Africa most libraries have not subscribed to
any journals for years, as they cannot afford to maintain good libraries. In recent times, information and
communication technology has also escalated the content divide due to lack of infrastructure and
access to internet in under developed and developing countries (Subbiah, 2003 .a.). To overcome this
problem, developing countries have started their own indigenous local journals produced using the
print technology, which is expensive to produce and distribute (Scaria, 2003). A few local journals are
indexed by the Science Citation Index. Due to low international readership, however, these
publications do not get proper recognition, which results in low visibility and low impact factor (Chan,
Kirsop, & Subbiah, 2005). These factors hamper the growth of such journals into mature, reputed and
internationally recognized publication. (Ramchandran, & Scaria, 2004).
To illustrate these points, we chose India as representative of the developing world and carried out
searches in Google, to determine numbers of both online and print journals published from India
related to biodiversity, ecology, forestry, agricultural biodiversity, flora, fauna and environment
sciences. We could find 129 Indian journals (Table 1) of which only 6 journals are openly accessible
through the Internet. This is in contrast to the total of 83 open access journals (Table2) related to
biodiversity and allied subjects accessible on the Internet. Both accessibility to these journals and their
visibility are caught in a unique vicious cycle. On the one hand, the majority of the premier Indian
institutions are not able to ensure access to all of these 129 biodiversity related journals published in
India. On the other hand, researchers are reluctant to publish their results in these journals owing to
their low impact factors and limited circulation, leading to low visibility. The majority of these journals
were commissioned solely to disseminate information more rapidly, but most of them are now extinct
or on verge of becoming extinct due to lack of funds, lack of sustained manuscript submissions, and
limited readership. Because of the high impact factors (as measured by the ISI Science Citation Index),
researchers are more interested to publish their findings in nationally and internationally recognized
journals, which are often inaccessible to other scientists from the developing world, making it difficult
for funding agencies and policy makers to take stock of their research output (Chan et al. 2005).
Table 1. List of Journals from India on Environmental and Biodiversity
Agra University Journal of Research (Science)
Agricultural Research Journal of Kerala
Agrobios India, Jodhpur
Annals of Entomology
Annals of Forestry
Annals of Zoology, Agra
Asian Biotechnology and Development Review
Biological Bulletin of India
Biovigyanam
Bulletin Department of Marine Sciences
Bulletin Department of Zoology.
Bulletin Entomological society of India
4. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 4
Bulletin of Association of Zoologists
Bulletin of Indian Geological Association.
Bulletin of the Indian Society for Malaria & other Communicable diseases.
Bulletin of Zoological Survey of India
CSIR Zoological Memoirs on Indian Animal Types- No. 1
CSIRO Entomology Technical Paper
Current Science
Division of Entomology
Entomon
Environment & Ecology
ENVIS Publication Series
Geobios
Gujarat Agriculture University Research Journal
Haryana agriculture University Research Journal
Haryana Veterinary
Hexapoda
Himalayan Journal of Environment and Zoology
Himalayan Journal of Science
Indian Bee Journal
Indian Biologist
Indian Colloquial Micropalaentology Stratigr.
Indian Forest Memoirs
Indian Forester
Indian Forestry Records Delhi
Indian Hydrobiology
Indian Journal Animal Research
Indian Journal Experimental Biology
Indian Journal f Fisheries
Indian Journal of Acarology
Indian Journal of agricultural Research
Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences
Indian Journal of Animal Health
Indian Journal of Animal Sciences
Indian Journal of Comparative Animal Physiology.
Indian Journal of Dryland Agricultural Research & Development
Indian Journal of Ecology
Indian Journal of Entomology
Indian Journal of Environmental Health
Indian Journal of Forestry
Indian Journal of Helminthology
Indian journal of Hill farming
Indian Journal of Marine Sciences
Indian Journal of Microbiology
Indian Journal of Natural Rubber Research.
5. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 5
Indian Journal of Nematology
Indian Journal of Parasitology
Indian Journal of Physical Natural Science
Indian Journal of Plant Protection
Indian Journal of Science and Industry
Indian Journal of Sericulture
Indian Journal of Systematic Entomology
Indian Journal of Zoology
Indian Journal of Zootomy
Indian Museum Bulletin.
Indian Museum Notes
Indian Phytopathology
Indian Veterinary Journal.
Indian Zoologist
Insect Environment
Jammu University Rev.
Journal Indian Bioscientist Association.
Journal of Andaman Science Association
Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta.
Journal of Assam Science Society
Journal of Bengal Natural History Society
Journal of Biosciences
Journal of Bombay Natural History Society
Journal of Earth System Science
Journal of Entomological Research (New-Delhi).
Journal of Environmental Biology
Journal of Experimental Zoology India.
Journal of Indian Association for Environmental Management
Journal of Indian Bird Records and Conservation
Journal of Indian Ocean studies
Journal of Karnataka University (Science)
Journal of Marine Biological Association of India
Journal of Science: University of Kashmir
Journal of Tamilnadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore.
Journal of the Geological Society of India, Bangalore
Journal of the Zoological Society of India.
Journal of Vector Borne Disease (Formerly-Indian Journal of Malariology)
Journal: Indian Academy of Wood Sciences
Journal: Indian Botanical Science
Journal: Inland Fisheries Society of India
Journal: Palaeontology Society of India
Journal: Proceedings of Asiatic Society of Bengal
Journal: Research Assam Agriculture University
Journal: Research of Asiatic Society of Bengal
6. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 6
Journal: Research of Punjab Agriculture University
Journal: Timber Development Association of India.
Journal: University Bombay (Science)
Journal: Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology
Mahasagar
Marathwada University Journal of Sciences
Matsya
Memoirs Department of Agriculture. India. Entomology Series
Memoirs of Asiatic Society of Bengal
Memoirs of Entomological Society of India
Memoirs of the Indian Museum
Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India
Mysore Journal of Agriculture Science
National Geographical Journal of India
Newsletter Zoological Survey of India.
Paryavaran Abstracts
Records of Indian Museum
Records of the Geological Survey of India
Records of the Zoological Survey of India
Records Zoology. Biol. Sol.
Research Bulletin of the Punjab University (Science)
Sanctuary Asia
Technical Monograph of Zoological Survey of India
The Indian Zoologist
The Journal of the Zoological Society of Kerala.
Thesis Abstract Harayana. Agriculture University
Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology
Visva Bharati Journal of Research.
Zoo's Print
Table 2. OA journals
Acta Botanica Brasílica www.scielo.br/ scielo.php?pid=0102-3306&script=sci_serial
Acta Protozoologica www.nencki.gov.pl/ap.htm
Acta Veterinaria Brunensis http://www.vfu.cz/acta-vet/actavet.htm
Agbioforum http://www.agbioforum.org/
Annales Botanici Fennici http://sekj.pc.helsinki.fi/journals
Annales Zoologici Fennici http://sekj.pc.helsinki.fi/journals
Annals of Agricultural and Environmental
Medicine http://www.aaem.pl/
Applied Entomology and Zoology http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/aez
Arid Lands Newsletter http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/ALNHome.html
Asian Environmental Technology http://www.aptn.org/envtech.htm
Biogeosciences http://www.biogeosciences.org/
http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=0716-
Biological Research 9760&script=sci_serial
7. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 7
BMC Biology http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcbiol/
BMC Ecology http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcecol/
BMC Evolutionary Biology http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcevolbiol/
BMC Genetics http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcgenet/
BMC Plant Biology http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcplantbiol/
Brazilian Journal of Biology (Former http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php/script_sci_serial/pid_1519-
title:Revista Brasileira de Biologia) 6984/lng_en/nrm_iso
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php/script_sci_serial/pid_1677-
Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology 0420/lng_en/nrm_iso
Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php/script_sci_serial/pid_1413-
and Animal Science 9596/lng_en/nrm_iso
http://www.geobot.umnw.ethz.ch/publications/periodicals/bulleti
Bulletin of the Geobotanical Institute ETH n.html
Caribbean Journal of Science http://www.caribjsci.org/
Chronica Horticulturae http://www.ishs.org/pub/chronica.htm
http://biology.bangor.ac.uk/research/journal/Contributions%20to
Contributions to Zoology %20Zoology
Current Science http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/
Dendrobiology http://www.idpan.poznan.pl/dendrobiology/
Ecology and Society http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/
Economic Botany http://www.econbot.org/home.html
Electronic Journal of Polish Agricultural
Universities http://www.ejpau.media.pl/
Endangered Species Research http://www.int-res.com/journals/esr/
Entomotropica http://www.entomotropica.org/
Environmental Health http://www.ehjournal.net/
Environmental Health Perspectives http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/
Environmental Protection http://www.eponline.com/
Experimental Animals http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/jalas/english/en_journal.html
Fishery Bulletin http://fishbull.noaa.gov/
Florida Entomologist http://www.fcla.edu/FlaEnt/
Fungal Genetics Newsletter http://www.fgsc.net/newslet.html
Geodiversitas http://www.mnhn.fr/publication/geodiv/ageodiv.html
International Journal of Environmental
Research and Public Health http://www.mdpi.org/ijerph/
Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly http://ss.jircas.affrc.go.jp/engpage/jarq/firstpage1.html
Japanese Journal of Applied Entomology
and Zoology http://odokon.ac.affrc.go.jp/en/
Japanese Journal of Biometeorology http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/seikisho
Journal of integrative plant biology
(Formerly Acta Botanica Sinica) http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1672-9072
Journal of Biological Sciences http://www.biolsci.org/
Journal of Biology http://jbiol.com/
Journal of Biosciences http://www.ias.ac.in/jbiosci/index.html
Journal of Circadian Rhythms http://www.jcircadianrhythms.com/home/
Journal of Culture Collections http://www.bioline.org.br/cc
Journal of Insect Science http://www.insectscience.org/
Journal of Pesticide Science http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/pssj2/index-e.html
Journal of Rural and Remote http://www.jcu.edu.au/jrtph/
8. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 8
Environmental Health (Journal of Rural
and Tropical Public Health)
Journal of Spatial Hydrology http://www.spatialhydrology.com/journal/
Journal of Veterinary Medical Science http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jvms
Journal of Veterinary Science http://www.vetsci.org/
Journal of Water and Environment
Technology http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jwet
Journal of Wildlife Diseases http://www.jwildlifedis.org/
Korean Journal of Parasitology http://www.parasitol.or.kr/kjp/
LEISA Magazine http://www.leisa.info/index.php?url=index.tpl
Mammal Study http://www.mammalogy.jp/journals/
Marine Fisheries Review http://spo.nwr.noaa.gov/mcontent.htm
Marine Ornithology http://www.marineornithology.org/
National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
New England Journal of Large Animal
Health http://camelid.webis.net/Magazines/lah.html
Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences http://www.pjbs.org/pjbsnew/journal/vol3/toc1.htm
Plant Health Progress http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/php/default.asp
Plant Pathology Journal http://www.ansinet.org/c4p.php?j_id=ppj
Plant Production Science http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/cssj/pps/
http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=index-
PLoS Biology html&issn=1545-7885
Popular Science http://www.popsci.com
Science & Technology Review http://www.llnl.gov/str/
http://www.britishcouncil.org/home/science/science-
Science Insight publications/science-publications-online-news.htm
Scientist http://www.sciencemag.org/
South African Journal of Animal Science http://www.sasas.co.za/
Turkish Journal of Agriculture and
Forestry Sciences http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/agriculture/index.php
Turkish Journal of Biology http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/biology/
Turkish Journal of Botany http://mistug.tetm.tubitak.gov.tr/~bdyim/sayilar.php3?dergi=bot
Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal
Sciences http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/veterinary/
Turkish Journal of Zoology http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/
Zoosystema http://www.mnhn.fr/publication/zoosyst/zoosyst.html
Zootecnia Tropical http://www.bioline.org.br/zt
Zoo's Print http://www.zoosprint.org/
Sanctuary Asia http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/
3. WHY OPEN ACCESS IN BIODIVERSITY
The scope of biodiversity conservation comprises both ecological and economical aspects. Genetic and
ecosystem diversity can be considered as services that provide benefits in a variety of ways, such as
medicinal values, securing nutrition, raw materials and indicator functions. Biodiversity as a resource is
different from general resources having peculiar economic values. From the analytical point of view
biodiversity resources can be considered a public good with insufficiently specified property rights. In
developing countries the causes of biodiversity loss is inter-linked with rural poverty, population
9. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 9
growth, pressures on natural resources, food insecurity, agriculture etc, leading to economic imbalance
(Scherr, 2003). According to Conservation International (2005), there are 34 biodiversity hotspots
holding more population than expected as compared to the global average. Out of 34 biodiversity
hotspots, 21 hotspots have population growth higher than the global average growth of 42 people per
square kilometer. As per Conservation International’s previous study, 16 hotspots out of 25 had 20% of
population malnourished, accounting for a quarter of all malnourished people from the developing
countries (Scherr, 2003). It is estimated that approximately 350 million poor people rely on forests for
supplement income. Poor farmers often harvest and sell wild plants and animals to buy food. The
situation in developing countries has become more critical as biodiversity is threatened due to food
insecurities giving rise to over exploitation of plants and animals (UN Press Release, 2004).
The authors believe that scientists and researchers from the developing world would be able to address
these conservation problems more appropriately if they knew the gravity and problems associated with
them. However, it is true that biodiversity research and concerns tend to be greatly restricted wherever
information on biodiversity is sparse or non-existence. Many research projects generate biodiversity
data sets that are relevant for the wider scientific community, government natural resource managers,
policy makers, and the public. It is important to allow for further shared use of these data to benefit the
widest possible range of users. However, countries most rich in biodiversity, commonly considered as
common heritage of humankind are relatively poor in having scientific information. Further, there is
often resistance from developing countries for open sharing of the data. This lack of interest and
restrictions from R & D managers impairs the conservation efforts and economical aspects of
developing biodiversity rich countries.
Thus minimization of knowledge gaps would help to prevent duplication of research efforts and help
scientists to focus on issues that are completely unknown or need urgent attention, for which financial
support and easily free access to scientific information is needed. Hence, major developing countries
like Brazil, China and India should take initiatives to promote open access to biodiversity information,
which would motivate other developing countries to share their biodiversity knowledge (Subbiah,
2003 .b.).
4. OPEN ACCESS: THE STATE- OF- THE- ART
In recent times, efforts are being made by the scientific community to promote open access to scientific
information, depicting a change in mind set. This is evident from the developments that are taking
place at the global levels. For example, beginning with May 2, 2005, National Institutes of Health
(NIH) has asked investigator(s) and scientists to submit voluntarily to the NIH manuscript submission
system (NIHMS) their final submission upon acceptance for publication and deposit research results in
the archives of National Library of Medicine of projects funded by NIH (Final NIH Public access
policy implementation.). Analysis of the coverage and citation of open access journals by Thomson
Scientific using the 2003 Journal Citation Report (JCR) reveals that (a) open access journals are not
necessarily new publications. Many established journals are making their older content available online.
(b) 55% of the journals and over 65% of the articles indexed in Web of Science in 2003 are produced
by publishers who permit self-archiving, which could be brought into open access if archived by author
(Mc Veigh, 2004). As per the ISI citation database in February 2004, there were a total of 192 open
10. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 10
access titles, which increased to 239 in June 2004. During this period the number of open access titles
from life sciences increased from 50 to 73 titles. Open access journals have a higher Immediacy Index
than the Journal Impact Factor showing that the open access journals are more rapidly accessed and
cited as compared to traditionally accessed journals.
To promote open access to biodiversity information, conservation communities are coming forward to
encourage organizations and institutions to put their biodiversity related data in public domain with the
intention of improving conservation initiatives. Among the leading players in promoting and
pioneering the initiatives is the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which intends to
make all scientific biodiversity information freely available (GBIF, 2006). On January 16, 2006, the
GBIF Governing Board representing 47 countries, 31 international organizations and the Secretariat on
the Convention of Biological Diversity made a strong recommendation advocating open access to
biodiversity data (GBIF, 2006). It requested funding agencies to (a) support proposals for biodiversity
research that include a plan for the maintenance and sharing of digital biodiversity data generated in
proposed projects, and (b) make publicly available species and specimen level data and associated
metadata generated through such funded projects cooperating with GBIF, within a specified period
after completion of the research. In fact, during its last five years of existence, GBIF has been able to
pull together 86,419,602 biological collection records from nearly 642 biological collections, provided
by 159 data providers (as of 7 February, 2006).
To disseminate and provide data to GBIF at the European level, the European network for biodiversity
information (ENBI) was started on January 2003 as a three-year thematic network project. The network
consists of 66 members from 24 European countries. In addition to ENBI, the Biological Collection
Access Service for Europe (BioCASE) is providing information on biological collections from 35
institutions in 30 European countries, including Israel, using web based technology. The institutions
providing the information about their biological collections have full control of the information on the
biological collections that they are holding.
Internet based forums like Inter American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) work on
interoperability of biodiversity datasets, data content, technical and scientific cooperation that would
help in coordination between Western hemisphere countries. IABIN is involved in the development of
a network for sharing information on invasive species and developing information resources for IABIN
participants. For broader applications, to integrate and search across the diverse biodiversity databases
a scientific name dictionary, which would give nomenclatural details and taxonomic authority, is
required. For example, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a dedicated database for
North American floral and faunal taxonomic nomenclatural data, where the taxonomic experts
scrutinize the data before incorporating it in the database. ITIS at present has data on 392,000 species,
of which more than 67% have been verified (as of 7 February, 2006). Along with taxonomic details this
database provides information on biogeographical distribution also.
To document the species at the global level, Species2000 was established in September 1994 in a
coalition of the International Union of Biological Sciences, the Committee on Data for Science and
Technology (CODATA) and the International Union of Microbiological Societies. The main objective
of Species2000 is to list all known flora, fauna, fungi and microbes on this earth for studying the global
11. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 11
biodiversity. It is a union of 40 taxonomic database organizations, where ITIS is the major contributor.
Species2000 as on today has been able to collate 527,000 species across the globe in its database (as of
7 February, 2006).
Many regional and local initiatives are being taken to collate and organize specimen data to make it
openly available on the Internet. To network all these initiatives a protocol was needed. This was
launched in 1998 as a prototype network called Species Analyst, based on Z39.50 information transfer
protocol. The network consists of different collections like Fishnet (29 Ichthyological collections),
Mammal Networked Information system (17 North American mammal collections) and HerpNet (37
North American herpetological collections) serving approximately 65 million specimen records from
120 institutions.
Collaborative projects like the Australian Virtual Herbarium (AVH) are providing information on
botanical specimens from different Australian herbaria using the GIS application. AVM is able to
provide access to six million botanical specimens from 9 contributing Australian herbaria through
common query interface. Scientists or researchers residing in one part of the country can virtually view
the specimens from different herbaria without visiting those herbaria, thus minimizing the time for
accessing information and valuable funds.
As a result, a noticeable change in attitude amongst developing world researchers is growing with
respect to open access to biodiversity information, thus complementing global initiatives in this area,
though at a slower speed. Organizations with broader outlook are now engaging themselves in
development of open access databases and information systems, such as IndFauna and IndOBIS.
IndFauna, an electronic catalogue of known Indian fauna developed by the National Chemical
Laboratory (NCL) in Pune, is able to disseminate baseline information on more than 91000 scientific
names, 51000+ synonyms, 14000+ common names and over 168000 occurrence records (Chavan, et.
al., 2004). Accessible at http://www.ncbi.org.in/, the development of IndFauna has also been able to
demonstrate the web as an efficient collaborative platform for taxonomists both within India and
overseas to exchange/share their data, views and opinions on topic such as taxonomy and discrepancies
in taxonomy. Similarly, together with the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Goa, NCL is
engaged in developing an open access, web based information system called IndOBIS (Indian Ocean
Node of OBIS) to document known life forms recorded in the Indian Ocean (Chavan, Achuthankutty,
Berghe, & Wafar, 2005). IndOBIS in turn will contribute the data collated on life in the Indian Ocean
to the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), which is the data and information component
of the Census of Marine Life (CoML) and the largest marine biodiversity data provider to the GBIF.
However, such efforts in the developing world are small and countable and a boost of activities of a
similar nature from the scientific community, governments, and funding agencies is required.
5. IMPLEMENTING OA AND BIODIVERSITY IN DEVELOPING WORLD
The preceding discussion emphasized the urgent need for bringing data and information on
biodiversity from the developing and under developed world, which is currently trapped in institutional
and individual cupboards, into the public domain by adopting open access principle,. Based on our
12. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 12
experience of data management activities in a developing nation such as India, we believe that the
following strategies, if adopted, can help us in realizing the dream of free and open access to the
world’s biodiversity data including that from the developing and under developed part of our globe.
(a) We need to have distributed national, regional and institutional OA archives for biodiversity
which not only facilitate OA archiving, but also can support those small and medium scale
publishers and societies (who publish with limited circulation and a very low and insignificant
impact factor) to convert their journals to the OA model of publishing. Further there is a need
to bring about an attitudinal change on the part of publishers, societies, authors, institutions
and funding agencies in favor of OA publishing.
(b) Funding agencies should make it mandatory that any data resulting from public funded
research and survey should be published only in OA journals and that the data be made
available through public domain or openly accessible databases, using software and programs
which are non-commercial, open source, and GNU compliant.
(c) There needs to be more multi-lingual OA archives and OA journals. This shall certainly
ensure better dissemination of research and survey outcomes, at the same time encouraging
those people participation in generating and contributing data on biodiversity and its
conservation.
(d) Every Ph.D. and Masters thesis, technical report, gray and white papers, review reports,
survey publications should be deposited in one of the OA archives.
(e) There is a need to conceptualize and implement a global infrastructure for an open access
regime in biodiversity. GBIF should prioritize its long pending work plan for the Digital
Biodiversity Literature Bank. It should, for all practical purposes, adopt the OA archive and
publishing model for the same.
(f) National and International funding agencies should provide encouragement to establish more
biodiversity specific OA initiatives, especially within the developing world.
(g) There needs to be study of Impact Factor for OA than Immediacy Factor. OA journals should
subject themselves to such studies. Also, study is required for Impact or Immediacy analysis
for biodiversity data as well as for the legacy literature, which is increasingly being digitized
and made available through OA model.
(h) It is imperative that concerted efforts are made to digitize legacy literature. In contrast to
technical disciplines, literature in biodiversity is cited for longer time periods. In fact, in the
case of systematics and observational data, older literature is cited more frequently while
referring to the current scenario or during comparative analysis.
(i) Organizations and groups from developing nations working on biodiversity related aspects
need to establish “institutional data archives or repositories” which would improve the
visibility of the organization by facilitating wider dissemination of its research outcome or
performance.
(j) These repositories can work as an assemblage of different subject information related to
biodiversity conservation, such as ethnobotany, geology, hydrology, molecular taxonomy,
biotechnology, agriculture, botany, zoology, systematics, statistics, GIS and remote sensing
13. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 13
and socioeconomic aspects and biodiversity informatics. The richness of these repositories
would reflect the intellectual output of the organization or institution.
(k) We strongly believe that the Open Access treatment to existing as well as future biodiversity-
and ecosystem-related information will develop data and information aided “virtual research
space” for future studies in biodiversity (Figure. 1). Such a research space can draw data from
a variety of sources such as publications, archives, and data repositories, as well as employ a
variety of open source software to analyze such data.
(l) For a dream of such a “virtual research space” to become reality, an increasing number of data
repositories as well open source software tools need to be made available. Similarly,
biotechnology journals, biodiversity and ecosystem related journals need to demand from
author(s) that they contribute data and supporting information to public domain databases and
repositories.
(m) We strongly believe that such “virtual research space” not only would improve data exchange
/ sharing amongst research groups but also would create a collaborative platform for multi-
disciplinary teams to work together.
D a ta g e n e ra te d in
D a ta g e n e ra te d F ie ld s ur ve y s
in la b o ra to r y
D a ta r e p o s ito r y
O nline & O fflin e In s titu tio n a l
J o ur na ls USER R e p o s ito rie s
R E S E AR C H E R S (T h e s is , Ar c h ive d a r tic le s )
S C IE N T IS T S
O A o nlin e s p e c im e n d a ta b a s e s O A o nlin e d a ta b a s e s lik e O A S o ftw a re s
L ik e In d c o lle c tio n s , N a tur a l H is to r y In d F a u n a , IT IS , In d O B IS , (D s p a c e , E -P r int, D IV A , G A R P ,
M us e um d a ta b a s e s , A B C D IO , G B IF P D B , N C B I, E N B I B IO M AP P E R , M A P S E R V E R )
Figure 1. Open Access to biodiversity data and information can lead to development of data and
information based virtual research space for future studies in biodiversity.
6. IMPLEMENTATION REQUIRES ENCOURAGEMENT
Doing research in developing countries is not easy. Similarly, spreading the open access movement
among the biodiversity research community in such countries is going to be an equally daunting
14. Data Science Journal, Volume 5, 05 June 2006 14
task. This requires infrastructure as well as human resources for biodiversity information, which
would require dedicated funds and sufficient budgetary planning (Arzberger, et al. 2004). This also
calls for an integrated approach of awareness about benefits of open access, capacity building,
support towards infrastructure development, and implementation of policies that would encourage
the launch of data and information in the open domain. With a boost from funding agencies and
governments, as well participation of the research community and demands for open data by
international agencies such as GBIF etc., the developing world can certainly bring the dream of
“virtual biodiversity research space” into reality.
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