Invasive Species Information Systems

1
Invasive Species Information Systems

• A New TDWG Interest Group
• Presented at the Taxonomic Databases Working
  Group Annual MeetingSt. Louis Missouri, USA15
  October 2006

Annie Simpson National Biological Information
Infrastructure asimpson_at_usgs.gov
2
Overview

• Why a TDWG Invasive Species Information Systems
  Interest Group?
• Why should GISIN affiliate with TDWG?
• What Products are Anticipated?

3
What Are Invasive Species

• Organisms introduced by humans to ecosystems
  beyond their natural range
• Cause significant negative impact to
  biodiversity, economy, or health
• Three main scientific communities
• Health
• Agriculture
• Biodiversity

4
Why a TDWG Invasive Species Interest Group?

• Invasive species issue has spawned numerous
  information systems
• Emerging issue -- few agreed standards
• Providers typically have limited IT
  support/knowledge
• Existing TDWG groups dont address all relevant
  invasive species issues
• Global Invasive Species Information Network
  (GISIN) requests an interest group

5
What is GISIN?

• Global Invasive Species Information Network
• A collaboration of like-minded invasive species
  information managers interested in sharing data
  globally
• Needs standards and protocols
• Formed in 2004 loose affiliations with GBIF,
  CBD, US-NBII, ISSG, CABI, BioNET-INTERNATIONAL,
  GISP, others
• Steering Committee with 11 members from 10
  countries
• Argentina, China, Denmark, Germany, Great
  Britain, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, United
  States, Zambia

6
Invasive Species Information Systems on the Web

• GISIN study found 350 information systems, still
  growing
• Great diversity in types of information
• Gaps identified
• Expertise
• Methods prevention, management, modeling
• Predictions of impact
• Invasive terrestrial fauna

7
Why should GISIN affiliate with TDWG?

• Internationally renown group for developing
  standards for biodiversity information
• Some elements of various TDWG standards are
  applicable to the invasive species issue
• Many GISIN members are TDWG members

8
What Products Are Anticipated?

• Improved Invasive Alien Species Profile Schema
• Vocabulary Matrix with possibly broader
  applications
• Tools for implementation of data registry and
  cross search using TAPIR protocol
• Global checklists of invasive species
• Maps of existing invasions
• Models of potential invasions