GBIF’s value as a research infrastructure:

opportunities for Ireland

Professor Gregory A. Riccardi

Florida State University

iDigBio.org

U.S. Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity

Collections (ADBC)

U.S. National Science Foundation

Plans to spend $10 million over 10 years

The goal is to digitize and aggregate

1 billion biological and paleontological records over the

10-year life of the project

iDigBio project is the HUB of ADBC

University of Florida, Florida State University

Digitization projects

Chosen by NSF peer review

23 Thematic Collections Networks funded to date

To date: 17 TCNs, 152 unique institutions, ~276 projects, 50 states and Guam

Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections

(ADBC)

Developing networks, enhancing communication, facilitating collaboration

44

What does iDigBio do?

• Enable digitization of biodiversity collections data– Develop efficient & effective standards & workflows

– Workforce education & training

– Community building

• Provide portal access to biodiversity datain a cloud computing environment– Respond to cyberinfrastructure needs

– Enable access & discoverability

• Facilitate use of biodiversity data to address key environmental and economic challenges– Researchers, educators, general public,

policy-makers, …

• Plan for long-term sustainability of the national digitization network & effort– Expand participation: partners, data sources, public, …

– Proliferate and broaden uses of biodiversity data

Cyber-infrastructure

Digitization and Workforce Development

Education & Outreach

Serving the Research

Community

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iDigBio Success: Workshop Principles

• Community-driven process

• Each workshop– Created in response to need

– Organized by interested parties

– Attended by diverse group

• Geographical distribution of sites

• Demographic distribution

5

2018 Tropical Cyclones

Remnants of Leslie 15 Oct.

“Hurricane Michael is also on course to hit the northwest of Spain, impacting areas still reeling

from ex-hurricane Leslie.”

Climate Chaos in Florida

Climate Chaos: Hurricane Michael

1 pm Monday

Tropical Storm

1 pm Wednesday

Cat 4 Hurricane

Hurricane Michael Winds

Pine forest

Environmental Impact and Response

What happened to the environment?

What can we learn from the past?

What information is available from GBIF?

Caution

Does not reflect absence

or abundance

National Schematic model

Simplified schematic model courtesy of National Biodiversity Data Centre

DATA REPATRIATION

https://www.gbif.org/country/IE/about

• Irish data publishers

share 1.3 million records

through GBIF

• > 250 institutions outside

IE provide > 700,000

records from >750 diff.

datasets with data

about Irish biodiversity

• All open data available

for use to Irish research

and policy

NATIONAL-SCALE REPORTS

https://www.gbif.org/country/IE/summary

GBIF provides detailed reports on open biodiversity data about and from Ireland that describe

• Global access and usage

• Data availability

• Data mobilization

3 | 6

Data availability

Total data available for selected taxonomic groups in Ireland

Mammals

47,617

occurrences

Birds

714,088

occurrences

Bony fish

17,999

occurrences

Amphibians

3,145

occurrences

Insects

312,014

occurrences

Reptiles

2,103

occurrences

Molluscs

80,121

occurrences

Arachnids

7,481

occurrences

Flowering

plants

126,363

occurrences

Gymnosper

ms

1,035

occurrences

Ferns

4,402

occurrences

Mosses

121,306

occurrences

Sac fungi

69,013

occurrences

Basidiomycota

11,821

occurrences

Mammals = Class Animalia

Birds = Class Aves

Bony fish = Superclass

Osteichthyes

Amphibians = Class Amphibia

Insects = Class Insecta

Reptiles = Class Reptilia

Molluscs = Phylum Mollusca

Arachnids = Class Arachnida

Flowering plants = Phylum

Magnoliophyta

Gymnosperms = Superclass

Gymnospermae

Ferns = Phylum Pteridophyta

Mosses = Phylum Bryophyta

Sac fungi = Phylum Ascomycota

Basidiomycota = Phylum

Basidiomycota

Change over time in records about biodiversity in Ireland

Occurrence records available about species occurring

in Ireland

Species for which at least one occurrence record is

available in Ireland

W HY MIG HT THE AMOUNT OF MOBILIZED DATA

DECREASE?

Datasets are sometimes removed by publishers, but more often

decreases in the number of records are due to the removal of

duplicate records and datasets.

SPECIES COUNTS represent the number of binomial scientific

names for which GBIF has received data records, organized as far

as possible using synonyms recorded in key databases like the

Catalogue of Life

IRISH EXPERTS CONTRIBUTE GLOBALLY

https://www.gbif.org/dataset/278c9199-be97-4fd0-9c6c-6c46c4e2369e/metrics

• GBIF provides a platform for sharing work of Irish experts through international collaborations

• Data Centre’s Colette O’Flynn leads contributors on the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group’s checklist for Ireland

• Dataset represents authoritative information for supporting national action against biologicalinvasions

GBIF Supports for Irish researchers studying global

questions

https://www.gbif.org/resource/search?contentType=literature&countriesOfResearcher=IE

Badger photo by Jan Ole Ødegård, via Norwegian Species Observation Service https://doi.org/10.15468/zjbzel

• Most comprehensive population &

landscape genetic study of the

badger in Ireland to date

• GBIF-mediated data used to

examine impact of earthworm

habitat suitability on gene flow

• Research funded by DAFM &

DAERA-NI

Guerrero J, Byrne AW, Lavery J, et al. (2018) The population and

landscape genetics of the European badger (Meles meles) in

Ireland. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4498

GLOBAL DATA IN NATIONAL RESEARCH

GBIF YOUNG RESEARCHERS AWARD WINNERS

Caoimhe Marshall

https://www.gbif.org/news/82354

Irish graduate students have won

annual programme to encourage

innovation and discovery in biodiversity

informatics twice since starting in 2010

• Caoimhe Marshall

University College Dublin

2014 YRA winner

• Conor Ryan

University College Cork

2011 YRA winner

Public policy and planning: Tracking Invasive Species

EASIN is the European Commission’s European Alien Species Information Network and is the supporting tool to EU Member States for implementation of the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species 1143/2014.

To date, attribute information for 1276 non-native species in Ireland has been provided to EASIN and exchange on tools developed by the Data Centre to support Citizen Science.

Index of Biodiversity Surveys for Assessments (IBSA) -Digital Environmental Assessment

• Capture & manage the survey data collected as part of the environmental approvals process and make it accessible

• Collecting a data asset for the state at $38m per annum

• Develop mechanisms to: ○ Understand cumulative impact○ Greater transparency and assurance of EIA○ Efficiency in process and turn-around time

Collaborative Species Distribution Model

● Pan - jurisdiction program (3 States) - Nationally oriented

● Deliver standardised data ● Robust and scientifically proven Species Distribution

Models● Platform to publish and enact models

Outcomes

● Robust and proven outcomes● Remove operational risk● Direct pathway from research to policy and

decision making