Digitization of Natural History Collections (DIGIT)

1. Larry Speers Program Officer Digitization of Natural History Collections Data TDWG Annual Meeting Oct. 19, 2002 Indaiatuba, SP, Brazil Digitization of Natural History Collections (DIGIT)

2. GBIF's Mission • The purpose of GBIF is to make the world’s biodiversity data freely and universally available within an appropriate framework for property rights and due attribution.

3. DIGIT – LONG TERM VISION To facilitate the expansion of biodiversity knowledge by having legacy and newly acquired primary species occurrence datadigitised and dynamically accessible .

4. Definition • Bioinformatics

5. Definition • Bioinformatics is the application of information technology to biology with the emphasis on persistent data stores. • R. Robbins, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

8. > 2 billion specimens worldwide

9. Persistent Biodiversity Data Stores Containing Primary Species Occurrence Data • Legacy data • Natural History Collections • Culture collections • Observational species occurrence databases

10. Persistent Biodiversity Data Stores Containing Primary Species Occurrence Data • Legacy data • Natural History Collections • Culture collections • Observational species occurrence databases • Ongoing data acquisition (new data) • Collections – New material • Observational species occurrence databases

11. THE DIGIT PROGRAM UNIVERSE • Record types: Occurrence data based on specimens, vouchers, images, recordings, observations (initial focus on specimens and physical vouchers); the authority files that are necessary to integrate and use this data • Taxonomic coverage: All groups covered by the Catalogue of Names (vertebrates, invertebrates, protists, fungi, lichens, algae, non-vascular plants, vascular plants, bacteria,viruses) • Geographic extent: Global • Temporal extent: All (with emphasis on scientific value)

12. DIGIT Work Program: Short-Medium Term Goals • To facilitate access to data associated with the specimens in the world’s natural history collections • To identify efficient and cost effective ways to organize and accelerate the specimen digitization process • To facilitate the repatriation of specimen data from the developed to the developing world • To facilitate the advancement of biodiversity science through improved access to specimen data

13. DIGIT - Key Action Areas: Short and Medium Term • Develop preliminary baseline estimates of the current status of the global digitization effort • Complete a comparative review of existing collection management and data capture software solutions and approaches • Review current digitization efforts with the goal of documenting best practices, cost effective solutions and identifying most efficient practices for data capture and geo-referencing.

14. DIGIT - Key Action Areas: Short and Medium Term • Develop a web enabled “Best Practices for Specimen Digitization Handbook” • Support efforts to make selected existing specimen databases internet accessible • Through partnerships initiate new digitization projects with the goal of accelerating the digitization effort

15. DIGIT – Partners • Commitment to share the product data sets • Commitment to the long term maintenance of the product data sets • Commitment to improve data quality through time • Commitment to the development, adoption and use of community based standards

16. Standards • Interoperability – DADI, ECAT • Observational data • Implementation • Software developers (Turnkey Solutions) • Legacy data versus new data • Next generation of curators • Next generation of collectors • Next generation of end users • Outreach; Capacity Building; Training; - OCB

17. Baseline estimates of current status of global digitization efforts Experts meeting to develop “Best Practices Handbook” “Best Practices Handbook” - production and dissemination Seed money to initiate of new digitization efforts and improve the quality and availability of existing databases $40,000 $20,000 $10,000 $750,000 DIGIT Budget, 2003 TOTAL $820,000

18. DIGIT Budget 2003

19. DIGIT Funding Guidelines 2003 • Funding priorities to be developed through consultative process • Proposal review process to be as open as possible • Seed money - provide grants of up to 20% of the total project cost - to a maximum of $50,000 US • Globally 15 - 25 projects

20. Characteristics of Projects (Examples) • Projects that will result in rapid progress • Projects with a high probability of success • Projects with high scientific or economic impact • Projects that have a high potential for capacity building

21. DIGIT Funding Process • Experts Workshop Brazil - Oct. 19 - Define Preliminary Selection Criteria • Community Discussion of Identified Criteria - GBIF CIRCA Server • Identified Criteria Sent to DIGIT Science Sub-Committee for Review • GBIF Secretariat to develop guidelines for RFP process - Nov. 2002 • Request For Proposals - Jan. 2003 • Proposal Selection Committee - Feb. 2003 • Funding - 1st quarter 2003 • Preliminary results - 4th quarter 2003

22. DIGIT Funding Process • Experts Workshop Brazil - Oct. 19 - Define Preliminary Selection Criteria

23. 18:00 - 19:00 19:00 - 19:30 19:30 - 20:45 20:45 - 21:45 21:45 - 22:00 Pre-meeting Working Luncheon Vick Restaurant Introduction – Definition of Objectives Breakout groups (10 -15 participants) Plenary – Presentation of Group Summaries Plenary Discussion Priorities for Digitization of Natural History Collections Workshop Agenda

24. DIGIT Funding Process • Experts Workshop Brazil - Oct. 19 - Define Preliminary Selection Criteria • Potential for leveraging additional funds • Efficiency (Estimated cost/per specimen) • Potential for developing and testing new and innovative approaches to data capture, geo-referencing or data set management • Potential for rapid results • Potential for capacity building

25. What is needed? Computational Capacities Content Connectivity Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content Content