Joanne Daly - Value of ALA

Transcript

1. Value of ALA How digital portals are revolutionising the care and use of biological collections CSIRO Joanne Daly and Beth Mantle 13 June 2013
2. Structure of talk 1. Conclusions 2. Some benefits and challenges of ALA to Collections 3. Discuss drivers of the ALA’s value - infrastructure, community and data provision ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 2 |
3. Conclusions – conditions for ongoing utility ALA is valuable to care and use of collections into the future if: Infrastructure: • Provides enduring IT backbone and be able to evolve with IT • Is user friendly and well integrated into contemporary IT solutions Community • Must clearly identify its purpose and mission wrt to collections • Maintain true partnerships with users and publishers Data • Allow users to determine reliability and authority data (fitness for use) • Is up to date • Support unique identifiers • Support data management including digitisation, annotations and changes • Support all kinds of data and allows them to be connected: specimens, tissues, images, DNA etc • Represent ‘best practice’ in both communities (publishers and users) ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 3 |
4. Issue: How can digital portals convert Leading research and outreach in a digital age
5. Data about physical collections into Presentation title | Presenter name 5 |
6. Knowledge products that can deliver dynamic web-based products while... (Murray Darling Basin research ) • Combinations of data from 5 herbaria • About 400,000 records MDB: Plant collections Floodplain: plant collections
7. assisting with world best practice collection management
8. Value of ALA to collections 1. Enables collections to be utilised by researchers and others: • more frequently • more rapidly • by a wider number of people 2. Increases the visibility of collections and their worth which in turn may lead to increased funding support 3. Collections are now information providers: Converts embedded knowledge (specimens and their labels) into explicit knowledge to underpin prediction 4. Collection managers as users of ALA to search and manage material and own databases 5. Allows corrections to data and may enable remote curation 6. Enables a shared view of taxonomic revision and names ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 8 |
9. Examples of Utility – from discussion 1. Searches on data to locate specimens, images, drawers etc 2. Provide image galleries 3. Assist with external enquiries 4. Reduce the number and size of loans ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 9 |
10. Examples of Utility, cont’d 5. Allows data to be visualised or mapped to detect outliers 6. Can assist in data curation by allowing input by others (DH) 7. Can provide tools to support field collections or digitisation (BM) 8. Can lead to agreement on national names list and consistency of names 9. Coherent view across kingdoms that allows data to be contextualise e.g. altitude, depth, salinity 10. Overall, has led to unified approach among disparate collections to focus on shared problems and solutions 11. Given a real sense of community (Faunal) ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 10 |
11. Problems and challenges to be considered • More issues with plant collections as AVH was a more mature product built on a more collaborative group (CHAH) • Issues about ALA re-interpreting data particularly in the taxonomic backbone • ALA does not always present the consenus view of CHAH • Challenges around Australian Plant Name Index • Issues about currency of data These problems need to be solved by both parties (AVH and ALA) agreeing on and implementing a solution ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 11 |
12. Conditions for ongoing utility ALA is valuable to care and use of collections into the future if: Infrastructure: • Provides enduring IT backbone and be able to evolve with IT • Is user friendly and well integrated into contemporary IT solutions Community • Must clearly identify its purpose and mission wrt to collections • Maintain true partnerships with users and publishers Data • Allow users to determine reliability and authority data (fitness for use) • Is up to date • Support unique identifiers • Support data management including digitisation, annotations and changes • Support all kinds of data and allows them to be connected: specimens, tissues, images, DNA etc • Represent ‘best practice’ in both communities (publishers and users) ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 12 |
13. 2001 • GBIF - formed for publishing of biodiversity occurrence data • Wikipedia – socialising knowledge • Creative Commons – licence agreements for sharing of knowledge 2003 • Skype – enabling face to face discussions globally 2004 • Facebook - social networking 2005 • Twitter - social networking • Cloud computing–commoditising sharing of files and repositories 2007 • iPhones • ALA (2007/08) – commenced • GBIF portal launched 2010 - IPADS - merged comms, computing and cameras 1. Infrastructure : The IT World since 2001 Socialising information and communication ALA Symposium| DALY & MANTLE | Page 13
14. Explosion of computing power and biotechnology • Petascale computing – visualisation and global scale models; ‘the grid’ • Ubiquity of wireless and broadband networks – AARNET backbone – • NCRIS and superscience investments – repositories, shared solutions • Multiple data layers • Genome projects from years to months to days? From tens of millions of $$ to KK’s of $ The Research World since 2001 ALA Symposium| DALY & MANTLE | Page 14
15. • continue to provide an enduring IT backbone • be able to evolve with IT – relaunched every 5-8 yrs • be user friendly and well integrated into contemporary IT solutions Infrastructure towards 2021 ALA’s responsibilities ALA Symposium| DALY & MANTLE | Page 15
16. • continue to invest in IT and data management • Invest in staff who are computer literate • Be prepared to adopt tools and commit to training to enhance productivity Infrastructure towards 2021 Collections’ responsibilities ALA Symposium| DALY & MANTLE | Page 16
17. Conditions for ongoing utility ALA is valuable to care and use of collections into the future if: Infrastructure: • Provides enduring IT backbone and be able to evolve with IT • Is user friendly and well integrated into contemporary IT solutions Community – why, what, who and how • Must clearly identify its purpose and mission wrt to collections • Maintain true partnerships with users and publishers Data • Allow users to determine reliability and authority data (fitness for use) • Is up to date • Support unique identifiers • Support data management including digitisation, annotations and changes • Support all kinds of data and allows them to be connected: specimens, tissues, images, DNA etc • Represent ‘best practice’ in both communities (publishers and users) ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 17 |
18. WHY is ALA serving biodiversity data from collections? Some challenges are national or global in scale and require meta-analysis of nationally and globally distributed databases from across disciplines Collections are a repository of vouchered specimens and data collection over time and space that can be used to make predictions about species but these data need to be accessible and aggregated to be useful Relevance of ALA’s mission to the collection community GBIF BEYOND 2020/DALY/ Page 18
19. WHAT is the core business of ALA? ALA is a national virtual infrastructure that • provides services to capture, curate and publish data in an accessible form • facilities and catalyses solutions in provision of data management •Significant efficiencies in sharing IT infrastructures and solutions across national borders and global access requires global standards and protocols of infrastructure ALA must see the collections as part of its core business if it is to continue to be useful to it. Relevance of ALA’s mission to the collection community GBIF BEYOND 2020/DALY/ Page 19
20. WHO does ALA serve Does ALA support data provision by collections? Does it provide adequate tools for the reliable use of collection data How important are collections to ALA? do collections matter? HOW does ALA do this? Partnerships Understanding needs of stakeholders (collection managers, publishers and users) Relevance of ALA’s mission to the collection community GBIF BEYOND 2020/DALY/ Page 20
21. Remain relevant – ALA needs to remain relevant to (emerging) initiatives such as IPBES and national efforts such as the next generation ‘Biodiversity Fund’ so that collections data is valued “Partner or Perish”– build on global and other national virtual infrastructure because the infrastructure relies on a distributed system o ALA will not be the only source of biodiversity information so it needs to work within a federated system of national, regional, and institutional portals working within a globally agreed framework ALA must work with variety of players at State and national level o Need for ‘whole of government’ approach to science infrastructure so that ALA can bring layers of data together – inter-governmental agreements o Observed complex interplay of national imperatives; multiple funding points for part of solutions e.g. State versus national museums; different government agencies; different funding bodies ALA must have a national home – with strong ownership while being collaborative Future Directions & Challenges for Community ALA responsibilities Presentation title | Presenter name | Page 21
22. • Collections community must be prepared to work collaboratively with ALA • It must be prepared to give up old practices and take on new ways of working in a digital world • Solve barriers to data sharing • Must stand up and speak in support of the value of the ALA Future Directions & Challenges for Community ‘Collections’ responsibilities Presentation title | Presenter name | Page 22
23. Conditions for ongoing utility ALA is valuable to care and use of collections into the future if: Infrastructure: • Provides enduring IT backbone and be able to evolve with IT • Is user friendly and well integrated into contemporary IT solutions Community • Must clearly identify its purpose and mission wrt to collections • Maintain true partnerships with users and publishers Data • Allow users to determine reliability and authority data (fitness for use) • Is up to date • Support unique identifiers • Support data management including digitisation, annotations and changes • Support all kinds of data and allows them to be connected: specimens, tissues, images, DNA etc • Represent ‘best practice’ in both communities (publishers and users) ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 23 |
24. Relationships in data flow ALA Symposium/Daly and Mantle 24 | GBIF, ALA etc Occurrence data Other data layers Other data layers
25. Key Data Sharing Challenges Integrating data that were never meant to be integrated is difficult! • Data management principles: data sharing protocols, IPR, ‘ownership’… • Data standards: compatibility, integration; • Data types – what is needed? By whom? • Data quality – fitness-for-use? By whom? • Data volumes – how much is enough? • Benefits/incentives for data sharing? Attribution etc; • Data security - Open Access vs treatment of ‘Sensitive Data’: • Data download and use tracking – who is using data, for what, where are the gaps and needs of different groups? • Analytical tools: web services – what good is access without the means to interrogate? • Who pays for the ‘pipes & plumbing’ for data to ‘flow’? 25
26. Many global and regional major initiatives • GBIF • Catalogue of Life • Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) • Morphbank • Barcode of Life • GenBank • Encyclopedia of Life • Biodiversity Heritage Library • National Collections Data • GeoBon • IPBES • Lifewatch 26
27. ALA’s role in Structured Data Pathway (after GBIF, D. Hobern) Aggregate Serve Use Register Evaluate Engage Publish Research MEAs Metadata Registry Governanc e Partners Data Portal Web Services Maps Mendeley Database Usage Metrics Standards Tools for publicatio n Training Licensing Data Indexes Data Quality Expert Curation 27
28. • Computing power will be massive - exascale • Digitally-born data will be the currency of research but is yet to penetrate beyond fundamental sciences; data volumes are exploding; “if it cant be collected digitally, it won’t be done/funded” • Legacy data - digitise that which is useful • Vouchered material will be a vital link in biodiversity for multi-cellular organisms and will link all levels of biological order • Microbial systems need quite different solutions and vouchered material may not exist and traditonal taxonomy might be irrelevant • Training and tools are essential if this data is to be used (and therefore funded) • Look to private sector for underpinning solutions wherever possible (Wiki, Google, Flickr etc) Collections’ role in data pathway GBIF BEYOND 2020/ Daly | Page 28
29. Conclusions – conditions for ongoing utility ALA is valuable to care and use of collections. Infrastructure: • Provides enduring IT backbone and be able to evolve with IT • Is user friendly and well integrated into contemporary IT solutions Community • Must clearly identify its purpose and mission – even as it evolves • Enter into true partnerships with users and publishers Data • Allow users to determine reliability and authority data (fitness for use) • Is up to date • As unique identifiers • Support data management including digitisation, annotations and changes • Support all kinds of data and allows tem to be connected: specimens, tissues, images, DNA etc • Represents ‘best practice’ in both communities ALA SYMPOSIUM| Daly & Mantle 29 |
30. Thank you