iDigBio is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections Program (Cooperative Agreement EF-1115210). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Images used are copyright free or used with permission.

From Standards to Practice and Back Again. News from TDWG*:

The Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) Conference 2013

Deborah L. PaulInstitute for Digital Information (iDigInfo)Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) atEntomological Collections Network (ECN) Meeting Austin, Texas 9 – 10 November 2013

goalsbuild an accessible aggregated, integrated, scalable, vouchered-specimen database (USA collections)

facilitate and increase participation in digitizationenable researchers’ access to and use of the databuild partnerships to expand and enhance

iDigBio and the TCNs

Up for discussion – TDWG 2013 TopicsVirtual Communities for Biodiversity

eCollaboration for SustainabilityData Quality (whose job is this anyway)?Semantics (who needs these)?Big DataNames-Based Architecture for Linking DataGlobal Observation NetworksData and Metadata Standards: Beyond Darwin CoreScholarly PublishingSharing and Re-using Phylogenetic Knowledge Interest Groups / Working Groups / TAGWhat does the work of TDWG offer to the collections community? How

is it relevant to ECN?http://www.tdwg.org https://mbgserv18.mobot.org/ocs/index.php/tdwg/2013/schedConf/presentations

Why standards?

http://www.britishmuseum.org/images/rosettawriting384.jpg

My field notes?

Your field notes?

map to a

standard?

https://www.idigbio.org/content/collaborating-institutions

Biodiversity Information Standardsformerly known as

Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG)began 1985

Our MissionDevelop, adopt and promote standards and guidelines

for the recording and exchange of data about organismsPromote the use of standards through the most

appropriate and effective means andAct as a forum for discussion through holding meetings

and through publications

Overlap

Biodiversity Information Standards

Collections• Physical• Digital

GBIFVertNetiDigBioTCNs…

Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG)TDWG warmly welcomes all newcomers, regardless of

background. We are always seeking input from…

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The data is born (digital)?researcher collects dataorganizes it for their purpose

or notnon-standard metadatanon-standard file formats, file-naming, packaginguser file system

uniquesometimes enigmatic?

Data use, data re-useneed rich/er metadata“good” (standard?) field notes

will be increasingly shared / distributed / linked with specimen data and flora / fauna data

using standard terminologydwc, other standards, and ontologies

data management skillsdata / dataset reuse, data citation – data discovery,

reproducibility

From the researcher into a database (eventually)has standard metadatain standard formatsstandard packagingstorage

Who bridges the transition from data collected in the field to transform it, standardize it for sharing, publication, storage?

Coming to a database near you?What’s your title?

Research Information Manager Technology Liaison to Science

Biodiversity Informatics Manager Biodiversity Informatics & GIS Lab Manager

Collections Database Architect Information Manager

Data Curator Bioinformatics manager

Manager of Biodiversity Informatics Research Specialist

Research Project Manager Biodiversity Informatics Manager

Biodiversity Informatics Manager Data Manager

Information Manager Biodiversity Information

Assistant Botanist / Assistant CuratorHead of Nomenclature and Taxonomy (Biodiversity Informatics)

Head, Computer Systems Office Sr. Database Manager

Collection Manager Database Admin/Programmer

Assistant Curator and Virtual Herbarium Coordinator

Biological Informatician

For the (digital) collection managertools for cleaning data

open refineSpecify WorkbenchDarwin Core Test validation tools

data feedback from tools like Filtered PUSH, …TDWG offers tools, standards and methodologies

enables GBIF (and others) to effectively share dataand makes possible data discovery from other

collectionswhat Texas knows…

the Digital Collection is a tool for everyone

Data Quality – GBIF prioritiesmetadata completeness

aids discovery and citationdata quality and fitness-for-use reports

dataset and by speciespossible approaches to endorsement of datasetsfitness-for-use working groupsall datasets and records have stable identifiers,

allows annotation, correction, curation and citation collaborate with other major players

e.g., in developing a common global taxonomic framework to underpin taxonomic quality

Data Quality - Southwest Collection of Arthropods (SCAN) Thematic Collection NetworkFiltered Push (FP) based servicehttp://wiki.filteredpush.org/wiki/ primary purpose is to connect high-quality imaged of

yet insufficiently identified specimens with suitable experts who can provide identifications remotely

“IDs Needed” System

Data quality Beyond Barriers: Exporting data quality assessments from

Spain Arturo H. Ariño, Francisco Pando, Javier Otegui

Data Quality Assessment tool - Darwin Test (DT)validates Darwin Core Archive fileschecks common errors arising from digitization checks for errors from migrationenforces data standards on records,

records not conforming are sent backallows for calculation of the Apparent Quality Index (AQI) of the

dataset.reduces noise in the data published,

allows data to be iteratively corrected before indexing.

Other bits of News from TDWGNew standard ratified: Audubon Core

for sharing media data and metadataiDigBio, Morphbank,

Darwin Core definitions work – ongoingDarwin Core Archive Files +Semantic web

Host relationships, for exampleCrowd-sourcingCollaboration

trend / funding constraint / challenge / helpFacilitating African Biodiversity

next year’s meeting in Nairobi, Kenya

You and Biodiversity Information Standards?Join TDWG (it’s free)!

Data Quality Interest Group?Find out what your peers are up toAvoid wheel re-invention and N-I-H too!Join the tdwg-content listserveNorth American TDWG representatives

Bryan HeidornJames Macklin

Inspiration, New Tools, New Ideas, Potential – all at TDWG

Acknowledgement and Thanks toGail Kampmeier, INHSKatja Seltmann, ECN, AMNHECN 2013 Organizers and AttendeesTDWG 2013 Organizers