A decadal view of biodiversity informatics: challenges and priorities

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2013
Authors:A. Hardisty, Roberts, D., The Biodiversity Informatics Community
Journal:BMC Ecology
Volume:13
Issue:1
Date Published:2013/04/15/
ISBN Number:1472-6785
Keywords:Biodiversity, Data sharing, Decadal vision, e-Infrastructure, Grand challenge, Informatics, Research infrastructure, Systems approaches
Abstract:

Biodiversity informatics plays a central enabling role in the research community's efforts to address scientific conservation and sustainability issues. Great strides have been made in the past decade establishing a framework for sharing data, where taxonomy and systematics has been perceived as the most prominent discipline involved. To some extent this is inevitable, given the use of species names as the pivot around which information is organised. To address the urgent questions around conservation, land-use, environmental change, sustainability, food security and ecosystem services that are facing Governments worldwide, we need to understand how the ecosystem works. So, we need a systems approach to understanding biodiversity that moves significantly beyond taxonomy and species observations. Such an approach needs to look at the whole system to address species interactions, both with their environment and with other species.

URL:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6785/13/16/abstract
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith