Report prepared for the Experts Meeting Towards the Implementation of a Global Invasive Species
Information Network (GISIN), 6-8 April, 2004. Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Page 92
8/30/2004
Breakout Group Reports
Database Infrastructure
Group Leader: Hannu Saarenmaa (GBIF)¹
Rapporteur: Jennifer Forman Orth (UMass-
Boston)²
Introduction
The Database Infrastructure breakout group
discussed the practical and technological
issues associated with implementing a
GISIN, and presented possible solutions to
questions about the actual physical
structure and components of the network.
Report
The first issue tackled by this breakout
group was whether the GISIN should
consist of a single Web site or portal. The
group agreed that the one-portal idea
supported the most simplistic and possibly
best approach to serving information on the
Internet. A single portal could provide the
kind of easy, single-search access to a vast
array of information that users often
demand. However, the group recognized
that many databases relevant to the GISIN
have already been developed, and that a lot
of heterogeneity exists among these
databases. Rather than make existing
databases conform to the requirements of a
single-search portal, the group suggested
that the GISIN should respect the
individuality of databases and allow multiple
portals to be developed as information
needs are identified by the broader
community of users. It is often important for
organizations to develop their own portals
and databases in order for them to obtain
recognition and funding. The GISIN must
develop a method to indicate data sources
for data that are passed from one place to
another (e.g. among portals, among users
etc.).
1
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
2
University of Massachusetts at Boston
It is often important for organizations
to develop their own portals and
databases in order for them to obtain
recognition and funding.
The breakout group developed a list of
products that the GISIN should generate in
order to support networking and data
exchange among databases or data
providers. These products included:
developing guidelines or standards
for future database development;
providing expertise and support for
database and portal development
(sourced from the GISIN members
that are experienced in such tasks);
and
developing tools and materials such
as
machine interfaces,
a schema,
a standard for acknowledging data
authorship,
a definition of intellectual property
rights,
a standard for referencing
taxonomic naming authorities, and
a method for cross-referencing
taxonomic names.
In addition, the group highlighted the
importance of dating records. Records
should be tagged with a creation date and
the dates of any subsequent modifications.
If any authorities or sources are referenced
by or listed for database records, those
entities should also be tagged with a date.
The question of which languages should be
supported in translation services was also
briefly discussed.
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