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 97
8/30/2004
Eight possible data search fields were
selected from a list that the Capacity
Building breakout group had developed,
including name, life form or higher
taxonomic unit (e.g. tree, bush, mammal,
bird etc.), habitat, pathway, origin, and date
for that location. Scientific name (genus and
species), and a date field were chosen as
the minimum data search fields. The date
field could be used to define any date such
as a century or a specific month/day/year.
Additionally, family name was highly
recommended to avoid ambiguity in cases
where more than one species share the
same scientific name. There was also
consensus that all data must have a source
or authority for it to have any value.
Scientific name (genus and species),
and a date field were chosen as the
minimum data search fields.
Discussions about the minimum set of data
search fields also included consideration for
a biostatus field in which the native or alien
status of a species would be indicated.
However, due to the fact that this
information is often unavailable, and seldom
included in databases that contain both
native and alien species, it was decided that
although highly desirable, it would not be
included as a minimum data search field.
Fact sheet or species profile type databases
would be encouraged to provide data for the
minimum set of data search fields.
Observation and specimen-based
databases should provide this same
minimum set of data search fields, plus an
additional family field and a location field
that could contain coordinates or text (or
both).
A database of experts should provide the
expert’s name and/or organization, contact
information, and an expertise definition
based on category fields such as taxonomic
groups, specific control methods, and
geographic region of expertise.
Concerning data field standards, it was
recommended that a nomenclature
/taxonomic standard such as the Integrated
Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), or
the more global catalog of Life (with Species
2000), be followed by GISIN data providers.
Where available, species codes, such as
the ITIS Taxonomic Serial Numbers, should
be made part of the database to help to
make taxonomic data most easily
accessible. Legacy databases or those that
follow other taxonomic standards will not be
excluded from the GISIN.
For databases containing bibliographic
reference data, the Dublin Core standard
that has been adopted by the publishing
community was recommended.
The Ecological Metadata Language (EML)
standard developed by the National Center
for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
(NCEAS) was suggested as a standard that
could be followed by research/project
databases.
The goal of selecting a minimum set
of database search fields was to
define a set of data fields that all
GISIN data providers or IAS
databases would be likely to have in
common with each other. The GISIN
does not seek to exclude data
providers that have additional fields,
nor those that lack specific fields (for
example, a field for family name).
The goal of selecting a minimum set of
database search fields was to define a set
of data fields that all GISIN data providers
or IAS databases would be likely to have in
common with each other. The GISIN does
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