Experts Meeting on Implementation of a Global Invasive Species Information Network.
Proceedings of a Workshop. Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 6-8 April, 2004.
Page 1
8/30/2004
Executive Summary
The Global Invasive Species Information
Network (GISIN) is the realization of
discussions and workshops that have taken
place since 2001 to formalize efforts to
share invasive alien species (IAS)
information in a readily accessible form
throughout the globe. These proceedings
summarize the outcome of the first meeting
to create the structure for the GISIN,
convened by the United States Geological
Survey-coordinated National Biological
Information Infrastructure (NBII).
The purpose of the meeting was to
determine how to accomplish the
interconnection of existing IAS
databases and develop a user-
friendly information network that will
facilitate decision-making for
addressing IAS problems.
The concept for the GISIN arose from a
series of seven regional workshops held
around the globe, and funded primarily by
the United States Department of State, with
additional support from the United States
Agency for International Development
(USAID), the World Conservation Union
(IUCN), and the Global Invasive Species
Programme (GISP). The sponsors and the
conveners of these workshops—GISP,
IUCN and CAB-International, recognized a
common problem inherent in each of the
regions: there was no central location or
“portal” to which managers and scientists
could turn to efficiently retrieve relevant
information on IAS taxonomy, prevention
and management, nor a site where they
could post their regional information to help
increase invasive species awareness and
capacity building regionally and around the
globe.
A survey conducted in an electronic
discussion prior to the meeting analyzed 47
databases to assess what elements are
needed for a functional and useful GISIN.
The questions were also designed to
determine the information needs of the
GISIN community in order to refine the
Expected Outcomes listed below.
Creation of an online working group
community that will develop a global
invasive species information network
Agreement on common data types for
the creation of cross searches for
invasive species information at a global
level
Creation and distribution of a proposal
funding toolkit, with templates, sample
proposals, and detailed lists of possible
funding sources for this information
network
Generation and maintenance of a
complete annotated link list of online
invasive species databases
Development of a report of the
workshop's proceedings and the results
of a survey of participants concerning
their region's current status of invasive
species information
Ultimately, 76 experts from 26 countries¹
participated in this first GISIN meeting.
Managers of IAS information, database
developers, project managers, and decision
makers exchanged ideas about specific
infrastructure, content, and standards to
achieve IAS database interoperability.
Presentations on the Nonindigenous
Species Database (NISbase), the IABIN
Invasives Information Network (I3N), the
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
(GBIF), Conabio, Discover Life, and the
concept of Web Services, described models
1
Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada,
China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, India,
Jamaica, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New
Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Sri
Lanka, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Unites States,
Venezuela
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