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 67
8/30/2004
Web-accessible Information on
Invasive Species in the
Americas: A Multinational
Invasives Information Network
Andrea Grosse¹, Sergio Zalba², and Silvia Ziller³
Abstract
Decision-makers and managers benefit
from ready access to invasive species
information from all countries. In the Americas,
information from published and unpublished
accounts and databases on invasive species is
scattered in locations and formats not easily
accessible even to local users.
The Invasives Information Network (I3N)
pilot project of the Inter-American Biodiversity
Information Network (IABIN), sponsored by the
United States Department of State (DOS) and
the United States Geological Survey (USGS),
created a distributed network of catalogs of
invasive species lists, experts, projects, and
datasets. Software tools were developed by the
National Biological Information Infrastructure to
assist with the cataloging and distributed
searching.
The pilot project was completed
successfully in 11 countries, with many
unexpected benefits. The I3N is composed of in-
country information providers working towards
the use of common standards. Each provider’s
invasive species information is controlled by the
provider but is documented and posted on the
Web in a standard format. The public can search
the records for free from a single entry-point.
Several new countries are starting to create I3N
catalogs.
1
Project Manager, International Biological Informatics
Initiatives, National Biological Information
Infrastructure, National Program Office - USGS,
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 302, Reston, VA
20192 USA
2
Professor, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan
670, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, 8000 Argentina
3
President, Horus Institute / Coordinator, The Nature
Conservancy do Brasil, Rua Dr. Manoel Pedro,
495/906, Cabral, Curitiba, PR, 80035-030, Brazil
Introduction
‘I3N’ stands for IABIN Invasives Information
Network (http://www.iabin-
us.org/projects/i3n/i3n_project.html). ‘IABIN’
is the Inter-American Biodiversity
Information Network – an internet based
forum for technical scientific cooperation
throughout the Americas. In 2004 we were
granted six million dollars from the Global
Environment Facility (GEF), which in
combination with cofinancing will add up to
30 million dollars for developing IABIN as a
whole. The I3N will be one of six thematic
networks within IABIN.
The pilot project for I3N was sponsored by
the DOS and the USGS, and it was
successfully completed in 11 countries
(colored in red above). The countries that
are depicted in shades of green are
interested in, or have started the process of
participating in the I3N.
The objectives … were to develop
four standard catalogs of information
in each country – … experts,
projects, datasets, and species lists.
The objectives of the project were to
develop four standard catalogs of
information in each country – a catalog each
of experts, projects, datasets, and species
lists. These catalogs are Web accessible,
but distributed so that each information
provider has complete control over their
own catalogs. The catalogs are integrated
through one single online entry point and
IABIN
Invasives
Information
Network
Andrea Grosse
U.S. National Biological Information Infrastructure
GISIN, Baltimore, 7 April 2004
I³
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