2016 GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge to focus on data gaps
The Ebbe Nielsen Challenge, an annual incentive prize held by GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility—will focus this year on the question of gaps and biases in biodiversity data in the GBIF network.
While the competition will not formally open until 29 July 2016 with the release of the Challenge site, individuals and teams can start developing concepts for innovations that help understand, examine and address gaps in the open-access biodiversity data available through GBIF.org.
The first- and second-place winners receive € 20,000 and € 5,000, respectively, and the expert jury will have discretion to recognize other entries as well. The winning entries will be revealed at GB23, GBIF's annual Governing Board meeting, in Brasília on 26 Oct 2016.
This year's emphasis on data gaps and biases builds in part on the growing body of scientific research that draws attention to various geographic, taxonomic, temporal, habitat and other gaps and biases in GBIF-mediated data. Two recent GBIF publications—the first on best practices for data gap analysis, the second on a task group report on fitness for use in distribution modelling—have highlighted many of these investigations.
"We expect that data users and data holders will all benefit from emphasizing the topic of gaps in this year's Ebbe Nielsen Challenge," said GBIF executive secretary Donald Hobern. "Data users need help in gauging whether data are suitable and sufficiently fit for use for their particular research questions. Meanwhile data holders—and funders—can gain from knowing critical temporal, spatial and other gaps so they can prioritize mobilization and digitization efforts."
"We expect that data users and data holders will both benefit from emphasizing the topic of gaps in this year's Ebbe Nielsen Challenge," said GBIF executive secretary Donald Hobern. "Data users need help in gauging whether data are suitable and sufficiently fit for use for their particular research questions. Meanwhile data holders—and funders—can gain from knowing critical temporal, spatial and other gaps so they can prioritize mobilization and digitization efforts."
The distinguished jury for this year's Challenge includes:
— Lars George, software engineer of open source Big Data technologies and cofounder of consultancy OpenCore
— Sandra Knapp, head of plants division of Natural History Museum London
— Nicolas Noé, IT expert at the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and cofounder of Datafable, winners of the 2015 Ebbe Nielsen Challenge
— Rod Page, taxonomist at University of Glasgow's Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine and chair of GBIF Science Committee
The period for submissions will run between 29 July and 29 September. Entrants will have to register all individual team members on DevPost, which will host all Challenge submissions and official rules. In the meantime, entrants may use the draft materials below to begin planning their submissions.
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About GBIF
GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information—is an open-data research infrastructure funded by the world's governments. Through GBIF.org and associated services, GBIF provides free and open online access to species data provided by a network of member states, organisations, and hundreds of data publishing institutions around the world.
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Preliminary overview: 2016 Ebbe Nielsen Challenge
The Challenge will ask entrants to explore and demonstrate how the approach used in their tools, methods and mechanisms apply to one or more of the following cases:
1. Determining the completeness and consistency of data coverage for any taxonomic group at continental or global levels
2. Providing a national view of the coverage and detail of available data for all taxa or particular taxonomic groups throughout the country.
3. Providing a view of coverage and detail for other area types, such as environments (e.g., marine) or geographies (e.g., protected areas)
4. Evaluating the data for an individual species to assess confidence in the completeness of coverage for that species
To be competitive, submissions should likely include:
• Definition and analysis of a geographic, taxonomic, temporal or other gap in GBIF-mediated data
• Identification of the audience(s) affected by this gap and how addressing it will improve their use of or access to GBIF-mediated data
• One or more ways that the identified gaps can be used to identify data prioritization priorities or enhancements to GBIF solutions
• Potential for integration into the display of data on GBIF.org
Submissions will consist of three main elements:
1. Entry details, including the names of all team members; identification of a lead team representative; the taxonomic, temporary, geographic and other 'dimensions' of gap(s) considered; key audience(s) and user groups served
2. Narrative description, which defines the gap(s); justifies or provides evidence of its relevance; describes the tool, method or mechanism for addressing it; and the solution's relevance to GBIF and/or GBIF.org
3. Results, in the form of a prototype, demo, video or slides, along with any relevant technical requirements or implementation details
The jury will evaluate eligible submissions on three criteria:
● Applicability: how relevant is the submission to addressing particular gaps or measures of completeness?
● Innovation: how creative and effective is the proposed tool, method or mechanism?
● Functionality: how well does the proposed solution work? How easily and reliably can it be integrated or linked with tools, services and/or workflows connected to GBIF.org and GBIF API?
The Challenge will be open to:
• Individuals who are at least the age of majority in the jurisdiction in which they reside as of the time of entry. Entries from individuals under the age of 18 require a letter of approval from a parent or guardian to be provided as part of the entry.
• Teams of eligible individuals (with no limit on the number of eligible individuals that may be included in a team)
• Organizations (including corporations, not-for-profit corporations and other nonprofit organizations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and other legal entities) that exist and have been organized or incorporated at the time of entry ("Organizations")
The Challenge will NOT be open to:
• Members of the GBIF Secretariat
• Individuals currently under an external contract issued by the GBIF Secretariat
• Members of the GBIF Science Committee
• Heads of Delegation to GBIF
Resources
· Best Practice Guide for Data Gap Analysis for Biodiversity Stakeholders
· Final Report of the Task Group on GBIF Data Fitness for Use in Distribution Modelling
· Global analytics
· Country analytics
· Country reports
· GBIF API and developer resources
Suggested reading
Amano T, Lamming JDL & Sutherland WJ (2016) Spatial Gaps in Global Biodiversity Information and the Role of Citizen Science. BioScience 66(5): 393-400. doi:10.1093/biosci/biw022
Ariño AH & Otegui J (2009) Meta-análisis de los datos de biodiversidad suministrados a través de gbif.es, Pamplona: Universidad de Navarra. http://www.gbif.es/ficheros/metagbifes.pdf
Boakes EH, Fuller RA, McGowan PJK & Mace GM (2015) Uncertainty in identifying local extinctions: the distribution of missing data and its effects on biodiversity measures. Biology Letters 12(3): 20150824. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2015.0824
Chavan VS, Gaiji S, Hahn A, Sood RK, Raymond M & King N (2010) State-of-the-Network 2010: Discovery and Publishing of Primary Biodiversity Data through the GBIF Network. Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility http://www.gbif.org/resource/80666
Collen B, Ram M, Zamin T & McRae L (2008) The tropical biodiversity data gap: addressing disparity in global monitoring. Tropical Conservation Science 1(2): 75-88. http://tropicalconservationscience.mongabay.com/content/v1/08-06-09-Ben_Collen_et_al.html
Condé S, Roekaerts M, Vignault MP & Richard D (1996) Databases on species, habitats and sites: Survey and analysis, 1995-96. Copenhagen: European Environment Agency. http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/92-9167-034-0/at_download/file
Gaiji S, Chavan VS, Ariño AS, Otegui J, Hobern D, Sood R & Robles E (2013) Content assessment of the primary biodiversity data published through GBIF network: Status, challenges and potential. Biodiversity Informatics 8: 94-172. doi:10.17161/bi.v8i2.4124
Guralnick RP, Hill A & Lane M (2007) Towards a collaborative, global infrastructure for biodiversity assessment. Ecology Letters 10(8): 663-72. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01063.x
Hill AW, Otegui J, Ariño AH & Guralnick RP (2010) GBIF position paper on future directions and recommendations for enhancing fitness-for-use across the GBIF Network, Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility. http://www.gbif.org/resource/80623
Jarvis A, Ramírez J, Reymondin L, Amariles D, Tobón H, Camacho J & Tello JJ. (2010) Providing means for a better understanding of biodiversity: Improving primary data and using it for threat assessment and in situ conservation planning in South America. Cali, Colombia: International Centre for Tropical Agriculture. http://www.oas.org/dsd/IABIN/Component3/CIAT/Informe%20de%20Avance.pdf
Koleff P, Tambutti M, March IJ, Esquivel R, Cantú C, Lira-Noriega A et al. (2009) Identificación de prioridades y análisis de vacíos y omisiones en la conservación de la biodiversidad de México. In Capital natural de México, Vol. II: Estado de conservación y tendencias de cambio. Mexico City: CONABIO, 651-718. http://bit.ly/1U3Kzpd
Mair L & Ruete A (2016) Explaining Spatial Variation in the Recording Effort of Citizen Science Data across Multiple Taxa. PLoS ONE 11(1): e0147796. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147796
Meyer C, Weigelt P & Kreft H (2016) Multidimensional biases, gaps and uncertainties in global plant occurrence information. Ecology Letters. doi:10.1111/ele.12624
Meyer, C, Kreft H, Guralnick R & Jetz W (2015) Global priorities for an effective information basis of biodiversity distributions. Nature Communications 6: 8221. doi:10.1038/ncomms9221
Otegui J, Ariño AH, Encinas MA & Pando F (2013) Assessing the primary data hosted by the Spanish node of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). PLoS ONE 8(1): e55144. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055144
Peterson AT, Navarro-Sigüenza AG & Benítez-Díaz H (2008) The need for continued scientific collecting: A geographic analysis of Mexican bird specimens. Ibis 140(2): 288-294. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1998.tb04391.x
Pino-Del-Carpio A, Ariño, AH, Villarroya A, Puig J & Miranda R (2014) The biodiversity data knowledge gap: Assessing information loss in the management of Biosphere Reserves. Biological Conservation 173: 74-79. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2013.11.020
Rubio Teso ML, Ronquillo Ferrero C, Nebreda Trejo A, Parra Quijano M, Torres Lamas E & Iriondo Alegría JM (2015) In situ conservation of CWR in Spain: present and future. Crop Wild Relative 10: 24-26. http://www.pgrsecure.bham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/newsletters/CWR_Issue_10.pdf
Soberón J, Llorente J & Benítez H (1996) An international view of national biological surveys. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 83(4): 562–573. doi:10.2307/2399997
Sousa-Baena MS, Couto Garcia L & Peterson AT (2013) Completeness of digital accessible knowledge of the plants of Brazil and priorities for survey and inventory. Diversity and Distributions 20(4): 369-381. doi:10.1111/ddi.12136
Wetzel F, Hoffmann A, Kroupa A et al. (2014) EU BON Deliverable 1.1: Gap analysis and priorities for filling identified gaps in data coverage and quality. Berlin: Museum für Naturkunde and Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science. http://www.gbif.fr/sites/default/files/documents/eu_bon_deliverable_1_1_final_v30.pdf
More information:
Kyle Copas
Communications Manager
GBIF Secretariat
Universitetsparken 15
DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø
Denmark
+45 35 32 14 75 | mobile +45 28 75 14 75 | Skype kylecopas
www.gbif.org
Provided by Global Biodiversity Information Facility