Connected data landscape of long-term ecological studies: the SPI-Birds data hub

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antica Culina ◽  
Frank Adriaensen ◽  
Liam D. Bailey ◽  
Malcolm D. Burgess ◽  
Anne Charmantier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Integration ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Meta Data ◽  
Standard Format ◽  
Global Issues

The integration and synthesis of the data in different areas of science is drastically slowed and hindered by a lack of standards and networking programmes. Long-term studies of individually marked animals are not an exception. These studies are especially important as instrumental for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes in the wild. Further, their number and global distribution provides a unique opportunity to assess the generality of patterns and to address broad-scale global issues (e.g. climate change). To solve data integration issues and enable a new scale of ecological and evolutionary research based on long-terms studies of birds, we have created the SPI-Birds Network and Database (www.spibirds.org) – a large-scale initiative that connects data from, and researchers working on, studies of wild populations of individually recognizable (usually ringed) birds. Within a year of the establishment, SPI-Birds counts 120 members working on more than 80 populations, with data concerning breeding attempts of almost a million individual birds over a 1700 cumulative years, and counting. SPI-Birds acts as a data hub and a catalogue of studied populations. It prevents data loss, secures easy data finding, use and integration, and thus facilitates collaboration and synthesis. We provide community-derived data and meta-data standards and improve data integrity guided by of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR), and aligned with the existing metadata languages (e.g. ecological meta-data language). The encouraging community involvement stems from SPI-Bird's decentralized approach: research groups retain full control over data use and their way of data management, while SPI-Birds creates tailored pipelines to convert each unique data format into a standard format. We outline the lessons learned, so that other communities (e.g. those working on other taxa) can adapt our successful model. Creating community-specific hubs (such as ours, COMADRE for animal demography, etc.) will aid much-needed large-scale ecological data integration.

Development of Urban Disaster Prevention Systems in Japan – from the Mid-1980s

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itsuki Nakabayashi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Management ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Disaster Prevention ◽  
Earthquake Disaster ◽  
Tokyo Metropolitan ◽  
Metropolitan Government

This treatise outlines developments in disaster management focusing on earthquake disaster measures taken by the Japanese and Tokyo Metropolitan Governments since the 1980s. The 1978 Large-Scale Earthquake Measures Special Act on conditions for predicting the Tokai Earthquake significantly changed the direction of earthquake disaster measures in Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government undertook its own earthquake disaster measures based on lessons learned from the 1964 Niigata Earthquake. In the 1980s, it began planning urban development disaster management programs for upgrading areas with high wooden houses concentration - still a big problem in many urban areas of Japan - which are most vulnerable to earthquake disasters. The 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe brought meaningful insight into both to earthquake disaster measures by the Japanese Government and by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and other local governments nationwide. Long-term predictions concerning possible earthquake occurrence have been conducted throughout Japan and new earthquake disaster measures have been adopted based on this long-term prediction. The Tokyo Government has further completely revised its own earthquake disaster measures. As a review of measures against foreseeable earthquake disasters based on developments in disaster management measures, this treatise provides invaluable insights emphasizing urban earthquake disaster prevention developed in Japan over the last 30 years that readers are sure to find both interesting and informative in their own work.

The role of connectivity in Australian conservation

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 266 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Soulé ◽  
B. G. Mackey ◽  
H. F. Recher ◽  
J. E. Williams ◽  
J. C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Landscape Permeability ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Trophic Relations ◽  
Scientific Framework

The existing system of nature reserves in Australia is inadequate for the long-term conservation and restoration of native biological diversity because it fails to accommodate, among other elements, large scale and long-term ecological processes and change, including physical and biotic transport in the landscape. This paper is an overview of the connectivity elements that inform a scientific framework for significantly improving the prospects for the long-term conservation of Australia's biodiversity. The framework forms the basis for the WildCountry programme. This programme has identified connectivity at landscape, regional and continental scales as a critical component of an effective conservation system. Seven categories of ecological phenomena are reviewed that require landscape permeability and that must be considered when planning for the maintenance of biological diversity and ecological resilience in Australia: (1) trophic relations at regional scales; (2) animal migration, dispersal, and other large scale movements of individuals and propagules; (3) fire and other forms of disturbance at regional scales; (4) climate variability in space and time and human forced rapid climate change; (5) hydroecological relations and flows at all scales; (6) coastal zone fluxes of organisms, matter, and energy; and, (7) spatially-dependent evolutionary processes at all scales. Finally, we mention eight cross-cutting themes that further illuminate the interactions and implications of the seven connectivity-related phenomena for conservation assessment, planning, research, and management, and we suggest how the results might be applied by analysts, planners, scientists, and community conservationists.

scholarly journals Effective public participation is fundamental for marine conservation - lessons from a large scale MPA

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon C. Day
Keyword(s):  
Public Participation ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Public ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Participation Program

The Representative Areas Program (RAP) was, at the time, the most comprehensive process of community involvement and participatory planning for any environmental issue in Australia. The RAP was a key component of the widely acclaimed rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and although completed in 2003, many lessons learned are still relevant today. This paper provides an analysis of the comprehensive public participation program that significantly influenced the final planning outcome. It provides insights into a fundamental component of effective marine planning, assessing what worked well and what did not in terms of public engagement. Some aspects of the public participation program were innovative, and some were more effective than others. The outcome was one-third of the Marine Park was declared as highly protected no-take zones in 2004, with the remainder of the park also zoned to provide lower levels of protection. The methods used to engage the public and the 25 lessons discussed in this paper should be of interest for practitioners, policy makers and academics elsewhere aiming for ‘good practice’ approaches to achieve environmental conservation.

An Exploration of Thinking About Complex Global Issues and Then Taking Action

2018 ◽  
pp. 102-146
Author(s):  
Ian Roderick
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
The World ◽  
Taking Action

There are many problems and challenges facing the world. They go beyond problems that can be solved. They present as continual challenges that perpetually shift and transform themselves. The word we use for these situations are issues and they are by nature complex and large scale – they are global and long term. However, action does follow thinking and talking, even if that action is internalized. This chapter explores thinking about complex global issues and taking action.

Practical lessons for successful long-term cropping systems experiments

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Schillinger
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Short Commentary ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Systems Studies

AbstractMany lessons in long-term cropping systems experiments are learned from practical experience. I have conducted large-scale, long-term, multidisciplinary dryland and irrigated cropping systems experiments with numerous colleagues at university and government research stations and in farmers' fields in the USA and in developing countries for 25 years. Several practical lessons learned through the years are outlined in this short commentary. While some of these lessons learned may be intrinsically obvious, results of many cropping systems experiments have not been published in scientific journals due to fatal flaws in experimental design, improper transitioning between phases of the experiment and many other reasons. Ongoing active support by stakeholders is critical to maintain funding for long-term cropping systems studies. Problems and unexpected challenges will occur, but scientists can often parlay these into opportunities for discovery and testing of new hypotheses. Better understanding and advancement of stable, profitable and sustainable cropping systems will be critical for feeding the world's projected 10 billion people by the mid-21st century.

scholarly journals The phytosociology of the Vermaaks, Marnewicks and Buffelsklip valleys of the Kammanassie Nature Reserve, Western Cape

Koedoe ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cleaver ◽  
L.R. Brown ◽  
G.J. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Groundwater Abstraction ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Vegetation Surveys ◽  
Baseline Information

Long-term conservation ecosystems require a broader understanding of the ecological processes involved. Because ecosystems react differently to different management practices, it is important that a description and classification of the vegetation of an area are completed. A vegetation survey of the valley areas of the Kammanassie Nature Reserve was undertaken as part of a larger research project to assess the environmental impacts of large-scale groundwater abstraction from Table Mountain Group aquifers on ecosystems in the reserve. From a TWFNSPAN classification, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures, 21 plant communities, which can be grouped into 13 major groups, were identified. A classification and description of these communities, as well as a vegetation map of the different areas are presented. Associated gradients in habitat w ere identified by using an ordination algorithm (DECORANA). The diagnostic species as well as the prominent and less conspicuous species of the tree, shrub, forb and grass strata are outlined. The study also resulted in a total number of 481 species being identified and the discovery of a new Erica species. These vegetation surveys and descriptions provide baseline information for management purposes and that allows monitoring as well as similar surveys to be conducted in future.

Windthrow following four harvest treatments in an Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir forest in southern interior British Columbia, Canada

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1547-1556 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J Huggard ◽  
Walt Klenner ◽  
Alan Vyse
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Random Trees ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Subalpine Fir ◽  
Engelmann Spruce ◽  
Lower Height

We used transect surveys at a large-scale experimental site at Sicamous Creek, B.C., to measure the effects of five treatments on windthrow: 10-ha clearcuts, arrays of 1-ha patch cuts, arrays of 0.1-ha patch cuts, individual-tree selection cuts, and uncut controls. We also examined edge effects and conditions predisposing trees to windthrow. Windthrow of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) in the 2.7 years following harvesting increased from 0.6% of basal area per year in uncut forest to 0.8-1.8% per year in harvested treatments, with highest rates in individual tree selection units and lowest rates in 0.1-ha patch-cut arrays. Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) showed similar patterns of windthrow but lower rates (0.2-0.7% of basal area per year in harvested treatments). Windthrow was concentrated near north and east edges of 1-ha and 10-ha openings but was dispersed throughout the more uniform treatments. Windthrown trees did not differ from random trees in diameter but had lower height/diameter ratios, probably reflecting the greater windthrow observed in subxeric sites on complex, elevated topography. The rates and distribution of windthrow in different harvest treatments have implications for ecological processes, salvage, long-term windthrow potential, and mitigation possibilities.

scholarly journals An Era of Appropriate Technology: Evolutions, Oversights and Opportunities

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Lissenden ◽  
Siri Maley ◽  
Khanjan Mehta
Keyword(s):  
Implementation Strategy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Project Lifecycle

As we develop practical, innovative and sustainable technology solutions for resource-constrained settings, what can we learn from the Appropriate Technology (AT) movement? Based on a review of academic literature over the past 35 years, this article identifies, and chronologically maps, the defining tenets and metrics of success advocated by scholars. The literature has gradually evolved from general musings into concrete lessons learned, while the definitions of “success” have transitioned from laboratory success into practical application and long-term usefulness. Nonetheless, juxtaposing this scholastic history with actual projects reveals three major gaps in AT philosophy related to a lack of 1) bilateral knowledge exchange, 2) emphasis on venture scalability, and 3) integration of implementation strategy through the project lifecycle. This article argues that rethinking and repositioning AT with a human-centric narrative emphasizing sustainability and scalability is imperative in order to revitalize and accelerate the AT movement and to achieve the large-scale impact it was expected to deliver.

scholarly journals Developing an Open Social Scholarship Collaboration: Lessons from INKE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Lynne Siemens ◽  
The INKE Research Group
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Administrative Team ◽  
Best Practice Guidelines ◽  
Graduate Research ◽  
Knowledge Environment

Many academic teams and granting agencies undergo a process of reflection at the completion of research projects to understand lessons learned and develop best practice guidelines. Generally completed at the project’s end, these reviews focus on the actual research work accomplished with little discussion of the work relationships and process involved. As a result, some hard-earned lessons are forgotten or minimized through the passage of time. Additional learning about the nature of collaboration may be gained if this type of reflection occurs during the project’s life. Building on earlier examinations of INKE, this paper contributes to that discussion with an exploration of seventh and final year of a large-scale research project.Implementing New Knowledge Environment (INKE) serves as a case study for this research. Members of the administrative team, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, graduate research assistants, and others are asked about their experiences collaborating within INKE on an annual basis in order to understand the nature of collaboration and ways that it may change over the life of a long-term grant. Interviewees continue to outline benefits for collaboration within INKE while admitting that there continue to be challenges. They also outline several lessons learned which will be applied to the next project.

Architectural Foundations of WSRF NET

2011 ◽  
pp. 167-186
Author(s):  
Glenn Wasson ◽  
Marty Humphrey
Keyword(s):  
Grid Computing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
State Management ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Net Framework ◽  
Client Code ◽  
The Web

State management has always been an underlying issue for large scale distributed systems, but it has only recently been brought to the forefront of Grid computing with the introduction of the Web services resource framework (WSRF) and its companion WS-notification. WSRF advocates standardized approaches for client exposure to and potential manipulation of stateful services for Grid computing; however, these arguments and their long term implications have been difficult to assess without a concrete implementation of the WSRF specifications. This chapter describes the architectural foundations of WSRF.NET, which is an implementation of the full set of specifications for WSRF and WS-notification on the Microsoft .NET framework. To our knowledge, the observations and lessons learned from the design and implementation of WSRF.NET provide the first evaluation of the WSRF approach. A concrete example of the design, implementation and deployment of a WSRF-compliant service and its accompanying WSRF-compliant client are used to guide the discussion. While the potential of WSRF and WS-notification remains strong, initial observations are that there are many challenges that remain to be solved, most notably the implied programming model derived from the specifications, particularly the complexity of service-side and client-code and the complexity of WS-notification.

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