In 2024, we organised a workshop on data management for the BiodivMon projects. We covered the importance of effective Data Management Plans (DMPs) for individual projects, the broader context of open science principles, and the key role of GBIF in facilitating global biodiversity data sharing and providing training and resources to support these efforts.
Rewatch the workshop!
Summary
- Jennifer Anderson (principal investigator of the FUNACTION project, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) highlighted the importance of data management plans (DMPs) within the FunAction project. The project generates diverse data, including primary scientific data like DNA sequences and water chemistry, field photos, consortium documentation (including personal data), and stakeholder information. This data complexity, coupled with large data volumes, GDPR compliance requirements, and data flow between numerous partners and locations, necessitates robust data management. The FunAction DMP establishes a common understanding among partners, ensures compliance with relevant standards like the FAIR principles, and defines data usage, sharing, and storage procedures. Jennifer emphasised that DMPs are not merely bureaucratic hurdles but valuable tools that improve collaboration and efficiency, structure data collection and storage, reduce data loss, enhance data consistency, and promote data sharing, reuse, reproducibility, continuity, and longevity.
- Dimitri Brosens (previous Belgian GBIF Node Manager, Flemish Research Institute for Nature and Forest) introduced the core concepts of open science and open data. He explained that open science promotes transparent and collaborative research by making research outputs freely available for reuse, redistribution, and reproduction. Key drivers of this movement include UNESCO recommendations, the COVID-19 pandemic, and European open science policies. Open science offers numerous benefits, including improved research accessibility and impact, enhanced public trust and accountability, increased researcher visibility and citations, and compliance with funder requirements. The pillars of open science encompass open data, open-source code, open methodology, open peer review, and open educational resources. Various data repositories like GBIF, OBIS, Dryad, and Zenodo facilitate data sharing and publication, guided by the FAIR principles. Dimitri stressed the importance of integrating open science considerations throughout the entire research process, from planning to dissemination. The subsequent Q&A session addressed concerns about the time investment and potential overwhelm associated with implementing these principles, particularly for resource-constrained researchers, highlighting the need for institutional support, collaboration, and a nuanced understanding of Open Access publishing in relation to research quality.
- Birgit Gemeinholzer (GBIF Science Committee Chair, University of Kassel) presented on the role of GBIF in promoting data management and open data within the biodiversity research community. She emphasised the importance of data management and data literacy for researchers, outlining the data life cycle from planning and collection to submission, preservation, and use. Open data offers numerous advantages, including increased citations, enhanced reusability, greater transparency, and contribution to a larger research ecosystem. National Biodiversity Information Facilities (NBIFs) play a crucial role in assisting researchers in finding appropriate data repositories. GBIF itself serves as a free and open repository for various types of biodiversity data, including occurrence records, observation data, and DNA-based data, and collaborates with organisations like IUCN and CBD to maximise its impact. GBIF is also actively developing a new data model to accommodate more complex data types. The Q&A clarified that GBIF prioritises primary data, with codes and models being more suitable for repositories like Zenodo or GitHub. GBIF assigns DOIs to datasets for citation and reproducibility and actively cooperates with various international organisations, including the Checklist Bank project, which focuses on harmonising species names.
- Melissa Liu (GBIF Asia support team) presented GBIF’s capacity enhancement activities, focusing on data mobilisation training. GBIF strategically prioritises building capacity within its network of data providers and users through training programmes that target individual data literacy and skills development. These programmes offer online courses adaptable for both virtual and in-person workshops. Drawing from GBIF’s experience organising virtual workshops, particularly in the Asia region, Melissa outlined a detailed workflow encompassing interest surveys, participant selection, mentor recruitment, and post-workshop activities. She emphasised the use of GBIF’s training resources and the encouragement of data publication following the workshops, recognising the collaborative effort behind the training programme’s development and implementation.
Have a look at our guide on data management