What do accessible occurrence data and checklists tell us about

species diversity in Canada?

David P. ShorthouseUniversité de Montréal / Canadensys

@dpsSpiders

Accessible

DiscoverableComputable

StandardsDigitalOpen

Discoverable

DOI 10.1007/11530084_8

Computable

StandardsDarwin Core

A common biodiversityinformation language

bit.ly/DarwinCore

Digital

Open• Legally unrestrictive• Openly licensed• Can be reused, reconstituted, recombined

republished

FINE PRINTThe Canadian Museum of Nature owns the copyright of almost all information (data and images) accessed through its databases.

Data may not be transferred to another database for distribution to others without prior written permission from the Canadian Museum of Nature.

The Goal• Establish provenance• Track citations & metrics of use• Build new networks of collaboration• Play a significant role in « Big Data »

Innovation happens when you use someone else’s data

Are Occurrence and Checklist Data in Canada

Accessible?

http://www.gbif.org/country/CA

11M!

Bembidion (Bracteon) punctatostriatumCredit: Henri Goulet

Carabidae on Canadensys

Cypripedium candidum Muhl. ex Willd.Small White Lady’s-slipper

ENDANGERED

Species at Risk on Canadensys

24 specimens

Antennaria flagellaris (A. Gray) A. GrayStoloniferous Pussytoes

ENDANGERED

5 specimens

doi: 10.3897/zookeys.283.4674

doi: 10.5886/txsd3at3

What Checklist Data Are Accessible?

Challenges

How do we deliver high quality products?

Utility of « Accessible » Occurrence Data

Hjarding, A., Tolley, K. A., & Burgess, N. D. 2014. Red List assessments of East African chameleons: a case study of why we need experts. OryxDOI 10.1017/s0030605313001427

Photographer: H. Vannoy Davis

« 99.9%of GBIF records used outdated taxonomy and 20% had no locality coordinates »

How do we reduce the workload?

http://miningbiodiversity.org

http://canent.shorthouse.nethttps://github.com/dshorthouse/article_semanticizer

What Can We Mine Now?

Upcoming Events

Canadensys new research initiatives workshopAnne Bruneau, anne.bruneau@umontreal.cahttp://www.canadensys.net/2014/workshop-proposal

Data Publication Workshop K.W. Neatby Building: January 13, 14, 2015; co-located in Tallahassee, FL with iDigBio

James Macklin, james.macklin@agr.gc.caDavid Shorthouse, david.shorthouse@umontreal.ca

Take Home

• « Accessible » means computable & open• Occurrence and checklist data can be

published, but they require curation– Seek assistance from Canadensys & elsewhere

• There are significant challenges, but we can be creative

• What new, innovative research can we do with these data?

What do accessible occurrence data and checklists

say about us?

@dpsSpiders