The second ODINAFRICA training course on Marine Biodiversity Data Management was held in English at the Verandah Hotel, Mauritius from 22-26 August 2005 and attended by participants from Cameroon , Egypt , Ghana , Kenya , Namibia , Nigeria , Seychelles , and Tanzania . Resource persons were Dr Edward Vanden Berghe and Dr Bart Hoorne (VLIZ, Belgium ), Ursula Von St. Ange (SADCO, South Africa ), and Dr Melckizedeck Osore (WIOMSA). The ODINAFRICA Regional Coordinator for Data Management Dr Desiderius Masalu also attended.

The course contents included: (i) Introduction to Access, (ii) Access Metadatabases, (iii) Introduction to OBIS, GBIF and othe major metadatabases, (iv) Access Biodiversity databases, (v) Importing, exporting and entering data in access, (vi) Problems of biodiversity data –formats and codes, (vii) Representation of taxonomic hierarchy and synonymy- implementation in access, (viii) Introduction to XML: Darwin core, OBIS and ABCD federation schemas, (ix) Installing MSDE: porting application to MSDE, (x) Diversity of biodiversity issues: from definition to conservation, (xi) Introduction to taxonomy and systematics, (xii) Advanced nomenclature, (xiii) Installing Apache and php: creating vww, (xiv) Installing DiGIR, customizing XML, and (xv) Demonstration of portal applications.

The participants identified joint activities, with a clear set of deliverables and time plan, to develop national data systems on marine biodiversity data management, and how they will be interlinked to contribute to AfrOBIS and other OBIS activities.

Following this, there was a round-table discussion on the basis of the information presented by Mika, and on the basis of the rough outline resulting from the discussions with the French-speaking group. For the sake of clarity, only the results of these discussions are presented below. This is of course not to negate the very valuable contributions from individual participants.

Participants to the Mauritius and Oostende Workshops are expected to take the activities further, and be ambassadors for Biodiversity Data Management in all relevant institutes in their country, not just their own institute. In what follows, they are referred to as ‘National Coordinators'.

Meta-data activities

The general idea of starting with the metadata, in order to create an inventory and decide on priorities on the basis of this inventory was supported. Several mechanisms to capture and distribute metadata are in place in the framework of IODE, and should be used for this project.

The National Coordinators will contact relevant institutes and experts to ask them to add or update their record in AfriDIR. This should be done in close collaboration with the local NODC, and with the national ODINAFRICA Information Manager. The coordinators of the NODCs and the ODINAFRICA national Information Managers should be contacted as soon as possible; Mika Odido can be asked to assist where coordinators of the NODCs and/or national ODINAFRICA Information Managers would not fully understand the relevance of this activity. Updating the information in AfriDIR should be finished within three months; afterwards this will be a continuous process to keep the information up-to-date.

MEDI is IODE's mechanism to handle marine environmental metadata. During IODE 18, it was decided that a small team would look at MEDI and re-evaluate its usefulness and integration in other international metadata systems. Chair of this group is Greg Reed; Edward Vanden Berghe and Malika Bel Hassen are also involved. Ursula von St Ange was nominated as a representative of the English-speaking group, to work together with the MEDI working group and critically evaluate MEDI for its usefulness for biodiversity information, and propose amendments or alternatives if needed. The initial contact will be made ASAP; the team of National Coordinators will receive a report within a month's time.

Relevant datasets that we are after are not only databases sensu strictu, but also lists of species that are often published in project reports, theses and other grey literature. It is expected that the country reports, produced for the Country Study for the Convention on Biological Diversity, will be a rich source of information.

Initial data entry in MEDI or its alternative should start as soon as the revised MEDI becomes available; however, collecting the relevant information from national experts can start earlier than this. It is expected that initial data entry will start in 6 months, and be completed by month 9; after this, as for information on experts and institutes, this should remain a continuous process.

In order to give visibility to all these activities, a web page (or a series of pages) should be created on the NODC's web site, specifying the objectives of ODINAfrica's biodiversity data management activities, contacts to contribute relevant information, and progress towards the project's end deliverables. Also the AfriDIR and MEDI entries relevant to the projects should be made visible here separately. The initial page with objectives and contact details should be publicly available within 1 month. AfrOBIS will host a page with links to all national pages.

Technical

Setting up a database and a DiGIR provider will require national coordinators to contact the IT section in their institute. Initial contact should be made immediately; a time line for solving the technical issues should be worked out together with the IT people. Obviously, the details of this time line will not be completely in control of the participants, but it is hoped that within a month the time line will be created. Installation of the database and DiGIR should be finished within three months; first data sets available through the DiGIR provider at the end of month 6.

IT sections of NODCs are welcome to contact SADCO and/or VLIZ for technical support. The institutes who foresee problems in installing the database or DiGIR provider, or where there is a problem with the reliability of the internet connection, should contact their regional coordinator.

National coordinators who have problems contacting/convincing their IT sections can ask project management to assist.

Creating content

A series of workshops will be organized, with the specific aim to compile input for the OBIS system on taxonomic groups of particular importance [data entry]. Five workshops are envisaged, each lasting two weeks and bringing together about 3 people, including at least one taxonomist. Data sources (databases, publications) should be identified on beforehand, and made available during the workshop.

Workshops can be hosted at the IODE Project Office, or on other locations. In order to be acceptable, a candidate location must have the necessary facilities: computer network for all participants with a fast internet connection on all computers; access to a good library and fast interlibrary loan facilities; good photocopying and printing facilities. In case of the IODE Project Office, use will be made of the library of VLIZ.

Several groups were suggested by the participants: mollusks, polychates, echinoderms, sponges, stony corals. These are only initial proposals, and could be changed after discussion. Arguments/suggestions for other groups (involving also arguments to drop one of the present groups) can be made till the end of month one. After this, a start will be made in contacting relevant taxonomists.

A first workshop is suggested for February 2006, at the IODE Project Office.

Funding for these workshops will be taken from the ODINAfrica budget line ‘Mainstreaming biodiversity data'. In addition, other sources of funding will be explored. For workshops organized at the project office, funding might be available from the IODE's Project Office funding. Also WIOMSA grants will be explored as a funding mechanism.

MASDEA, the Marine Species Database for Eastern Africa , will be taken as the initial species list to serve as the taxonomic reference for the project. MASDEA has to be expanded with Mediterranean and Atlantic species lists; in an initial phase this will be done by combining MASDEA with information in the European Register of Marine Species (Northern Atlantic and Mediterranean ) and RAMS (Southern Atlantic/Antarctic). This work will be undertaken in close collaboration with OBIS, and also specifically with the OBIS node for the Indian Ocean , IndOBIS.

Organisation

Asha was nominated by the group to be coordinator for Eastern Africa; Mika Odido, Desiderius Masalu and Edward Vanden Berghe will contact possible representatives for the Western Africa . West African and North African regional coordinators should be identified within two weeks.

The regional coordinators will be the first line for follow-up in the project; problems in meeting deadlines, submitting deliverables should be done through the regional coordinators. The RCs will also be responsible to take the initiative to contact National Coordinators if deadlines are not being respected. RCs will contact project management in case of problems.

For some deliverables Ursula von St Ange will be informed as well: the Biodiversity Data Management page on the NODC web site; initial DiGIR provider installation; any new dataset served through the DiGIR provider.

Both SADCO and VLIZ can play a role for technical support. Address the initial request for support to Ursula and Edward, copied to Bart. The most appropriate source for further support with the issue at hand will be discussed.

Generating new biodiversity information

WIOMSA has a mechanism to award small grants to scientists in the region. Kizzie Osore, Programme Officer of WIOMSA, briefed the meeting on this facility, and proposed a skeleton framework of how to make use of this to generate new biogeographical/biodiversity information. A draft proposal was circulated; additional information and comments are invited from the National Coordinators, to be sent to Kizzie within two months. All comments will be incorporated in a consolidated proposal (or series of proposals) to be submitted to WIOMSA.

Time line

ASAP:

• National Coordinators to contact IT section in their institute
• National Coordinators to contact coordinator of NODC, and national ODINAFRICA Information Manager to brief on project, and discuss collaboration
• National Coordinators to contact relevant experts and institutes in their country, and start updating AfriDIR
• Edward to liaise with Malika and Ursula, and contact Greg Reed on MEDI matters

Month 1

• North and West African Regional Coordinators identified
• Web page describing Biodiversity Data Management available on each of the NODC web sites
• Report on planning of installation of database and DiGIR available; potential problems identified
• Report on suitability of MEDI available
• Choice of taxonomic groups for data entry workshops finalised

Month 2

• Comments on WIOMSA small grants proposal to Kizzie

Month 3

• Databases and DiGIR providers installed

Month 6

• Initial entries in MEDI or equivalent
• Initial scientific data available through DiGIR providers, and visible on AfrOBIS web site

Month 8

• First workshop for data entry hosted by IODE Project Office

Month 9

• Entry in MEDI finalised

Month 12

• E-conference, to evaluate progress, and to identify priorities for data entry on the basis of inventory

Month 24

• E-conference, to evaluate progress, and to identify priorities for data entry on the basis of inventory

Continuous

• Keeping AfriDIR updated (starting month 3)
• Keeping MEDI or alternative updated (starting month 9)
• Adding information to biogeographical database (starting month 6)