Top-Down, Bottom-Up Growth of a Global Invasive Species Information Network

The transport, translocation and introduction of invasive alien species are globally recognized threats to biosecurity. Early detection, prevention and management of invasive alien species and their impacts on the environment present great diplomatic challenges. Meeting these goals will require international cooperation in developing a comprehensive knowledge base and technology that makes that knowledge available to individuals addressing the issue at national, regional, and global levels. The development of a Global Invasive Species Information Network, or GISIN, was proposed at the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held at The Hague in April of 2002. Important first steps towards implementing such a global information system involve international collaboration and sharing of ideas among contributors and users of the proposed information system; identification and agreement on common data types; adoption of information exchange standards and protocols for the creation of cross-searches for invasive alien species-related information at a global level; and assessment of the current status of invasive alien species-related information resources throughout the world. This symposium provides an opportunity for managers of invasive alien species and related information as well as developers of database and Internet technologies to address these issues and share their experiences and technological approaches to accomplishing a GISIN.

Speakers:

Lead by Annie Simpson (Chair, GISIN interim Steering Committee), the GISIN Symposium will include the following presentations:

• Hannu Saarenmaa (Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Denmark): "The Global Biodiversity Information Facility's Network as a Model for GISIN" [Abstract]
• Silvia Ziller (Horus Institute, Brazil): "The Global Invasive Species Programme as partners in the GISIN" [Abstract]
• Pam Fuller (U.S. Geological Survey): "NISbase: A Distributed Database System" [Abstract]
• Andrea Grosse (U.S. Geological Survey, IABIN-I3N): "Integrating Information Sources on Invasive Species in the Americas" [Abstract]