Dora Canhos - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Dora Canhos

Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and anal... more Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and analyzing information about species richness and abundance. In Brazil, speciesLink is an e-infrastructure that offers free and open access to data from more than 300 biological and data collections. SpeciesLink's thematic network, INCT-Virtual Herbarium of Plants and Fungi and the List of Species of the Brazilian Flora, are used as primary data sources to develop Lacunas, an information system with a public web interface that generates detailed reports of the status of plant species occurrence data.

iv vi vii Dedico este trabalho aos meus filhos, Paula, André e Luísa. viii ix AGRADECIMENTOS É se... more iv vi vii Dedico este trabalho aos meus filhos, Paula, André e Luísa. viii ix AGRADECIMENTOS É sempre difícil agradecer às pessoas que direta ou indiretamente influíram na realização de um trabalho. Primeiro, gostaria de agradecer à Profa. Dra. Maria Beatriz Machado Bonacelli, que teve a difícil missão de orientar uma pessoa com uma boa base prática, mas distante por muitos anos da academia. Certamente não foi uma tarefa fácil. Agradeço também aos membros da banca, pelas críticas e sugestões que seguramente enriqueceram o trabalho. Agradeço a todos os professores e alunos do DPCT com quem tive a oportunidade de trocar ideias e experiências e aprender muito. E às secretárias Val e Gorete, sempre muito prestativas e eficientes. A minha experiência profissional foi muito importante para compreender o tema desta tese, e assim devo agradecer a toda equipe do CRIA, passado e presente, Letícia e tantos outros que por lá passaram. Mas devo um agradecimento muito especial ao Sidnei, que, com extrema paciência, ao longo dos últimos 30 anos vem me explicando esse mundo fascinante da informática e transformando ideias em produtos fantásticos. Ainda no CRIA, devo agradecer aos membros do Conselho Deliberativo, Rubens Naves, Márcio de Durigan, Vera Lúcia Imperatriz-Fonseca, fundamentais na manutenção do sonho e dos ideais da instituição. E à minha querida amiga Rosana, também conselheira do CRIA, um agradecimento muito especial, pela sua amizade, sua postura ética e seus valores, tão próximos aos meus. Devo também agradecer aos curadores, taxonomistas, técnicos e diretores das coleções biológicas participantes da rede speciesLink. Este trabalho só foi possível graças ao compartilhamento livre e aberto dos dados de seus acervos e da interação ativa via rede e em reuniões presenciais. Em especial, gostaria de agradecer aos membros do Comitê Gestor do INCT Herbário Virtual da Flora e dos Fungos -Leonor, Ariane, Maria Regina, Mariângela, João Renato e Ana Odeteque, ao longo dos últimos quatro anos, têm ajudado a viabilizar este sonho de estruturar uma infraestrutura pública de dados sobre biodiversidade neste país. Por fim, agradeço à minha família. Aos meus pais pelo exemplo, valores e oportunidades oferecidas. Aos meus irmãos, sobrinhos, tios, primos, genros, nora e amigos pela diversidade de x experiências, boas e não tão boas, mas que certamente me tornaram uma pessoa melhor. Ao meu marido, Vanderlei, que não só me estimulou, mas muitas vezes me fez trilhar caminhos que eu não imaginava ser capaz. E aos meus filhos, Paula, André e Luísa, que despertaram em mim um eterno aprendiz. xi

Much progress has been made in the past ten years to fulfil the potential of biodiversity informa... more Much progress has been made in the past ten years to fulfil the potential of biodiversity informatics. However, it is dwarfed by the scale of what is still required. The Global Biodiversity Informatics Outlook (GBIO) offers a framework for reaching a much deeper understanding of the world’s biodiversity, and through that understanding the means to conserve it better and to use it more sustainably. The GBIO identifies four major focal areas, each with a number of core components, to help coordinate efforts and funding. The co-authors, from a wide range of disciplines, agree these are the essential elements of a global strategy to harness biodiversity data for the common good.

BioScience, 2012

A comprehensive new inventory of Brazilian plants and fungi was published just in time to meet a ... more A comprehensive new inventory of Brazilian plants and fungi was published just in time to meet a 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity target and offers important insights into this biodiversity's global significance. Brazil is the home to the world's richest flora (40,989 ...

Adansonia, 2013

herbarium, a new upgradeable tool to study Brazilian botany. Adansonia, sér. 3, 35 (1): 7-18. htt... more herbarium, a new upgradeable tool to study Brazilian botany. Adansonia, sér. 3, 35 (1): 7-18. http://dx.

Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and anal... more Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and analyzing information about species richness and abundance. In Brazil, speciesLink is an e-infrastructure that offers free and open access to data from more than 300 biological and data collections. SpeciesLink's thematic network, INCT-Virtual Herbarium of Plants and Fungi and the List of Species of the Brazilian Flora, are used as primary data sources to develop Lacunas, an information system with a public web interface that generates detailed reports of the status of plant species occurrence data.

PLOS Biology, 2015

Addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development requires globa... more Addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development requires global cooperation, support structures, and new governance models to integrate diverse initiatives and achieve massive, open exchange of data, tools, and technology. The traditional paradigm of sharing scientific knowledge through publications is not sufficient to meet contemporary demands that require not only the results but also data, knowledge, and skills to analyze the data. E-infrastructures are key in facilitating access to data and providing the framework for collaboration. Here we discuss the importance of e-infrastructures of public interest and the lack of long-term funding policies. We present the example of Brazil's speciesLink network, an e-infrastructure that provides free and open access to biodiversity primary data and associated tools. SpeciesLink currently integrates 382 datasets from 135 national institutions and 13 institutions from abroad, openly sharing~7.4 million records, 94% of which are associated to voucher specimens. Just as important as the data is the network of data providers and users. In 2014, more than 95% of its users were from Brazil, demonstrating the importance of local e-infrastructures in enabling and promoting local use of biodiversity data and knowledge. From the outset, speciesLink has been sustained through project-based funding, normally public grants for 2-4-year periods. In between projects, there are short-term crises in trying to keep the system operational, a fact that has also been observed in global biodiversity portals, as well as in social and physical sciences platforms and even in computing services portals. In the last decade, the open access movement propelled the development of many web platforms for sharing data. Adequate policies unfortunately did not follow the same tempo, and now many initiatives may perish.

Mycotaxon, 2013

The number of studies based on herbarium data for analyzing biogeographical patterns and environm... more The number of studies based on herbarium data for analyzing biogeographical patterns and environmental questions is increasing, as herbaria are making their collections available online. However, the quality of a specimen's spatial data still varies dramatically among records. Most historical specimen records either lack geographic information or have only vague textual descriptions about the locality, while contemporary records may exhibit unwarranted variation in spatial data quality, requiring increased awareness among mycologists about the importance of high quality primary spatial data for specimens. Georeferencing is the process of assigning geographic coordinates to a record linking it to a geographic location on Earth, and it can be processed retrospectively for records without geographical coordinates based on locality descriptions or directly collected in the field using GPS handheld units. Here we provide an overview of methods for georeferencing historical data retrospectively, discuss practical recommendations for collecting high quality spatial data for fungal specimens, and suggest decimal degrees as a standard form for citing geographic coordinates.

GeoInformatica, 2011

Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fund... more Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fundamental ecological requirements for a species and extrapolating these requirements into a geographical region. The importance of being able to predict the distribution of species is currently highlighted by issues like global climate change, public health problems caused by disease vectors, anthropogenic impacts that can lead to massive species extinction, among other challenges. There are several computational approaches that can be used to generate potential distribution models, each achieving optimal results under different conditions. However, the existing software packages available for this purpose typically implement a single algorithm, and each software package presents a new learning curve to the user. Whenever new software is developed for species' potential distribution modelling, significant duplication of effort results because many feature requirements are shared between the different packages. Additionally, data preparation and comparison between algorithms becomes difficult when using separate software applications, since each application has different data input and output capabilities. This paper describes a generic approach for building a single computing framework capable of handling different data formats and multiple algorithms that can be used in potential distribution modelling. The ideas described in this paper have been implemented in a free and open source software package called openModeller. The main concepts of species' potential distribution modelling are also explained and an example use case illustrates potential distribution maps generated by the framework.

Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 1996

The Internet, the electronic global network of computers, has expanded significantly over the las... more The Internet, the electronic global network of computers, has expanded significantly over the last few years, connecting segments from academia, industry and the private sector. The use of the Internet by researchers has diversified substantially from the primordial exchange of electronic messages to the current use of highly developed graphic interfaces capable of accessing images, sounds and retrieving information from databases in different computers around the world. The reduced costs for data storage and ease of connection to the net have nourished a steady exponential growth in the number of sites. Microbiologists now benefit from a wealth of databases and Web sites with microbiological information, ranging from culture collection data, information on microbial diversity, taxonomic and phylogenetic data, biotechnological applications and taxonomic expertise. Efforts are required to stimulate the integration of complex molecular and image databases with more traditional information resources, such as bibliographic, strain data, compendia of species descriptions and metabolic products databases. Coordinating and linking mechanisms are needed in order to promote the development of protocols, guidelines and minimal standards to ensure data quality. Future challenges to the scientific use of Internet resources include the setting up of clearing-house mechanisms and virtual libraries for the organization of the microbiological resources on the network.

Journal of Biotechnology, 1993

Information technology plays an increasingly vital role in bioindustrial development and in the e... more Information technology plays an increasingly vital role in bioindustrial development and in the establishment of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the environment. Recognizing the need and importance of local and regional database developments, the Tropical Data Base is establishing an interactive biodiversity/biotechnology information resource. The system is linked to major international networks and information centres, and is based on a workstation system and personal computers. All software was developed to attend specific needs and to cope with hardware limitations, making the system adequate to other developing countries.

Go to AGRIS search. Try it! Networks for distributing information. ...

Biodiversity Informatics, 2004

Recent developments in information and communication technology are allowing new experiences in t... more Recent developments in information and communication technology are allowing new experiences in the integration, analysis and visualization of biodiversity information, and are leading to development of a new field of research, biodiversity informatics. Although this field has great potential in diverse realms, including basic biology, human economics, and public health, much of this potential remains to be explored. The success of several concerted international efforts depends largely on broad deployment of biodiversity informatics information and products. Several global and regional efforts are organizing and providing data for conservation and sustainable development research, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the European Biodiversity Information Network, and the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network. Critical to development of this field is building a biodiversity information infrastructure, making primary biodiversity data freely and openly available over the Internet. In addition to specimen and taxonomic data, access to non-biological environmental data is critical to spatial analysis and modeling of biodiversity. Adoption of standards and protocols and development of tools for collection management, datacleaning, georeferencing, and modeling tools, are allowing a quantum leap in the area. Open access to research data and open-source tools are leading to a new era of web services and computational frameworks for spatial biodiversity analysis, bringing new opportunities and dimensions to novel approaches in ecological analysis, predictive modeling, and synthesis and visualization of biodiversity information.

International Conference on Electronic Publishing, 2004

Biodiversity information is critical to a wide range of scientific, educational and governmental ... more Biodiversity information is critical to a wide range of scientific, educational and governmental uses, and is essential for decision making. Most of the biodiversity information is neither readily available nor accessible. Recent developments in information and communication technology are allowing new experiences in the integration, analysis and visualization of biodiversity information . A formidable challenge that lies ahead is to integrate these initiatives into an organized, wellresourced global approach to build and manage biodiversity data and information through collaborative efforts. The strong demand to integrate, synthesize and visualize this information for different purposes and by different end users is leading to the development of a new field of research, biodiversity informatics. This emerging field has great potential in diverse realms including basic and applied biology (biogeography, ecology and invasive species assessment and monitoring), agriculture (agricultural pests and bio-control measures) and public health (monitoring and control of infectious diseases). This potential, nonetheless, remains yet to be explored, as this field is only now becoming a vibrant area of inquiry and study . Efforts to integrate data into viable resources for innovation in science and technology and decision-making are being developed as local, regional and global initiatives. Examples include the Brazilian Biota FAPESP Virtual Institute of Biodiversity [3], the World Information Network on Biodiversity [4], Australia's Virtual Herbarium -AVH [5], the European Natural History Specimen Information Network -ENHSIN [6], the Inter American Biodiversity Information Network -IABIN [7], and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility -GBIF [8].

Oecologia Australis, 2010

Polinizadores apresentam um grande desafio para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação on-li... more Polinizadores apresentam um grande desafio para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação on-line. Além de dados taxonômicos e geográficos é importante integrar informações sobre as diferentes interações inseto -planta. Novas tecnologias de informação e comunicação estão viabilizando a integração de sistemas heterogêneos que incluem coleções biológicas, dados de observação, referências bibliográficas e mapas. O artigo procura apresentar os trabalhos desenvolvidos na rede speciesLink. Palavras-chave: Polinizadores, biodiversidade, sistemas de informação.

GeoInformatica, 2011

Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fund... more Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fundamental ecological requirements for a species and extrapolating these requirements into a geographical region. The importance of being able to predict the distribution of species is currently highlighted by issues like global climate change, public health problems caused by disease vectors, anthropogenic impacts that can lead to massive species extinction, among other challenges. There are several computational approaches that can be used to generate potential distribution models, each achieving optimal results under different conditions. However, the existing software packages available for this purpose typically implement a single algorithm, and each software package presents a new learning curve to the user. Whenever new software is developed for species' potential distribution modelling, significant duplication of effort results because many feature requirements are shared between the different packages. Additionally, data preparation and comparison between algorithms becomes difficult when using separate software applications, since each application has different data input and output capabilities. This paper describes a generic approach for building a single computing framework capable of handling different data formats and multiple algorithms that can be used in potential distribution modelling. The ideas described in this paper have been implemented in a free and open source software package called openModeller. The main concepts of species' potential distribution modelling are also explained and an example use case illustrates potential distribution maps generated by the framework.

Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and anal... more Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and analyzing information about species richness and abundance. In Brazil, speciesLink is an e-infrastructure that offers free and open access to data from more than 300 biological and data collections. SpeciesLink's thematic network, INCT-Virtual Herbarium of Plants and Fungi and the List of Species of the Brazilian Flora, are used as primary data sources to develop Lacunas, an information system with a public web interface that generates detailed reports of the status of plant species occurrence data.

iv vi vii Dedico este trabalho aos meus filhos, Paula, André e Luísa. viii ix AGRADECIMENTOS É se... more iv vi vii Dedico este trabalho aos meus filhos, Paula, André e Luísa. viii ix AGRADECIMENTOS É sempre difícil agradecer às pessoas que direta ou indiretamente influíram na realização de um trabalho. Primeiro, gostaria de agradecer à Profa. Dra. Maria Beatriz Machado Bonacelli, que teve a difícil missão de orientar uma pessoa com uma boa base prática, mas distante por muitos anos da academia. Certamente não foi uma tarefa fácil. Agradeço também aos membros da banca, pelas críticas e sugestões que seguramente enriqueceram o trabalho. Agradeço a todos os professores e alunos do DPCT com quem tive a oportunidade de trocar ideias e experiências e aprender muito. E às secretárias Val e Gorete, sempre muito prestativas e eficientes. A minha experiência profissional foi muito importante para compreender o tema desta tese, e assim devo agradecer a toda equipe do CRIA, passado e presente, Letícia e tantos outros que por lá passaram. Mas devo um agradecimento muito especial ao Sidnei, que, com extrema paciência, ao longo dos últimos 30 anos vem me explicando esse mundo fascinante da informática e transformando ideias em produtos fantásticos. Ainda no CRIA, devo agradecer aos membros do Conselho Deliberativo, Rubens Naves, Márcio de Durigan, Vera Lúcia Imperatriz-Fonseca, fundamentais na manutenção do sonho e dos ideais da instituição. E à minha querida amiga Rosana, também conselheira do CRIA, um agradecimento muito especial, pela sua amizade, sua postura ética e seus valores, tão próximos aos meus. Devo também agradecer aos curadores, taxonomistas, técnicos e diretores das coleções biológicas participantes da rede speciesLink. Este trabalho só foi possível graças ao compartilhamento livre e aberto dos dados de seus acervos e da interação ativa via rede e em reuniões presenciais. Em especial, gostaria de agradecer aos membros do Comitê Gestor do INCT Herbário Virtual da Flora e dos Fungos -Leonor, Ariane, Maria Regina, Mariângela, João Renato e Ana Odeteque, ao longo dos últimos quatro anos, têm ajudado a viabilizar este sonho de estruturar uma infraestrutura pública de dados sobre biodiversidade neste país. Por fim, agradeço à minha família. Aos meus pais pelo exemplo, valores e oportunidades oferecidas. Aos meus irmãos, sobrinhos, tios, primos, genros, nora e amigos pela diversidade de x experiências, boas e não tão boas, mas que certamente me tornaram uma pessoa melhor. Ao meu marido, Vanderlei, que não só me estimulou, mas muitas vezes me fez trilhar caminhos que eu não imaginava ser capaz. E aos meus filhos, Paula, André e Luísa, que despertaram em mim um eterno aprendiz. xi

Much progress has been made in the past ten years to fulfil the potential of biodiversity informa... more Much progress has been made in the past ten years to fulfil the potential of biodiversity informatics. However, it is dwarfed by the scale of what is still required. The Global Biodiversity Informatics Outlook (GBIO) offers a framework for reaching a much deeper understanding of the world’s biodiversity, and through that understanding the means to conserve it better and to use it more sustainably. The GBIO identifies four major focal areas, each with a number of core components, to help coordinate efforts and funding. The co-authors, from a wide range of disciplines, agree these are the essential elements of a global strategy to harness biodiversity data for the common good.

BioScience, 2012

A comprehensive new inventory of Brazilian plants and fungi was published just in time to meet a ... more A comprehensive new inventory of Brazilian plants and fungi was published just in time to meet a 2010 Convention on Biological Diversity target and offers important insights into this biodiversity's global significance. Brazil is the home to the world's richest flora (40,989 ...

Adansonia, 2013

herbarium, a new upgradeable tool to study Brazilian botany. Adansonia, sér. 3, 35 (1): 7-18. htt... more herbarium, a new upgradeable tool to study Brazilian botany. Adansonia, sér. 3, 35 (1): 7-18. http://dx.

Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and anal... more Scientists from megadiverse countries, such as Brazil, face huge challenges in gathering and analyzing information about species richness and abundance. In Brazil, speciesLink is an e-infrastructure that offers free and open access to data from more than 300 biological and data collections. SpeciesLink's thematic network, INCT-Virtual Herbarium of Plants and Fungi and the List of Species of the Brazilian Flora, are used as primary data sources to develop Lacunas, an information system with a public web interface that generates detailed reports of the status of plant species occurrence data.

PLOS Biology, 2015

Addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development requires globa... more Addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development requires global cooperation, support structures, and new governance models to integrate diverse initiatives and achieve massive, open exchange of data, tools, and technology. The traditional paradigm of sharing scientific knowledge through publications is not sufficient to meet contemporary demands that require not only the results but also data, knowledge, and skills to analyze the data. E-infrastructures are key in facilitating access to data and providing the framework for collaboration. Here we discuss the importance of e-infrastructures of public interest and the lack of long-term funding policies. We present the example of Brazil's speciesLink network, an e-infrastructure that provides free and open access to biodiversity primary data and associated tools. SpeciesLink currently integrates 382 datasets from 135 national institutions and 13 institutions from abroad, openly sharing~7.4 million records, 94% of which are associated to voucher specimens. Just as important as the data is the network of data providers and users. In 2014, more than 95% of its users were from Brazil, demonstrating the importance of local e-infrastructures in enabling and promoting local use of biodiversity data and knowledge. From the outset, speciesLink has been sustained through project-based funding, normally public grants for 2-4-year periods. In between projects, there are short-term crises in trying to keep the system operational, a fact that has also been observed in global biodiversity portals, as well as in social and physical sciences platforms and even in computing services portals. In the last decade, the open access movement propelled the development of many web platforms for sharing data. Adequate policies unfortunately did not follow the same tempo, and now many initiatives may perish.

Mycotaxon, 2013

The number of studies based on herbarium data for analyzing biogeographical patterns and environm... more The number of studies based on herbarium data for analyzing biogeographical patterns and environmental questions is increasing, as herbaria are making their collections available online. However, the quality of a specimen's spatial data still varies dramatically among records. Most historical specimen records either lack geographic information or have only vague textual descriptions about the locality, while contemporary records may exhibit unwarranted variation in spatial data quality, requiring increased awareness among mycologists about the importance of high quality primary spatial data for specimens. Georeferencing is the process of assigning geographic coordinates to a record linking it to a geographic location on Earth, and it can be processed retrospectively for records without geographical coordinates based on locality descriptions or directly collected in the field using GPS handheld units. Here we provide an overview of methods for georeferencing historical data retrospectively, discuss practical recommendations for collecting high quality spatial data for fungal specimens, and suggest decimal degrees as a standard form for citing geographic coordinates.

GeoInformatica, 2011

Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fund... more Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fundamental ecological requirements for a species and extrapolating these requirements into a geographical region. The importance of being able to predict the distribution of species is currently highlighted by issues like global climate change, public health problems caused by disease vectors, anthropogenic impacts that can lead to massive species extinction, among other challenges. There are several computational approaches that can be used to generate potential distribution models, each achieving optimal results under different conditions. However, the existing software packages available for this purpose typically implement a single algorithm, and each software package presents a new learning curve to the user. Whenever new software is developed for species' potential distribution modelling, significant duplication of effort results because many feature requirements are shared between the different packages. Additionally, data preparation and comparison between algorithms becomes difficult when using separate software applications, since each application has different data input and output capabilities. This paper describes a generic approach for building a single computing framework capable of handling different data formats and multiple algorithms that can be used in potential distribution modelling. The ideas described in this paper have been implemented in a free and open source software package called openModeller. The main concepts of species' potential distribution modelling are also explained and an example use case illustrates potential distribution maps generated by the framework.

Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 1996

The Internet, the electronic global network of computers, has expanded significantly over the las... more The Internet, the electronic global network of computers, has expanded significantly over the last few years, connecting segments from academia, industry and the private sector. The use of the Internet by researchers has diversified substantially from the primordial exchange of electronic messages to the current use of highly developed graphic interfaces capable of accessing images, sounds and retrieving information from databases in different computers around the world. The reduced costs for data storage and ease of connection to the net have nourished a steady exponential growth in the number of sites. Microbiologists now benefit from a wealth of databases and Web sites with microbiological information, ranging from culture collection data, information on microbial diversity, taxonomic and phylogenetic data, biotechnological applications and taxonomic expertise. Efforts are required to stimulate the integration of complex molecular and image databases with more traditional information resources, such as bibliographic, strain data, compendia of species descriptions and metabolic products databases. Coordinating and linking mechanisms are needed in order to promote the development of protocols, guidelines and minimal standards to ensure data quality. Future challenges to the scientific use of Internet resources include the setting up of clearing-house mechanisms and virtual libraries for the organization of the microbiological resources on the network.

Journal of Biotechnology, 1993

Information technology plays an increasingly vital role in bioindustrial development and in the e... more Information technology plays an increasingly vital role in bioindustrial development and in the establishment of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the environment. Recognizing the need and importance of local and regional database developments, the Tropical Data Base is establishing an interactive biodiversity/biotechnology information resource. The system is linked to major international networks and information centres, and is based on a workstation system and personal computers. All software was developed to attend specific needs and to cope with hardware limitations, making the system adequate to other developing countries.

Go to AGRIS search. Try it! Networks for distributing information. ...

Biodiversity Informatics, 2004

Recent developments in information and communication technology are allowing new experiences in t... more Recent developments in information and communication technology are allowing new experiences in the integration, analysis and visualization of biodiversity information, and are leading to development of a new field of research, biodiversity informatics. Although this field has great potential in diverse realms, including basic biology, human economics, and public health, much of this potential remains to be explored. The success of several concerted international efforts depends largely on broad deployment of biodiversity informatics information and products. Several global and regional efforts are organizing and providing data for conservation and sustainable development research, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the European Biodiversity Information Network, and the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network. Critical to development of this field is building a biodiversity information infrastructure, making primary biodiversity data freely and openly available over the Internet. In addition to specimen and taxonomic data, access to non-biological environmental data is critical to spatial analysis and modeling of biodiversity. Adoption of standards and protocols and development of tools for collection management, datacleaning, georeferencing, and modeling tools, are allowing a quantum leap in the area. Open access to research data and open-source tools are leading to a new era of web services and computational frameworks for spatial biodiversity analysis, bringing new opportunities and dimensions to novel approaches in ecological analysis, predictive modeling, and synthesis and visualization of biodiversity information.

International Conference on Electronic Publishing, 2004

Biodiversity information is critical to a wide range of scientific, educational and governmental ... more Biodiversity information is critical to a wide range of scientific, educational and governmental uses, and is essential for decision making. Most of the biodiversity information is neither readily available nor accessible. Recent developments in information and communication technology are allowing new experiences in the integration, analysis and visualization of biodiversity information . A formidable challenge that lies ahead is to integrate these initiatives into an organized, wellresourced global approach to build and manage biodiversity data and information through collaborative efforts. The strong demand to integrate, synthesize and visualize this information for different purposes and by different end users is leading to the development of a new field of research, biodiversity informatics. This emerging field has great potential in diverse realms including basic and applied biology (biogeography, ecology and invasive species assessment and monitoring), agriculture (agricultural pests and bio-control measures) and public health (monitoring and control of infectious diseases). This potential, nonetheless, remains yet to be explored, as this field is only now becoming a vibrant area of inquiry and study . Efforts to integrate data into viable resources for innovation in science and technology and decision-making are being developed as local, regional and global initiatives. Examples include the Brazilian Biota FAPESP Virtual Institute of Biodiversity [3], the World Information Network on Biodiversity [4], Australia's Virtual Herbarium -AVH [5], the European Natural History Specimen Information Network -ENHSIN [6], the Inter American Biodiversity Information Network -IABIN [7], and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility -GBIF [8].

Oecologia Australis, 2010

Polinizadores apresentam um grande desafio para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação on-li... more Polinizadores apresentam um grande desafio para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação on-line. Além de dados taxonômicos e geográficos é importante integrar informações sobre as diferentes interações inseto -planta. Novas tecnologias de informação e comunicação estão viabilizando a integração de sistemas heterogêneos que incluem coleções biológicas, dados de observação, referências bibliográficas e mapas. O artigo procura apresentar os trabalhos desenvolvidos na rede speciesLink. Palavras-chave: Polinizadores, biodiversidade, sistemas de informação.

GeoInformatica, 2011

Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fund... more Species' potential distribution modelling is the process of building a representation of the fundamental ecological requirements for a species and extrapolating these requirements into a geographical region. The importance of being able to predict the distribution of species is currently highlighted by issues like global climate change, public health problems caused by disease vectors, anthropogenic impacts that can lead to massive species extinction, among other challenges. There are several computational approaches that can be used to generate potential distribution models, each achieving optimal results under different conditions. However, the existing software packages available for this purpose typically implement a single algorithm, and each software package presents a new learning curve to the user. Whenever new software is developed for species' potential distribution modelling, significant duplication of effort results because many feature requirements are shared between the different packages. Additionally, data preparation and comparison between algorithms becomes difficult when using separate software applications, since each application has different data input and output capabilities. This paper describes a generic approach for building a single computing framework capable of handling different data formats and multiple algorithms that can be used in potential distribution modelling. The ideas described in this paper have been implemented in a free and open source software package called openModeller. The main concepts of species' potential distribution modelling are also explained and an example use case illustrates potential distribution maps generated by the framework.