Resource Number: 14590
Title: Information management relevant to invasive species early detection and rapid response programs
Publisher: National Invasive Species Council
Description: The National Invasive Species Council Management Plan: 2016–2018 calls for an evaluation of current information systems relevant to early detection and rapid response programs. Information systems are important resources in invasive species programs for identification, management, modeling, education, and more. These systems both facilitate and are reliant upon information sharing and aggregation, which the federal government and many professional journals are requiring as part of funding and publication. There are many challenges associated with aggregating, validating, storing, querying, analyzing, and sharing information, as the amount of data and information increases nearly as fast as the advancements in computer hardware and processing power. In order to determine the types of data that are collected and shared, where and how those data are shared, which information systems are being accessed, and what information is being used from the information systems, a survey was sent out to representatives from federal agencies that are associated with invasive species programs. The respondents’ results and recommendations are summarized. Most agencies collected data that are relevant to their programs, research, and management needs, and they share data either through their own portals or directly with those who request it. The respondents all recommended that support needs to increase for invasive species programs so that data collection can spread to more areas of interest and towards prevention and proactive programs. The authors have also proposed additional recommendations for information standardization, data collection minimums, metadata and provenance preservation and standardization, and features necessary for functional information systems.
Last Updated: June 20, 2019
Domain(s)/Area(S):
- Pathways
Locations: