Training course in Biodiversity information:

Training: 03/06/13 – 28/06/13

Where: The Royal Museum for Central Africa

The training will be organized by Biodiversity Information and Cybertaxonomy Cell with the support and funding from the Framework program of the Belgian Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGDC). The concept of “Biodiversity Information” includes monitoring, conservation and technological innovation adapted to small-scale and infrastructure-limited contexts, taxonomy, climate change, collection management, data mining, distribution modeling. Our goal is to promote the conservation of biodiversity by improving the availability and accessibility of biodiversity data, and to facilitate further information gathering.

 
Main objective:

The main objective of this training is to improve the understanding and application of biodiversity information for Sub-Saharan African scientists, university members and students and to increase their participation and ownership in biodiversity informatics.

More specifically :

• To help researchers identify the data from collections, databases and literature that are in their possession and relevant for an on-line publication.
• To involve scientists in digitizing, accessing and sharing data using internationally recognized protocols and tools as those recommended by the GBIF and the Biodiversity Information Standards.
• To enable the use of GIS tools for the visualization of distribution data

For detailed information, see the announcement of the call (pdf file, in English)

Preliminary program Biodiversity Information Training

Week 1:

3 June, Monday

09:00 – 10:30:     Arrival, registration

10:30 – 12:00:     Introduction to the RMCA, contacts and presentation of the program

12:00 – 13:30:     Organized lunch together with trainers as an ice-breaking event.

13:30 – 15:00:     Introduction of participants, their background, expectations from the training, project/collaboration ideas (to be used in the course on tips for writing a project proposal) and data to be used during the course.

16:00 – 17:00:    Computers basics and conformity check of participants’ laptops

4 June, Tuesday

09:00 – 10:30:     The importance of biodiversity information (+ case studies). Funding opportunities, eligibility criteria,  how to write competitive proposal

10:30 – 12:00:     Using and publishing data to biodiversity networks

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 16:00:     Acquisition of data by remote sensing

16:00 – 17:00:     Tour RMCA

5 June, Wednesday

09:00 – 12:00:     Introduction to the basic concepts of georeferencing (reference system, coordinates, projection, datum)

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Nomenclatures & taxonomy

6 June, Thursday

09:00 – 12:00:     Introduction to databasing: the concept of relational databasing; the concept of data model and normalization (with PostgreSQL)

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     QGIS, installation of software, normalizing data from students

7 June, Friday

09:00 – 12:00:     Introduction to Desktop GIS I. Installation of software. + the notation standard for coordinates and projection. The available data formats of GIS data . Transformation of user data into GIS layers.

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Practical exercises

Week 2:

10 June, Monday

09:00 – 17:00:     SPECIFY (all day)

11 June, Tuesday

Visit to RBINS: visit to collections and facilities, AGORA, CHM (all day)

12 June, Wednesday

09:00 – 10:30:     Check-up state of project proposals

10:30 – 12:00:     GBIF, TDWG standards 

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Xylarium database and visit to Xilarium

13 June, Thursday

09:00 – 12:00:     Introduction to Desktop GIS II : Integration of sample data into QuantumGIS. Production of thematic maps

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Practical exercises

14 June, Friday

09:00 – 10:30:     Graphical interface for database

10:30 – 12:00:     The available database software and introduction to PostGreSQL, MySQL, Access, Excel SQL and PostGIS

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Installation of software and practical exercise: integrating sample datasets from students into PostGIS, use of reprojection functions and export data

Week 3:

17 June, Monday

Visit to the National Botanic Garden of Belgium: herbarium, digitalization projects, scanning facilities (all day)

18 June, Tuesday

09:00 – 12:00:     Quality checking and cleaning: Introduction to the key concepts (accuracy, precision, documentation of metadata, IPR

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     BRAHMS

19 June, Wednesday

09:00 – 12:00:     Quality checking (practical example / Itinerary)

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 15:00:     Practical: quality checking and cleaning

15:00 – 17:00      Visit to Vertebrate collections

20 June, Thursday

09:00 - -12:00:    Publication of data: Technical introduction to Internet Networks (GBIF, BioCase)

12:00 – 13:30:     Lunch

13:30 – 17:00:     Practical use of data from students in web services

21 June, Friday

09:00 – 12:00:     Questions, problems, discussion

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 15:00:     Introduction to Congo Biodiversity initiative

15:00 – 17:00:     Introduction to FishBase

Week 4:

24 June, Monday

09:00 – 12:00:     Collection management best practices

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Practical exercise on quality checking

25 June, Tuesday

09:00 – 12:00:     Final work on the project proposals

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 14:00:     Open access strategies

14:00 – 15:30:     Biodiversity information and Digital libraries

15:30 – 17:00      Biodiversity resources and social media

26 June, Wednesday - Flexible activities depending on demand (all day)

27 June, Thursday

09:00 – 12:00:     Questions, problems, use cases from students

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Feedback from students

28 June, Friday

09:00 – 12:00:     Presentation of certificates and end ceremony

12:00 – 13:00:     Lunch

13:00 – 17:00:     Free

For more information please contact: