Towards openness and transparency in Applied Ecology
Ecology is a discipline that tries to understand nature and how changes affect it. How is the diversity of organisms dispersed around the world? How do extreme climate changes influence populations of animals and vegetations? These are all questions regularly asked, and topics that are necessary to address for providing evidence for policymaking and management.
Unfortunately, much ecological data needed to answer these challenges are currently not available to the research community. Even though there is a rapidly increasing awareness of the importance of ecological data, it is equally vital not only to collect the data but also making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). While an open data culture is clearly emerging in ecology, there are many steps that needs to be taken to improve to make most data FAIR.
These are the challenges Erlend Birkeland Nilsen, project manager for the Living Norway Ecological Data Network and senior scientist at NINA, invites you to explore at a two days colloquium held in Trondheim this fall. You will get the opportunity to discuss solutions to these thrilling challenges in collaboration with Nordic and international partners within the field of biodiversity informatics, says Nilsen.
Many scientific journals now demand scientists to share their data openly. Nature, for example, recently endorsed the FAIR Data initiative, which entails authors to put their data on public repositories, where available. However, the real benefit of FAIR, Nilsen argues, is that it helps you demonstrate the impact of your research when people re-use and cite your dataset, it leads to new collaborations and hence benefits the researchers to come.
–I look forward to two days filled with fruitful discussions with some of the best researchers in the field, with policymakers, research publishers and young scientists, he says.
No parallel sessions – only plenaries!
On day 1, the program will include a range of plenary presentation covering topics related to open science and FAIR data management in applied and basic ecology. Each session will be completed with a panel discussion.
On day 2, we will arrange two workshops that will extend the discussions from day 1. Before lunch, we will arrange a workshop on education and training in open science and FAIR data management. This workshop will be organized in collaboration with SFU bioCEED (https://bioceed.w.uib.no/). After lunch, we will arrange a workshop on statistical modelling of new open data sources. We will, in particular, discuss models that integrate information from a range of different data sources simultaneously. This workshop will be arranged in collaboration with SFF Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD; https://www.ntnu.edu/cbd).
The conference has an unusual arrangement, all plenaries. All of them are worth attending and makes your schedule all filled up. These means that you do not have to choose; just sit down and enjoy!
Join the colloquium either in-person or virtually! During these challenging times of Covid-19, we understand the apprehension about making plans to attend a conference. This is why we are developing plans to ensure that everyone will have an opportunity to participate in the Living Norway Colloquium, be it in person or virtually. Whatever you choose, remember to register for the event.
TENTATIVE PROGRAM
Venue: The colloquium and workshops will be located at NINA-huset in Trondheim, or you can participate virtually.
Date: October 12th – 13th 2020.
Registration: You can register to the colloquium, the lunches and dinner here.
The colloquium is supported by funding from the Research Council of Norway.
The plan on day 1 is to have a series of lectures covering three main topics. A panel discussion will follow each session. The lecturers will be from various sectors, both from Norway and abroad. The tentative program for day 1 is as follows:
