computer science

Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network

Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network rather than just read about it. In short: The Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) is a network dedicated to the adoption and promotion of ecoinformatics standards and protocols in all the countries of the Americas, thus facilitating the sound use of biological information for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It is primarily an inter-governmental initiative but has a strong participation of a wide range of non-governmenta…

Key takeaways

Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) is a network dedicated to the adoption and promotion of ecoinformatics standards and protocols in all the countries of the Americas, thus facilitating the sound use of biological information for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It is primarily an inter-governmental initiative but has a strong participation of a wide range of non-governmental partners. The creation of IABIN in 1996 was mandated by the Heads of State at the Santa Cruz Summit of the Americas meeting in Bolivia. The Summit requested the Organization of American States (OAS) to act as the diplomatic host of the network. Partnerships with similar or related initiatives is a critical part of the network’s strategy, so that existing standards or protocols can be promoted and not reinvented. For example, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is leading the world in the development of specimen data standards, which IABIN is promoting. Strong relationships are also being developed with national environmental information organizations which are often very active and better placed to promote national programs, such as the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) in the United States or the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio) of Costa Rica.

Governance IABIN is a network in which the countries of the Americas as well as diverse governmental and civil society organizations participate. The highest governing body of the network is the IABIN Council, which meets about every year. Each participating country can send a representative, their “Focal Point”, to the Council, which defines the strategies and policies of the network. In practice, decisions are made by consensus and include a strong participation of non-governmental actors such as major non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At present, 34 countries have designated IABIN Focal Points. Most countries have designated their Clearing House Mechanism National Focal Point as their IABIN Focal Point as well. The Focal Points in each country are responsible for both representing their country’s views in the adoption of IABIN decisions and policies and then promoting them in their country. Between Council meetings, in order to guide effectively the operations of IABIN, a smaller governance body has been created. The IABIN Executive Committee (IEC) comprises representatives of eight countries and two international governmental organizations or non-governmental organization (IGO/NGO) members, currently GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) and TNC (The Nature Conservancy). The IEC members are elected for fixed terms at each Council meeting. The current members of the IEC are:

Gladys Cotter (Chairperson) - United States Karin Molt (Vice-Chairperson) - Chile Dionne Newell - Jamaica Ana Aber - Uruguay Edgar Selvín Pérez - Guatemala Jocelyn Paul/Rickie Morain - Grenada Marina Hernández - Dominican Republic Dario Luque - Panama Beatriz Torres - Global Biodiversity Information Facility Maarten Kappelle - The Nature Conservancy

Focus The network has existed in name since 1996 and in its early years, several critical Council meetings were held (in Brasília, Brazil, and in Miami, USA) which defined the general structure and proposed functions of IABIN. In the initial years however, no Secretariat existed and the network benefited only from a number of small ad hoc investments, primarily from the United States, the World Bank, and the OAS. In 2004, a major six-year investment began financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) (see below). Under this project, the network has developed its current foci of activities. These are the adoption of ecoinformatics standards and protocols, development of a catalogue and search tools (being done in coordination with NBII), creation of partnerships, creation and maintenance of the Secretariat, data creation grants, the operation of the “Thematic Networks”, and the creation of information tools for decision-makers. The Thematic Networks, or TNs, are intended to lead the development of theme-specific standards and protocols and in the maintenance of hemisphere-wide networks of specialists and specialized institutions. In each case a Coordinating Institution has signed a memorandum of understanding with the IEC to lead the work of the TN. They are also tasked with development of search tools and linking of data in their thematic area with data of the other TNs. The TNs, with the coordinating institution in parentheses, are: Species and Specimens (INBio, Costa Rica), Ecosystems (NatureServe, USA), Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC, UK), Invasive Species I3N Network (United States Geological Survey, USA), and Pollinators (CoEvolution Institute, USA).

Supporting projects The IABIN web site provides detailed information on a variety of projects and funding sources that are supporting the network and that are now coming on-line. These include investments of the United States, the World Bank, and the Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation. However, for the period of 2004-2010, a large GEF project has played a particularly important role in jumpstarting the network and implementing its strategies and priorities. The source of the funds for the project is the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with the funds managed by the World Bank. The executing agency of the project, on behalf of the GEF-eligible countries of the Americas, is the OAS. The project includes US$6 million of grant funding from the GEF with almost $30 million of cofinancing provided by participating governments and other partners.

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network

In research: Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biodiversity, Organization of American States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network in simple terms?

Why does Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network.