Making Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Information Available for ...

Making Southern AppalachianBiodiversity Information Availablefor Decision Making:Assessing Users’ Information Needs andPracticesMiriam L.E. Steiner Davis, Suzie Allard, Carol Tenopir andChristopher CaldwellOrganization of Fish and Wildlife Information Managers2010 Conference and Annual Meeting, Cadiz, KentuckyCenter for Information and Communication Studies

Overview• Background• Problem• Assessment project• Preliminary results• Implications for fish and wildlifeinformation managementCenter for Information and Communication Studies

BackgroundBiodiversity information is key to:• establishing baseline biological information• understanding biological & ecological processes• predicting impacts from change• generating scientific discovery• making decisions and evaluating options• managing natural resourcesCenter for Information and Communication Studies

Southern Appalachian Information Node (SAIN)Your Gateway to Regional Biodiversity InformationEnvironmentalorganizationaldecisionmakersClimateChangeRenewableEnergyResourcesSAINEducators,students &the publicScientists &ResearchersAquaticResourcesCenter for Information and Communication Studies

ProblemHow to best make Southern Appalachianbiodiversity information available forresearch, decision making and education?1. What information is needed?2. What information sources are currently used andwhy?3. Are users finding the information they need &how?4. How do these vary by user group?

User Needs Assessment• Internet survey (as of 10/5/2010)– All faculty in life and agricultural sciences (and somein physical, technical and social sciences)– All first and second tier universities in SAIN region– Attendees from related regional conference– SAIN identified partners and stakeholders– (Non-profits, collections and herbaria)• 269 valid surveys received• 5661 sent~ 5% response rateCenter for Information and Communication Studies

Preliminary Results• 60% say Half or More Than Half of theinformation they need to do their workrelates specifically to biodiversity.• 31% say this information is Difficult or VeryDifficult to Find

Preliminary Results• Focus of work or complete focus of work:‣15% Bioenergy‣20% Climate Change‣34% Aquatic Resource Management andRestoration

Preliminary Results• Primary role• 62% Researchers• 14% Educators• 22% equally among program managers,implementers, decision makers, consultants,etc.Center for Information and Communication Studies

Preliminary Results• Primary work sector• 73% Academic• 15% Government• 8% Non-profit• 4% For profitCenter for Information and Communication Studies

1. What information is needed?Type. . . is HALF orMORE THAN HALFof biod. infoneeded to do work.. . . is DIFFICULT orVERY DIFFICULTto find.Raw data 63% 40%Models* 53% 35%Summarizeddata35% 36%

1. What information is needed?Most Frequent Geographic Scale25%16%19%GlobalNorth AmericaLocalState22%Center for Information and Communication Studies

1. What information is needed?Tools% Important orEssential% Not At AllImportantInformation Search 86 .6Mapping 77 4Data Management 64 6Visualization 58 8Metadata 42 7Decision Support 33 12

2. What information sources used?Information SourcePercent RegularlyConsultUSDA 46State Environmental / WildlifeResources Agencies45NOAA Climate Services 30NatureServe 26NRCS 22NBII 22

3. Finding InformationInformation Source AttributesPercent A/SAImportant or EssentialTrusted Source 96Completeness 88Well Documented (Provenance) 87Appropriate Scale 86Currency 84Easy to Use 80Navigation 80

3. Finding InformationIssuePercent Agree orStrongly AgreeFinding information is a challenge 56Best way to find is to ask a colleague 52Finding information is difficult 49Finding information takes too long 43Information I need is not available 34

3. Finding InformationMost Limited By . . .PercentLack of appropriate information 39Time 31Not knowing where to look 30Lack of available information 27Not being able to access info. avail. 25Not knowing how to find what is needed 24

Conclusions & Implications• Biodiversity related work is the major portion ofwork for more than half of respondents.– Almost 50% is needed at the state and local scale.• > 80% respondents say, to be useful, biodiversityinformation must be :– Trusted, complete, well documented, at theappropriate scale, current, easy to use and easy tofind.• 22% regularly consult the NBII.

Conclusions & Implications• Finding biodiversity information is difficult.‣ Information search tools are the mostimportant tools to these respondents.‣ Decision support tools are the leastimportant.‣ More than half agree the easiest way to findinformation is to ask a colleague.Center for Information and Communication Studies

Conclusions & Implications• Time is a significant limitation:– 43% believe it takes too long to find the info theyneed.– 31% are most limited by time in finding the info theyneed.• The information needed can’t be found.– 39% most limited by a lack of appropriateinformation.Center for Information and Communication Studies

Conclusions & Implications• Biodiversity information gateways areneeded.• Biodiversity information gateways must:– Have the needed information.– Be easy to navigate for desired results.– Provide relevant information quickly.• Current research in support of SAIN can meetthese needs.Center for Information and Communication Studies

Thanks to:‣ Jean Freeney, SAIN and NBII‣ The University of Tennessee Collegeof Communication and Information‣ The University of Tennessee Centerfor Information and CommunicationStudies‣ Drs. Suzie Allard and Carol Tenopir‣ Christopher Caldwell and JanaRedmondCenter for Information and Communication Studies