GWG Train the Trainers Workshop
iDigBio GWG first Train the Trainers Workshop:
Expanding the Biodiversity Natural History Collections Georeferencing Community
October 8 - 12, 2012 Gainesville, Florida
iDigBio Offices, 105 Classroom Building
The Train the Trainers Workshop is organized by the iDigBio Georeferencing Working Group and hosted by the Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) HUB, a National Resource Center at the University of Florida and Florida State University. The workshop is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) Programs.
Logistics:
Meet the Participants:
Remote Participation:
- Want to attend Train the Trainer's Workshop Remotely? Please log in 15 - 20 minutes early to learn how the software works.
Reading Materials and Resources:
- Georeferencing for Dummies
- Guide to Best Practices for Georeferencing - Chapman, A.D. and J. Wieczorek (eds). 2006
- iDigBio Georeferencing Wiki
- Pre Workshop Survey Questions iDigBio Asked
- Group Notes - Take Workshop Notes Together Here
- [Post - Workshop Survey Questions]
- Got a Georeferencing Question? Post it at the iDigBio Georeferencing Forum
Bring your Datasets and Laptops:
Participants are strongly encouraged to bring representative datasets from their collections that need georeferencing to expose everyone to the variety of locality data georeferencing issues and give the experts and participants a chance to work together to address any challenges.
Participants must bring their own lap-tops and everyone will have wired access to facilitate the best possible workshop experience.
Wireless Access Issues:
Those needing wireless access will need a user name and password and will also need to install a piece of software to make wireless connectivity possible. Kevin Love, iDigBio IT, will be on hand to help with this. Wireless_System
Overview:
Biological specimens vouchered in natural history collections document the historical and modern occurrence of plant and animal species--and most of what we know about the diversity and distribution of life on earth. This workshop addresses a need in the natural history collections community to expand the number of individuals available and able to train natural history collections students, volunteers and staff how to turn text-based locality data into the best georeference possible.
Teaching those with georeferencing experience to teach others begins with the recognition of differences in locality data that exist between specimen preparation types due to their physical properties and discipline-specific handling, collecting and preservation methods, curatorial and conservation practice, storage environments, data conceptualizations, and data label techniques. Georeferencing locality data recorded on tags tied to vertebrate skins, on labels encircling snakes submerged in solutions of alcohol, on the lilliputian labels of pinned insects, and on the large, verbose labels glued on flat sheets of plant specimens, presents specific constraints and opportunities in each case for efficient georeferencing.
Goals of the Workshop:
1. To teach the best effective practices for georeferencing biological specimens for the purpose of creating georeferenced digital database records for publication and for new research applications of the biological, geospatial, and temporal information associated with specimens.
2. To discuss and dissect the dimensions of specific georeferencing needs based on the discipline involved and how to teach others the georeferencing nuances for a given collection type.
3. To engage the community in further dissemination of georeferencing skills and best practices.
Workshop Objectives:
- To train a group of professionals from the biological sciences to become georeferencing trainers, via:
a. Exploration of and experience with the key concepts and best practices of georeferencing using paper maps, online resources, semi-automated, and collaborative tools.
b. Training in workflows, processes, and techniques needed to prepare data sets for georeferencing and improving data quality and fitness for use.
c. Discussion and insight into how to plan and prepare for the presentation of a georeferencing workshop for others in the biodiversity and digitization communities. - To provide georeferencing support to Thematic Collections Networks involved in the digitization of data for the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program of the National Science Foundation through:
a. Identification and examination of potential roadblocks and impediments to the the georeferencing process.
b. Provision of solutions and recommended workflows, processes, and tools to meet the goals of the TCNs.
c. Discussion of the inputs and costs necessary to create successful and efficient georeferencing projects at scale. - To establish an updating resource for the TCNs and the broad community within the biodiversity sciences, via:
a.Creation of a roster of georeferencing “experts” able and willing to provide to support to individuals and groups within their geographic region and professional discipline.
b. A resource for said “experts” to share their experiences (successes, failures, and recommendations) for the benefit of the broad community.
Desired Outcomes:
1. Participants’ georeferencing skills are enhanced after the workshop. (leave knowing more than when they arrived).
2. Each participant presents a georeferenced data set at the end of the workshop to the group.
3. Participants provide feedback - for the further development of this course.
4. Participants plan / outline a georeferencing workshop - share the plan with the group.
5. Participants share their future plans for when and where they will conduct their first training.
(post to iDigBio)
6. Participants fill out a post-workshop survey to assist in evaluating the workshop and contribute suggestions for the next workshop.
7. iDigBio Georeferencing Working Group utilizes outcomes / survey results to help shape future efforts and the next Train the Trainers Georeferencing Workshop.
8. Report back to NSF about survey results and workshop outcomes for future planning.
Informal Reception at (TBD) for any arriving on Sunday evening, 7 PM, October 7th.
Schedule of Events
| Time |
Activity |
Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 |
Welcome & iDigBio Overview |
iDigBio PI Debbie Paul & Gil Nelson |
| 9:10 |
Meet iDigBio - PI’s and Project Managers PI: Pam Soltis, David Jennings, Joanna McCaffrey (5 minutes each) |
Debbie Paul |
| 9:25 |
Trainer Introductions |
David Bloom |
| Participants Introductions - InvertNet |
||
| Participants Introductions - SCAN |
||
| Participants Introductions - Paleoniches |
||
| Participants Introductions - Macrofungi |
||
| Participants Introductions - LBCC |
||
| Participants Introductions - TTD |
||
| Participants Introductions - MNEV |
||
| Participants Introductions - Other Projects |
||
| 10:00 |
Workshop Overview, Introduction to Georeferencing, and Thinking like a Trainer |
David Bloom/ John Wieczorek |
| 10:20 |
Train-the-Trainers Georeferencing Pre-workshop Survey Report |
Shari Ellis |
| 10:35 |
Break (Pascals) |
|
| 11:00 |
Collaboration and Automation |
John Wieczorek |
| 11:30 |
Geographical Concepts |
Nelson Rios |
| 11:50 |
Point-Radius Method and Best Practices |
David Bloom |
| 12:10 |
Darwin Core Standard, Key Terminology |
John Wieczorek |
| 12:30 |
Lunch catered - "Tempo Bistro To Go" |
|
| 13:30 |
Georeferencing for Dummies, Locality Types, and Georeferencing Template |
Carol Spencer |
| 14:40 |
Georeferencing Calculator |
John Wieczorek |
| 15:30 |
Break |
|
| 16:00 |
Georeferencing Calculator Example and Exercises |
John Wieczorek |
| 17:00 |
Day in Review and Considerations for Trainers-to-be (Trivia Question - Paul) |
David Bloom |
| 17:30 |
End |
Optional Evening Activity is:
Oct. 8 | 6:30 p.m. Work out where the Gators play. 60 minutes of interval training inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Hosted by the world famous Florida Track Club: floridatrackclub.org
| Time |
Activity |
Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 |
Review and Questions |
All |
| 9:20 |
Meet iDigBio PI Larry Page |
Debbie Paul |
| 9:30 |
Internet Resources - Where to Begin? |
Carol Spencer |
| 10:00 |
Exercises: Internet Resources |
All |
| 10:30 |
Break |
|
| 11:00 |
Exercises: Internet Resources (continued) |
All |
| 12:15 |
More Online Resources (resources used by/requested by participants) |
David Bloom |
| 12:30 |
Lunch |
|
| 13:30 |
GPS Exercise Introduction |
John Wieczorek |
| 13:45 |
GPS Exercises (outside) |
All |
| 15:15 |
Group Photo (outside) |
All |
| 15:30 |
Break |
|
| 16:00 |
Georeferencing Using Paper Maps, Paper Maps Handout |
David Bloom |
| 17:00 |
Day in Review and Considerations for Trainers-to-be (Trivia Question - Paul) |
David Bloom |
| 17:30 |
END |
Optional Evening Activities are:
Oct. 9 | 7-8:30 p.m. Water Sustainability: Public Challenges, Private Choices, with Pierce Jones, Ph.D., Professor and Director, UF Program for Resource Efficient Communities; Joe Delfino, Ph.D., Professor, UF Environmental Engineering Sciences; and Wendy Graham, Ph.D., Carl S. Swisher Chair in Water Resources and Director, UF Water Institute. The Water: Discovering and Sharing Solutions exhibit is open 6-7 p.m.
Location: Florida Museum of Natural History, 3215 Hull Road - Desserts and cash bar available.
To help plan for this free program, please RSVP at least one week in advance of the café date with your name and the number attending by emailing aerickson@flmnh.ufl.edu or calling Amanda Harvey, 352-273-2062.
Oct 9 | 7-10p.m. Team Trivia: The Laboratory : http://thelaboratorycafe.tk/
Oct 9 | 6:15 p.m. Campus 4 Miler. A group from the Florida Track Club meets at the north end of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to run a scenic 4 mile route through the UF campus. The pace usually ranges from 8-10 min/miles, although runners of all abilities are encouraged to participate!
| Time |
Activity |
Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 |
Review and Questions |
All |
| 9:20 |
Meet iDigBio PI Gregory Riccardi |
Debbie Paul |
| 9:30 |
Exercises: Using Paper Maps |
All |
| 10:30 |
Break |
|
| 11:00 |
Exercises: Using Paper Maps (continued) |
All |
| 12:30 |
Lunch |
|
| 13:30 |
Exercises: Using Paper Maps (continued) |
All |
| 14:40 |
Examples and Discussion: Process, Workflows, and Collaborations |
|
| 15:30 |
Break |
|
| 16:00 |
Process, Workflows, and Collaborations (continued) |
John Wieczorek |
| 17:00 |
Day in Review and Considerations for Trainers-to-be, Volunteers for Training Demos (Trivia Question - Paul) |
David Bloom |
| 17:30 |
Specify and Georeferencing: Tools and Workflows |
Video |
| 18:00 |
End |
Optional Evening Activity is:
Downtown Gainesville, Union Street Farmers Market, 4 - 7 PM. Food and live music.
http://unionstreetfarmersmkt.com/index.php/vendors
| Time |
Activity |
Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 |
Meet iDigBio PI Bruce MacFadden |
Debbie Paul |
| 9:10 |
Results: Paper Maps |
Carol Spencer |
| 10:00 |
Paper Maps Review |
John Wieczorek |
| 10:30 |
Break |
|
| 11:00 |
Good and Bad Localities, Field Locality Handout |
David Bloom |
| 11:15 |
Introduction to GEOLocate Project |
Nelson Rios |
| 12:00 |
Lunch |
|
| 13:00 |
Using GEOLocate: Basics (Web Application) |
Nelson Rios |
| 13:30 |
Using GEOLocate: Batch Processing (Web App and Excel) |
Nelson Rios |
| 14:10 |
Using GEOLocate: Collaborative Georeferencing Administrative Portal |
Nelson Rios |
| 15:10 |
Using GEOLocate: Web Client |
Nelson Rios |
| 15:30 |
Break |
|
| 16:00 |
Prioritizing Data: Getting the most bang for your buck, Picking low hanging fruit |
Nelson Rios |
| 16:15 |
Advanced GEOLocate: Taxon validation, Web services & integration, Building end to end georeferencing workflows |
Nelson Rios |
| 17:00 |
Day in Review and Considerations for Trainers-to-be (Trivia Question - Debbie Paul) |
Bloom |
| 17:30 |
Symbiota and Georeferencing: Tools and Workflows |
Video |
| 18:00 |
End |
Evening Activity is: Group Dinner, Leonardo’s 706, 7PM
| Time |
Activity |
Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 |
Meet iDigBio PI Jose Fortes (5 minutes) |
|
| 9:07 |
BioGeomancer Georeferencing Workbench |
John Wieczorek |
| 9:45 |
BioGeomancer Workbench, Batch Processing |
John Wieczorek |
| 10:30 |
Break |
|
| 11:00 |
Data Set Preparation/BioGeomancer Project Exercises |
John Wieczorek |
| 12:00 |
Open Work Session - Participant/TCN Georeferencing Projects (use those data sets) |
All |
| 12:30 |
Lunch |
|
| 13:30 |
Open Work Session (continued) |
All |
| 14:30 |
Volunteer Training Demos |
Trainees |
| 15:30 |
Break |
|
| 16:00 |
Workshop Evaluations |
All |
| 16:30 |
Day in Review and Considerations for Trainers-you-now-be |
David Bloom |
| 17:00 |
Workshop Summary |
John Wieczorek |
| 17:30 |
End |
Optional Friday night activities:
free concerts downtown (same location as the wed night farmers mkt) - http://www.gvlculturalaffairs.org/website/programs_events/plaza_series/plaza.html