Capacity self-assessments for national biodiversity information facilities

Introduction
National biodiversity information facilities are networks of people and institutions that produce, manage and use biodiversity
data, together supporting the needs of the country for biodiversity information. They are supported by organizationalarrangements and informatics solutions, working to improve the availability and usefulness of biodiversity data for research,
policy and decision-making. Countries participating in GBIF commit to establishing a GBIF Participant node, which is acoordinating team designated by the country to establish and further develop the national biodiversity information facility.
Capacity self-assessment is a tool to help countries with planning at any stage in the development of their national biodiversity
information facility. This questionnaire-based approach is designed to assess capacities that underpin sustainable progress infour key areas:
1. Coordinating a national community of institutions, projects and initiatives relating to biodiversity, including making
connections to the international GBIF network
2. Mobilizing biodiversity data so that as many sources as possible are freely and openly available
3. Reusing the available data to support biodiversity-related science and support decision-making for sustainable development
4. Improving biodiversity data management and data quality to support users’ needs
Capacity self-assessment through dialogue between key stakeholders can help to identify national capacity strengths andneeds, from which to plan capacity enhancement actions. When repeated, the questionnaire can also be used to monitor andevaluate progress in achieving the biodiversity information facility's capacity-related goals.

Figure 1: Main target areas for national biodiversity information facilities

Suggested process
Scoping and alignment
Capacity self-assessment should support and inform relevant planning processes, such as organizational planning, thepreparation of funding proposals, and the monitoring and evaluation of progress. The questionnaire included in this guide canbe adapted to best fit the national context and priorities for the national biodiversity information facility.

Who should be involved?
A lead should be assigned to coordinate the capacity self-assessment and report the results. The questionnaire should becompleted by one or more of those most closely involved in the biodiversity information facility’s activities (for example, for
GBIF Participants, the Head of Delegation, the Node Manager and the Chair of the board for the biodiversity information
facility).

Self-assessment questionnaire design
The questionnaire is structured in four sections to match the targets described in figure 1. The questions are organized as aseries of steps outlining a simplified pathway for progress in each section. Progress will not always follow these pathways in a
linear way, so it is important to respond to all of the questions in each section. There is a yes/no question for each step which isthe basic indicator for tracking the level of progress along the pathways. When a 'yes' answer is given, two subsequent
questions quantify the level of capacity for that step through the selection of one of three responses describing low, medium
and high capacity. This allows more detailed tracking of progress by assigning scores to each step, which are summed to givean indicator of capacity levels at in each area and overall.

Analysis and documentation of results
The questionnaire is presented as a printable form that displays the results of the self-assessment using buttons and scores
selected from drop-down menus. When a 'yes' answer is selected, there is a maximum score of 6 for that step, representing thehighest capacity, and a minimum of 0, which should be assigned when a 'no' answer is selected for that step, or when there isinsufficient information to make an assessment. Text boxes are also provided to capture any additional notes for each section.
A template for a summary view of the results is provided on the final page in which the scores per step and overall total can beentered manually. The results should be analyzed to identify capacity strengths and prioritize capacity needs in line with thebroader national priorities for the biodiversity information facility. These can be captured in the text boxes on the final page.
Capacity self-assessment will be most useful when repeated, for example annually or at the start and end of a project or work
programme, so that it can serve as a monitoring and evaluation tool. When using it in this way, further analysis will be needed
to compare results captured over time, so it is recommended to also keep the scores in a spreadsheet.

Further support for capacity self-assessments and planningThis template provides links to some key GBIF tools and resources targeting each of the four areas. Further resources areavailable from GBIF.org. The GBIF Secretariat staff are also available to provide guidance on capacity enhancement. Pleasecontact us via email (nodes@gbif.org).

Production of this document is funded by the European Union

Date

NATIONAL CAPACITY SELF-ASSESSMENT

Section 1: Coordinating a national biodiversity information facility

1. Has a node been designated to coordinate biodiversity data sharing activities nationally?
YesNo

1. a. Is the team or node recognized at the national level as responsible for coordinating biodiversity data sharing (e.g.
through a mandate)?

1. b. Does the country participate in GBIF enabling the node to connect with global network?

Section 1: Step 1 total score

2. Has the institution hosting the node built this obligation into its planning?
YesNo

2. a. Has the hosting institution incorporated this obligation into its resource allocation?

2. b. Does the team leader or Node Manager have this role officially recognized as part of their work responsibilities?

Section 1: Step 2 total score

3. Have the major stakeholders for the biodiversity information facility been identified?
YesNo

3. a. Does the coordination team or node have a communications plan for the biodiversity information facility?

3. b. Are the necessary inter-institutional agreements in place to support stakeholder engagement in the biodiversity
information facility (e.g. data sharing agreements, MOCs)?

Section 1: Step 3 total score

4. Has a board and/or other governance structure been established to support the work of the nodewith its stakeholders?
YesNo

4. a. Does the node’s governance structure(s) provide the necessary expertise to guide the development of thebiodiversity information facility?

4. b. Are the biodiversity information facility’s activities monitored and evaluated?

Section 1: Step 4 total score

5. Has a strategy / set of priority activities for the node and biodiversity information facility been
agreed with stakeholders?
YesNo

5. a. Have stakeholder needs been assessed to inform the strategy?

5. b. Does the strategy provide a long-term vision for the node and biodiversity information facility?

Section 1: Step 5 total score

6. Is this strategy resourced?
YesNo

6. a. Does the node or coordinating team have sufficient staff members to implement the strategy?

6. b. Does the node have stable funding sources (i.e. a dedicated budget and/or defined in-kind services provided by thehost institution) to implement the strategy?

Section 1: Step 6 total score

Section 1: Overall score

Additional notes on capacity for coordinating a national biodiversity information facility

Key support material
Establishing an Effective GBIF Participant Node: This guide draws on the experience of the GBIF network to offer guidance on
establishing an effective Participant node. It is available in multiple languages.
GBIF Capacity Enhancement Framework: This framework presents a cycle for capacity enhancement actions, including adescription of the main actors and examples of the types of techniques and approaches to capacity enhancement in the GBIF
context.

Section 2: Implementing a national biodiversity data mobilization strategy

1. Have the main national sources of biodiversity data been identified?
YesNo

1. a. Have the national sources of biodiversity data been documented (e.g. in a metadata catalogue)?

1. b. Has the state of national data holdings been assessed (e.g. digital/non-digital format, approximate size and scope ofcollections, use of standards)?

Section 2: Step 1 total score

2. Has a strategy been developed to assist the biodiversity information facility in mobilizing national
biodiversity data sources in a systematic way?
YesNo

2. a. Have data mobilization priorities for the biodiversity information facility been agreed with stakeholders?

2. b. Does the strategy assist data holders in making a case for investment in the mobilization of their data (e.g. throughaddressing known gaps or targeting specific use cases)?

Section 2: Step 2 total score

3. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) provide support tonational digitization activities?
Yes

No

3. a. Are mechanisms in place for national biodiversity data holding institutions to share experience and expertise relating
to digitization?

3. b. Does the node promote incentives for data publishing (e.g. through data management policies attached to publicresearch grants, data paper publishing, use of licenses to share biodiversity information)?

Section 2: Step 3 total score

4. Is an informatics infrastructure in place to support the publishing of biodiversity data from thecountry’s institutions to the Internet?
Yes

No

4. a. Are data hosting facilities are available to national holders of biodiversity data?

4. b. Are the data publishing tools provided by the nodal institution and the community kept up to date with the latest tools
and software releases?

Section 2: Step 4 total score

5. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) provide assistance todata holders in publishing their data?
YesNo

5. a. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) organize training for data holders on the
topic of data publishing?

5. b. Does the node provide a helpdesk service to assist data holders in publishing their data to the Internet?

Section 2: Step 5 total score

Section 2: Overall score

Additional notes on implementing a national biodiversity data mobilization strategy

Key support material
Data publishing section of the GBIF website: These pages provide an overview of the process of data publishing through the
GBIF network, including the benefits of data publishing, publisher endorsement by nodes, and links to further resources.
iDigBio digitization resources - This web page provides resources and information for the series of digitization training
workshops conducted by iDigBio. Included is a growing list of links to documents, websites, videos, presentations, and otherimportant information related to biological collection digitization. In addition, iDigBio hosts frequent webinars that are open to all.
Initiating a Collection Digitisation Project: This guide describes how to plan digitization work. It focuses on natural history
collections but can also be applied to other situations.
Towards Demand Driven Publishing: Approaches to the Prioritisation of Digitization of Natural History Collections Data: This
article reviews the state of digitization of natural history collections and provides guidance on adopting a demand driven
approach to planning digitization projects.

Section 3: Meeting biodiversity information needs at the national level

1. Have the needs of biodiversity information users been assessed at the national level?
YesNo

1. a. Are there mechanisms in place for users to provide feedback on the services provided by the node and biodiversity
information facility?

1. b. Does the node track examples of the use of the data mobilized by the GBIF network and/or national biodiversity
information facility?

Section 3: Step 1 total score

2. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) perform analyses of thebiodiversity data available through the GBIF network and/or national data services?
Yes

No

2. a. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) identify gaps in the available biodiversity
data?

2. b. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) provide information services based on
analysis of the available data?

Section 3: Step 2 total score

3. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) promote the use of
biodiversity data available through the GBIF network and/or national data services?
Yes

No

3. a. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) organize regular training for data users
on how to access and use the data available through the GBIF network and/or national data services?

3. b. Is the node in contact with key users, including decision-makers, to demonstrate how GBIF and/or national dataservices can be used?

Section 3: Step 3 total score

4. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) maintain a website tosupport the user community in accessing biodiversity data?
YesNo

4. a. Is the website continuously developed to stay up to date with user needs?

4. b. Does the website complement other available biodiversity information websites to serve the needs of key user groups
for the biodiversity information facility?

Section 3: Step 4 total score

5. Are services from the biodiversity information facility integrated into research and policy processes?
YesNo

5. a. Are data and services coordinated by the node incorporated into national biodiversity reporting, for example throughthe National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and National Reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD)?

5. b. Are data and services coordinated by the node recognized and used by research and/or national agencies dealing
with economic sectors, for example in spatial planning, environmental impact assessment, agricultural policy and publichealth?

Section 3: Step 5 total score

Section 3: Overall score

Additional notes on meeting biodiversity information needs at the national level

Key support material
GBIF Best Practice Guide for Content Needs Assessment of Stakeholder Communities: This guide reviews examples ofcontent needs assessments to provide detailed information on how to plan this type of activity.
Uses of Primary Species-Occurrence Data: This document summarizes the many areas in which biodiversity data are used.
Section on Science Relevance on GBIF.org: GBIF-mediated data are used in a wide range of research projects addressing the
key scientific questions relating to biodiversity. You will find a summary of the most commonly-used thematic areas in thissection of the GBIF website.

Section 4: Supporting improved management of biodiversity data nationally

1. Does the node have a strategy to ensure the data mobilized by the biodiversity information facility are
fit for use by as many user groups as possible?
Yes

No

1. a. Does the node provide feedback to data publishers on data quality related issues?

1. b. Does the biodiversity information facility contribute to the maintenance of national and thematic checklists?

Section 4: Step 1 total score

2. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) support national dataholders in managing their data?
YesNo

2. a. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) organize regular training for data holders
on the topics of data management and quality?

2. b. The node provides a helpdesk service that efficiently assists data holders with data management issues

Section 4: Step 2 total score

3. Does the node perform quality checks of data published to the GBIF network and/or a national data
platform?
Yes

No

3. a. Does the node have a workflow using appropriate tools to contribute to improving the quality of the data published to
the GBIF network and/or data platform?

3. b. How efficiently does the node deal with endorsement requests from data publishers wishing to publish to the GBIF
network?

Section 4: Step 3 total score

4. Does the node (and/or other members of the biodiversity information facility) participate in regional
and//or global initiatives to improve the management of biodiversity information?
Yes

No

4. a. Does the node contribute to initiatives working on biodiversity information standards, taxonomy and information
integration?

4. b. Does the node help to transfer the developments made on the regional and/or global level into national data
management processes, e.g. through workshops, adaptation and translation of software or documents?

Section 4: Step 4 total score

Section 4: Overall score

Additional notes on supporting improved management of biodiversity data nationally

Key support material
Principles and Methods of Data Cleaning and Principles of Data Quality: These complementary guides are much-usedreference material for those working with data quality and fitness for use.
Improving Wildlife Data Quality: This guide discusses how to deal with data quality issues within networks collecting biodiversity
data and provides six practical case studies to illustrate different scenarios.
GBIF country reports: Available by selecting a country name from this list and then clicking on the blue download button at the
top of each country page, these reports include a series of summary charts, statistics and other details about the mobilization
and use of open-access species data through the GBIF network at global and national scales. They provide a good summary of
the main trends in data mobilization and data quality for all countries.
GBIF data trends: These pages of the GBIF website provide summary trends and metrics on the biodiversity data available
about any country and on the data published by a country's institutions. They can be used to define basic indicators associatedwith data quality and follow them over time.

0

This
responsibility
is built into0
the nodal
institution'splanning

Major
stakeholders
0
for the BIF
are identified

A governancestructure is 0
establishedA strategy for
the BIF is0
agreed withstakeholders

0

A national
datamobilization
strategy isdeveloped0

The BIFsupports
national
digitization
activities

0An
infrastructure
is in place to 0
support data
publishing

The BIF
providesassistance to 0
data holders
in publishingdata

The needs of
biodiversity
information 0
users areassessed

The BIF
analyses theavailability of 0
biodiversity
data

The BIFpromotes
data use0

The BIF
maintains a
website tosupport theusercommunity

BIF services
are integrated
into research 0& policy
processes

The node has
a plan toensure the0mobilized
data are fit foruse

The BIFsupports
national data 0
holders inmanaging
their data

The node
performs
quality
checks of
published
data

0

The BIFparticipates inbiodiversity 0
information
management
initiatives

Coordinating a
biodiversity
information
facility

A node isdesignatedImplementing anational
biodiversity data
mobilization
strategy

The mainnational
sources of
biodiversity
data areidentified

Meetingbiodiversity
informationneeds on thenational level

Supporting
improved
management of
biodiversity data
nationally

Main capacity strengths0

Prioritized capacity needs

The strategy
0
is resourced

Overall score 0/120