Here, the cross-cutting issues which were discussed are reviewed. The desired function of a database is of paramount importance in guiding its design and evaluating its utility. Within the U.S. and overseas, resource managers and scientists are increasingly calling for more comprehensive databases to assess risks associated with invasive species and develop effective management strategies to minimize their impacts. Identify ecological and economic impacts of known or potential invaders. Assess the efficacy of management strategies to abate the rate of invasive species invasions.
Most databases focus on a relatively narrow range of taxa, leaving many taxonomic groups unexplored.
Even the existing databases are incomplete for their selective taxa, including data for a subset of species, geographic regions, invasion characteristics, and biological attributes. At best, current efforts have resulted in an uneven patchwork of data on invasive species with many significant gaps. Expanding the present databases to create more comprehensive information on invasive species, as an effective research and management tool, remains a major challenge. There are many important aspects and obstacles to evaluate in undertaking such an effort, and some of these are discussed below. This is perhaps best achieved as a network of databases by taxa and habitats, instead of a single centralized database.