Nodes Committee Chair
My original training was in Marine Biology at Liverpool University but I have always been particularly interested in the analysis of biological data. On completion of my PhD I worked as a data analyst at the Institute of Zoology (London). Following that I worked at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority exploring the potential use of spatial prediction techniques and it was during that time that I acquired a good grounding in both databases and programming and realised the enormous potential there was in applying this field to biodiversity.
On return to the UK in 1997, I began work for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee where I remain today heading up the Access to Information programme. I have been heavily involved in the establishment of a National Biodiversity Network (NBN) to mobilise the huge volume of biodiversity data available across the UK. The NBN is now a major contributor of data to the GBIF network. I have been closely involved in virtually all aspects of the NBN initiative from this very early stage in both the overall strategic direction and actual practical implementation. I have also been involved with a range of other biodiversity informatics projects including the development and support of a) Recorder 6, a scalable software product capable of capturing and managing multiple ecological field surveys, and of handling millions of data points, b) Marine Recorder an equivalent system for marine biodiversity samples, and I am currently heavily involved UK Government led initiatives to improve access to environmental data generally, particularly in marine, ensuring that biodiversity data is part of the overall picture.
Nodes Committee Vice-Chair
Dr. Alex Asase is a professional botanist who received his PhD training at both the University of Ghana and Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, UK. He is currently a Senior Lecturer and Keeper of the Ghana Herbarium at the Department of Botany, University of Ghana and has extensive experience in mobilization and digitization of biodiversity data, herbarium techniques and biodiversity field surveys. He facilitated the formal establishment of the Ghana node of GBIF and is currently the Node Manager.
His primary research interest is how to reconcile biodiversity conservation and sustainable human use and development. This he does obviously through multidisciplinary scientific research including subject areas such as taxonomy, ecology, biodiversity informatics and ethnobotany. His previous research projects include Cocoa faming and biodiversity in Ghana, Effects of land-use change on carbon storage and plant diversity, Traditional herbal remedies for treatment of malaria, and the Ghana biodiversity informatics project. He has over 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Nodes Committee Vice-Chair
Manuel Vargas Del Valle was elected Nodes Committee Vice Chair at the GB19 meeting in Lillehammer on 20 September 2012. Manuel is a computer scientist based at the Costa Rican Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio). In addition to his role as Manager of the Costa Rican GBIF Node, Manuel is also the coordinator of the Biodiversity Informatics Department at INBio and works as an analyst and developer of biodiversity informatics applications. His areas of interest include species distribution modelling, geographic information systems, free software development, geographic data mining, and geographic data warehouses.
Manuel also works as an Associated Professor at the Universidad de Costa Rica in the Computer Sciences Magister Scientae Program in the Biodiversity Informatics and Geographic Information Systems areas and in the Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Magister Scientae Program in the Spatial Databases and Geographic Information Systems Web Development areas.
