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URGENT Update on TDWG 2014 meeting
by Cynthia Parr 04 Jun '14

04 Jun '14

Dear TDWG friends, As you may know, due to acts of violence against foreigners in Kenya a number of governments have issued travel advisories to their citizens. The TDWG Executive Committee has been very aware of general concerns about security. This has made planning for a 2014 TDWG conference in Nairobi especially challenging. Hank Bart (program chair) recently visited Nairobi and he and Lucy Waruingi (chair of local organizing committee) report that life is going on much as usual. They have arranged for a venue with exceptional security and Lucy has obtained a letter of re-assurance from the Kenyan government. There are reasonable cost estimates should we have 200 attendees (there were ~300 in Florence). Many TDWG members may feel comfortable attending the conference; this isn't the first time many of us have travelled under similar conditions. However, some governments are restricting travel and funding may be pulled for travel supplements or workshops. We are uncertain how many people this affects and how many would choose not to attend even if their travel were not officially restricted. A meeting that is too small and missing key people will not achieve our goals for African outreach or advancing standards. Finally, there is a real risk that a last minute incident might require complete cancellation. At the request of the Executive Committee, Paul Flemons has confirmed a solid alternate host in Europe this year should we decide to delay the Kenya meeting until next year. This Europe meeting would need to be one week earlier, however. Funding for pre-workshop training in Kenya will still be available for next year. I am confident that Lucy's team can host an excellent meeting either this year or next year. Please let us know your thoughts by completing a very brief survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L9YRKXQ by *Friday midnight*. We expect to announce a decision early next week. Thanks very much for your patience. Cyndy Parr TDWG Chair on behalf of the Executive Committee Cynthia Sims Parr, Chief Scientist Encyclopedia of Life http://eol.org Office: 202.633.9513, Fax: 202.633.8742 Room W118 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8870-7099 Skype: cyndy.parr http://google.com/+CynthiaParrPhd/ @cydparr Mailing address: National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution P.O. Box 37012, MRC 106 Washington, DC 20013-7012

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Position Announcement: Collections/Digital Data Manager in Copenhagen
by Kampmeier, Gail E 20 May '14

20 May '14

Posted on behalf of Nikolaj Scharff--please pass this to potential candidates. --Gail --------------------------- Collections Manager/Digital Data Manager to the Natural History Museum of Denmark. The Natural History Museum of Denmark (NHMD) is searching for a Collections Manager/Digital Data Manager to help coordinate and oversee its digital data and head a small Digital Assets Office (digital data from the zoological, botanical, palaeontological, and geological collections). Application deadline: June 15, 2014. About the Natural History Museum of Denmark. The Natural History Museum of Denmark is the Danish national museum for zoology, botany and geology, and it contains large global scientific collections of preserved animals, plants, fossils, and minerals. In its current form the museum was established on January 1, 2004 by the merging of four long-standing institutions: the Botanic Garden, the Botanical Museum & Central Library, the Geological Museum, and the Zoological Museum. Even though the Natural History Museum of Denmark is young, the history of the individual departments and collections can be traced back to the 17th century. A new museum of natural history in the Botanical Garden is being planned (www.nyt.snm.ku.dk/english/) and will present the museum with a number of big challenges in relation to the coming move of the collections, the establishment of new storage facilities and new exhibits. The collection support staff collaborates with the Head of Collections, the scientific curators of the museum and the members of the exhibitions department in the curation of specimens, including preparation, preservation, registration, etc. The collection support staff is organized in a cross-cutting unit under the Head of Collections. The Natural History Museum of Denmark (NHMD) is part of the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen, and therefore host and supervise undergraduate, graduate and PhD students as well as postdocs that use the museum collections for their research. The museum is an international institution with many foreign students and researchers and English is widely used as working language. An increasing part of the collections has been digitized these years, and the museum needs expertise in the field. The museum has therefore established a Digital Assets Office, responsible for the digital archives/collections at NHMD, and for the initiation and coordination of digitization of the collections of NHMD together with other sections at NHMD. Qualification. • MSc in biology, geology, or other relevant background. • good knowledge about IT and experience with databases and digital registration of natural history collections. • Well versed in biodiversity informatics standards and definitions, such as GUID, Darwin Core, ABCD, Linked Open Data etc. (http://www.tdwg.org/) • knowledge about, and preferably hands-on experience with international initiatives within collection based biodiversity informatics. • experience with people management. • good organizing skills and experience with project management and administration. • an interest for museum work. • good language skills, particularly written and spoken English. Additional information. More information about the position can be obtained by contacting the Head of Collections, Nikolaj Scharff (phone: +45 35 32 11 07; e-mail: nscharff(a)snm.ku.dk) or Christian Lange (phone +45 35 32 11 13). More general information about the Natural History Museum of Denmark is available from our website http://snm.ku.dk/english/ Applications. For more details on the position and application procedure see http://snm.ku.dk/english/omsnm/vacancies/collections-manager-digital-data-m… The University of Copenhagen actively influences current and future generations through excellent research, education and co-operation. UCPH is one of the highest ranked universities in Europe and is Denmark’s oldest university, founded in 1479. Today, the University has 37,000 students and 9,000 employees affiliated across six faculties: humanities, law, natural sciences, social sciences, health sciences and theology. www.ku.dk/english/. Best wishes Nikolaj ------------------------------------------------------ Nikolaj Scharff, PhD Director of Collections Professor, Curator of Arachnida Biodiversity Section Natural History Museum of Denmark University of Copenhagen Universitetsparken 15 DK-2100 Copenhagen Denmark Tel. +45 42408088 Email. nscharff(a)snm.ku.dk Webpage: http://snm.ku.dk/people/nscharff ---------------------------------------------------------

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DataOne Users Group Meeting - Copper Mt CO July 6-7, 2014
by Dean Walton 19 May '14

19 May '14

Hi, I think that there are some TDWG members that would have interest in this. The DataOne Users Group (DUG) is meeting this July 6-7, 2014 in Copper Mountain, CO. Here is a chance to learn more about DataOne, show off your current research in data management, and learn about the Data Management Toolkit (DMT). http://www.dataone.org/dataone-users-group Sincerely, Dean __________________________________ Dean Walton, PhD Science Librarian/Associate Professor University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403 (541) 346-2871

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Job opportunity: Ecoinformaticist with the National Agricultural Library
by Simpson, Annie 08 May '14

08 May '14

NAL, the USDA National Agricultural Library seeks an experienced Ecoinformaticist for its Knowledge Services Division. The individual will play a leading role in shaping programs to support the informatics and data management needs of the Long Term Agro-Ecosystem Research Initiative. Key functions of the position include: establishing metadata and data format standards; developing and implementing data management plans for national datasets; enabling data interoperability through the implementation of ontologies and semantic technologies; developing, designing, and implementing spatial data management systems and a spatial data infrastructure. The position is posted on USAJobs.gov opening on Friday, May 9 and closing on Thursday, May 22, 2014. This is a Term appointment for 13 months with the possibility of extension up to four years. NAL is located in Beltsville, Maryland.

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DCMI/ASIS&T Joint Webinar: "How to pick the low hanging fruits of Linked Data"
by DCMI Announce 25 Apr '14

25 Apr '14

******************Please excuse the cross postings****************** *DCMI/ASIS&T Joint Webinar* ==================================================================== *:: Title:* *"How to pick the low hanging fruits of Linked Data"* *:: Presenters:* Seth van Hooland & Ruben Verborgh *::* *Date:* Wednesday, 21 May 2014 *::* *Time:* 10:00am EDT (World Clock: 14:00 UTC http://bit.ly/1qLSeq1) *::* *Registration:* http://wiki.dublincore.org/index.php/DCMI_Handbook/webinars#vanHooland ==================================================================== *ABOUT THE WEBINAR:* The concept of Linked Data has gained momentum over the past few years, but the understanding and the application of its principles often remain problematic. This webinar offers a short critical introduction to Linked Data by positioning this approach within the global evolution of data modeling, allowing an understanding of the advantages but also of the limits of RDF. After this conceptual introduction, the fundamental importance of data quality in the context of Linked Data is underlined by applying data profiling techniques with the help of OpenRefine. Methods and tools for metadata reconciliation and enrichment, such as Named-Entity Recognition (NER), are illustrated with the help of the same software. This webinar will refer to case-studies with real-life data which can be re-used by participants to continue to explore OpenRefine at their own pace after the webinar. The case-studies have been developed in the context of the handbook "Linked Data for Libraries, Archives and Museums", which will be published by Facet Publishing in June 2014 ( http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/title.php?id=9641&category_code=102) *PRESENTERS:* *Seth van Hooland* is an assistant professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), where he leads the Master in Information Science. After a career in the private sector for a digitization company, he obtained his PhD in information science at ULB in 2009. He is currently teaching a special course on linked data at the Information School of the University of Washington. He is also active as a consultant for both public and private organizations. *Ruben Verborgh* is a researcher in semantic hypermedia at Ghent University - iMinds, Belgium, where he obtained his PhD in computer science in 2014. He explores the connection between semantic web technologies and the web's architectural properties, with the ultimate goal of building more intelligent clients. Along the way, he has become fascinated by linked data, REST/hypermedia, web APIs and related technologies. He is the co-author of a book on OpenRefine and several publications on web-related topics in international journals. *For more information and to register, visit the event webpage:* http://wiki.dublincore.org/index.php/DCMI_Handbook/webinars#vanHooland

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**EXTENDED** CfP: DC-2014 in Austin, Texas - 8-11 October 2014
by DCMI Announce 17 Apr '14

17 Apr '14

***Please accept our apology for cross-posting*** *14th International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications* 8-11 October 2014, Austin, Texas, USA ======================= *EXTENDED CfP:* http://purl.org/dcevents/dc-2014/cfp Conference Website: http://purl.org/dcevents/dc-2014 ======================= The deadline for submissions to the program for DC-2014 in Austin Texas has been extended by two weeks to *17 May 2014*. *2014 THEME: "Metadata Intersections: Bridging the Archipelago of Cultural Memory"* In addition to submission related to the conference theme, submissions are welcome on *any topic addressing metadata models, technologies and applications*. Submission describing innovative best practices in metadata are welcome from practitioners as well as researchers and application developers. The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative's Annual Meeting & International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications brings together individuals representing initiatives working in silos from across the metadata ecosystem to share experiences and best practices and to seek innovative solutions to common problems. *IMPORTANT DATES:* *--Peer-Reviewed Papers, Project Reports & Posters* EXTENDED Submission Deadline: 17 May 2014 Author Notification: 12 July 2014 Final Copy: 16 August 2014 *--Special & Panel Sessions, Tutorials & Workshops* EXTENDED Submission Deadline: 17 May 2014 Author Notification: 1 June 2014 *--Best Practice Posters & Demonstrations* EXTENDED Submission Deadline: 16 June 2014 Author Notification: 30 June 2014 *FOR MORE INFORMATION:* *Conference Chairs: * --William Moen, University of North Texas - william (dot) moen (at) unt (dot) edu --Amy Rushing, University of Texas at San Antonio - amy (dot) rushing (at) utsa (dot) edu

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DC-2014 CfP - Metadata Intersections: Bridging the Archipelago of Cultural Memory (Austin, Texas)
by DCMI Announce 30 Mar '14

30 Mar '14

*14th International Conference on Dublin Core and Metadata Applications* 8-11 October 2014, Austin, Texas, USA =============================== *Complete Call for Participation:* http://purl.org/dcevents/dc-2014/cfp =============================== DCMI's annual conference addresses models, technologies and applications of metadata. *2014 THEME: "Metadata Intersections: Bridging the Archipelago of Cultural Memory"* Metadata is fundamental in enabling ubiquitous access to cultural and scientific resources through galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM). While fundamental, GLAM traditions in documentation and organization lead to significant differences in both their languages of description and domain practices. And yet, the push is on for "radically open cultural heritage data" that bridges these differences as well as those across the humanities and the natural sciences. DC-2014 will explore the role of metadata in spanning the archipelago of siloed cultural memory in an emerging context of linked access to data repositories as well as repositories of cultural artifacts. *IMPORTANT DATES: * *--Peer-Reviewed Papers, Project Reports & Posters* Submission Deadline: 3 May 2014 Author Notification: 12 July 2014 Final Copy: 16 August 2014 *--Special & Panel Sessions, Tutorials & Workshops* Submission Deadline: 3 May 2014 Author Notification: 1 June 2014 *--Best Practice Posters & Demonstrations* Submission Deadline: 2 June 2014 Author Notification: 30 June 2014 *TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS:* (1) Peer-reviewed Papers, Project Reports & Posters (2) Special & Panel Session, Tutorials & Workshops (3) From the field: Best Practice Posters & Demonstrations *FOR MORE INFORMATION:* *Conference Chairs: * --William Moen, University of North Texas - william (dot) moen (at) unt (dot) edu --Amy Rushing, University of Texas at San Antonio - amy (dot) rushing (at) utsa.edu

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Neat postdoctoral opportunity
by Robert Guralnick 24 Mar '14

24 Mar '14

Please see the attached postdoctoral position flier for a project entitled: "Coral Reef Macroecology in the Anthropocen". The postdoc is at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) and University of Victoria (UVic), run by Dr. Julia Baum (UVic) and Dr. Jana McPherson (Calgary Zoo). The project is really cool and the PIs both excellent. The position is very much a biodiversity/ecological informatics-oriented one, so I thought I would pass it on to the TDWG list and ask you all to post broadly to your communities! Thanks! Best, Rob

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BioVeL Training Workshops Autumn 2013
by Jong, Yde de 19 Mar '14

19 Mar '14

[cid:_2_0D2267A80D226240004E96E980257BF0] BioVeL, a virtual laboratory for biodiversity research data, is offering two training workshops «Introduction to workflows for taxonomic refinement, biogeographic analysis, and species distribution modelling» November 26-27, 2013, Cardiff University, UK Description of the workshop and registration<http://frb.eole-emailing.net/l.php?q=C7R0bdUyZhX7O4KA8AcP&l=mhEt9SDFpiH4jmM…> «Building workflows with Taverna workbench» December 5-6, 2013, Manchester, UK Description of the workshop and registration<http://frb.eole-emailing.net/l.php?q=C7R0bdUyZhX7O4KA8AcP&l=qx%2B%2F%2F2hFK…> Note that these training workshops are free to attend but registration is required. The number of participants is limited. For further information, please write contact(a)biovel.eu<mailto:contact@biovel.eu>. More information on BioVeL: www.biovel.eu<http://frb.eole-emailing.net/l.php?q=C7R0bdUyZhX7O4KA8AcP&l=ai9CNhKZGxdfg76…> BioVeL is funded by the European Commission 7th Framework Programme (FP7) as part of its e-Infrastructures activity (Grant no. 283359).

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Positions advertised at GBIF Secretariat
by Donald Hobern [GBIF] 10 Mar '14

10 Mar '14

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) has advertised two vacant positions to be filled at the GBIF Secretariat in Copenhagen: * Programme Officer for Content Mobilisation - To support publishers of biodiversity data and to assist GBIF Participants to develop and implement content mobilisation strategies * Programme Officer for Content Analysis and Use - To support research communities and organisations making use of GBIF-mediated data and to work with stakeholders to improve the fitness-for-use of these data for research and analysis Information on these positions and the application process can be found at <http://www.gbif.org/newsroom/opportunities> http://www.gbif.org/newsroom/opportunities. The closing date for applications is 22 April 2014. Please circulate this notice to any who may be interested. Donald Hobern, GBIF Executive Secretary ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Donald Hobern - GBIF Director - dhobern(a)gbif.org Global Biodiversity Information Facility http://www.gbif.org/ GBIF Secretariat, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Tel: +45 3532 1471 Mob: +45 2875 1471 Fax: +45 2875 1480 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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