BSS - Facilitating bio data exchange across New Zealand
The Vision
By 2016 New Zealand has developed and proofed (through a working demonstration) a “biodata
services stack” (BSS). This stack ensures that:


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guidelines and procedures exist and are maintained so that (key elements of) primary biodata
can be archived and published consistently in any organisation across New Zealand;
support for national systems (e.g. vocabularies, standards) for archiving and publishing of
primary biodata across New Zealand exist and is maintained; and
published biodata is discoverable and accessible via standards-based web-services to enable
data sharing and mobilisation.
Organisations across New Zealand collecting biodata have agreed to implement and adhere to the
biodata services stack in their biodata management and archiving processes and data publishing
functions.
The Goal
The Project “A national network for connecting and mobilising primary biodiversity data” (or Biodata
Services Stack, or BSS) is to work towards that vision by;
(i) defining use-cases for data mobilisation,
(ii) specifying architecture and components the BSS needs to consist of, and
(iii) implementing a working demonstration type connecting a limited number of data sources and
providing solutions for some of the identified use-cases.
Context
The New Zealand Freshwater Fish Database (NZFFD) hosted by NIWA contains over 30,000 freshwater
fish observations. The database has been populated by a number of organisations including NIWA,
DOC, Universities, and regional councils. However, due to increasing awareness of data collectors to
focus on maintaining the provenance and quality of their own data, as well as a rapidly expanding
industry of fish data collection that did not fit with the rigidity of the old version of the NZFDD, a number
of potential contributors to fish data in New Zealand are likely to have data holdings that are separate
from the NZFFD. So despite the presence of the NZFDD as a potential “single source of the truth”
database for New Zealand fish data, knowledge of who has what where, in what state, using which
protocols is as equally the starting point for fish data as for other biota.
The user cases focus on establishing a current knowledge of fish species distributions with some
requirement to consider absolute abundance as a consequence of needing context around
individual/individual or species/species interactions.
Relevant Case Studies
Case
Study
Case
Task
Data
Required
Case
Study
Case
Task
Data
Required
Fish Pathogen Potential Spread
A potential freshwater fish pathogen (exotic) may have been released from a fish
processing plant into Lake Taupo. What (species) will it affect and how fast and far
will it spread though the Waikato catchment? Will it affect other catchments?
Identify susceptible fish species & their distribution in the catchment.
Identify the environmental and fish parameters affect pathogen transmission incatchment and across-catchment.
 Fish Species list for pathogen type
 Recent Fish distribution in catchment, incl. size class.
 Fish data: Time/Location/Collector/Name/Methods.
 Environmental Parameters (Habitat, water quality, flow, temperature data)
Pest Fish Potential Spread
An exotic fish species has been released into (a catchment). Is it a potential pest?
What native biota will it affect and how fast and far will it spread though the
catchment? Will it affect other catchments?
Identify current extent of (a named) exotic fish in New Zealand
Identify susceptible indigenous biota and their distribution in the catchment affected
by the fish.
Identify the environmental, (human), and fish parameters affect transmission incatchment and across-catchment.
 Susceptible biota species list for pest fish
 Recent Fish distribution in catchment, incl. size class.
 Fish data: Time/Location/Collector/Name/Methods.
 Environmental Parameters (Habitat, water quality, flow, temperature data)
 Biological info eg life cycle
 Control methodology eg known or experimental
Case
Study
Case
Task
Data
Required
Trout Habitat Suitability
Case
Study
Case
Landuse as a Cause of Decline of Native Fish
Task
Data
Required
Assessing habitat for trout – food supply, access, spawning habitat etc.
Use presence/absence data to assess habitat and food supply suitability
 Presence / absence datasets for trout
 Water Quality (Temperature, Turbidity, PH, Nutrients)
 Life cycle information (inverts, fish)
 In-stream habitat information; bank habitat information
 River flow data
 Meteorological data
 Prey fish presence / absence
 Macroinvertebrate abundance
 Fish barrier information
Assessing if landuse change is the driver for reduction in native fish populations and
diversity
Use native fish presence/absence data and landuse data, and test correlations
 Presence / absence datasets for (named) fish
 Water Quality (Temperature, Turbidity, PH, Nutrients)
 Life cycle information (inverts, fish)
 In-stream habitat information; bank habitat information
 River flow data
 Meteorological data
 Whitebait spawning habitat information
 Fish barrier information