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There is a wide array of biodata tools available to council biodata managers, from simple datasets through to comprehensive biodata management systems. A number of key systems are listed here. National Datasets contain data accessible to council biodata mangers, while National Systems are databases that allow you to both download and upload biodata. Tools allow you to manage your regional biodata needs. New Zealand Local Government Case Studies provides examples of how various regional and territorial councils are managing their biodata. References lists additional systems as well as further reading. The International section offers case studies of how biodata is managed overseas as well as links to related international biodata bodies.
All members of the Dataversity Public Discussion Group can edit any page in this guide.
The primary NZ catalogue for New Zealand biodata is Geodata.govt.nz, the geospatial and environmental data catalogue, built by Land Information New Zealand and the Ministry of Science and Innovation.
There is a wider list of NZ data catalogues at <http://groups.open.org.nz/howtos/find_data/>.
The following datasets relate to New Zealand biodiversity and are held by organisations outside local government.
These systems can be used to upload and download biodata.
These systems are either currently available or in the process of being made available to run locally for regional biodiversity management.
EnglishâMÄori identification key to leafhopper and treehopper genera occurring in New Zealand
This key will enable any treehopper (Membracidae) or leafhopper (Cicadellidae) genus and several species found in New Zealand to be identified.
Guide to the familyâlevel identification of Hymenoptera in New Zealand
This identification guide to the families of New Zealand Hymenoptera was created using Lucid Phoenix, which works as an interactive dichotomous key.
Interactive keys to plants
Interactive keys are a tool to assist users to identify plant material. Outcomes were traditionally limited by dichotomous keys. By using interactive keys users can start at any point and there are usually illustrations to assist decision making. Interactive keys can be designed to cope with common misinterpretations and still allow users to reach a correct result.
Key to Coprosma species of New Zealand
Allows you to identify any of the 53 species of Coprosma currently recognised in New Zealand
Key to the ants of New Zealand
This key is designed to use with worker ants (females).
Key to the mosquitoes of New Zealand
This is a LUCIDD key to New Zealand mosquitoes, and requires LUCIDD software to run.
Key to weedy daisies of the South Pacific
The key includes 43 species of weeds and two species of indigenous Asteraceae from the South Pacific Region. The weedy species have been chosen on the basis of their invasive potential.
Keys to New Zealand land snails
A series of LUCID keys to identify New Zealand land snails
Leafhopper and treehopper identification keys and checklists
The included keys will enable any leafhopper genus or species currently recorded from New Zealand to be identified. The checkslists provide valid names and synonymies for all species as well as digital images for the majority of taxa.
Native plants of schools and marae in New Zealand
This Lucid3 key is for the identification of New Zealand native plants commonly found in school grounds and marae. The key was developed for simple identification of these plants by students.
NPPA key â interactive key to the National Pest Plant Accord species of NZ
This key is for the identification of 150 pest plant species banned from propagation, sale, and distribution within New Zealand and for comparison includes about the same number of similar and related species. The key is illustrated with more than 5000 images and hyperlinks at the species level to MAF Biosecurity New Zealand, NgÄ Tipu o Aotearoa â New Zealand Plants databases, and the Weedbusters website.
NZGrass Key â interactive key to the grasses of NZ
This key is illustrated with over 1400 images and is connected by hyperlinks at the species level to the digitised version of the Grass Flora, NZ Plant Conservation Network and NgÄ Tipu o Aotearoa â New Zealand Plants (a database derived from the New Zealand Plant Names database and the Allan Herbarium Specimen database).
Virtual identification guide to NZ Caridae genera
This identification guide provides a Lucid Phoenix interactive key to New Zealand groundâbeetle genera
What is this bug?
A simple key to identifying bugs found in the house and garden. This service is aimed at members of the public and mostly provides a common name, or general group name. For primary students of years 2â6 and their teachers, we also provide a teaching resource Insects & spiders, It provides information about the insects and spiders found in New Zealand and is suitable for levels 2 and 3 of the Science curriculum, Making Sense of the Living World.
The following profiles are of councils and the systems they use to manage biodiversity in their region. Other profiles cover councils which are in the process of integrating their data and implementing a new biodata management system.
This section contains links to lists of significant databases as well as a number of reports relevant to council biodata management.
Listed are some examples of how overseas local government bodies manage biodata as well as links to related international biodata bodies.
United States Data.gov
Data.gov is leading the way in democratizing public sector data and driving innovation. The data is being surfaced from many locations making the Government data stores available to researchers to perform their own analysis. Developers are finding good uses for the datasets, providing interesting and useful applications that allow for new views and public analysis. This is a work in progress, but this movement is spreading to cities, states, and other countries. After just one year a community is born around open government data.
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Search multiple databases all at once - retrieve information from multiple sources (16+) for your area of interest.
Data Finder is a single place to find EPA's numerical data sources so that people can access and understand environmental information. All of the data sources are available on the Internet and have been organized by topics such as air, water, and chemicals. If you are looking for data sets that are generated and held by EPA and other Federal agencies, please visit Data.gov. Data Finder provides an initial collection of EPA's data sources (see the newest data sources). Please shape the future of Data Finder so it meets your needs by sharing your comments and suggestions in the Data Finder Forum.
The Cities of Toronto, Edmonton, Ottawa and Vancouver have recently joined forces to collaborate on an "Open Data Framework". The project aims to enhance current open data initiatives in the areas of data standards, terms of use agreements and open data website design. For further information, please contact us at opendata@toronto.ca.
The City of Toronto (City) now grants you a world-wide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, modify, and distribute the datasets in all current and future media and formats for any lawful purpose. Although you are not required to credit the City for each use or reproduction of the datasets, you are entitled to do so and encouraged to conspicuously announce that these datasets are publicly available from the City under these Terms of Use.
Download GIS files, Excel spreadsheets, etc. which come along with metadata (descriptions about the data)