The Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) Workshop was organized in the Radcliffe Science Library, Oxford, UK on Thursday, 11 June 2009 jointly by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and Oxford Forest Information Service (OFIS). Delegates of the workshops discussed some of the problems and challenges of information sharing. A number of themes emerged from the discussion, which are summarised on this page.
One of the biggest challenges remains that of identifying who the users are and what it is that they want. There is a clear need to link people and information in ways that are sensitive to cultural and economic differences and which make the best possible use of technology. There was discussion about starting a genuine global conversation. Creating new collaborations between developing and developed country institutions is important, particularly linking North-South and South-South, rather than the current model of mostly linking people and institutions North-North. Once networks across borders are established, collaborating on content creation could offer new opportunities. Currently, the accessible content is overwhelmingly English-language; the richness of content in other languages is well recognised and needs to be tapped. Sharing at least metadata of content in different languages is important.
It will be important to be realistic about recognising the issue of competition between organisations who may want to collaborate. Institutional cultures will need to change to take full advantage of information-sharing opportunities. Many institutions cannot manage their own information well; there could be opportunities of sharing good practice experiences to improve access to information generally.
Classifying content according to its quality was felt to be enormously important, particularly as more information is generated and made available through the internet. Developing tools which help users evaluate the quality of information they retrieve will be important in reducing the potential for bias that exists when large volumes of information are accessed rapidly.
These priorities will need funding and partnerships which will endure. The problem of sustaining efforts to improve access to information is well known and the challenge is to find solutions which outlast the short-term funding of individual projects.
Information needs to be provided in formats that are suitable for a wide range of audiences. There should be a lot more emphasis on producing documents which are accessible to non-expert audiences. The importance of recognising a new generation of users who are accustomed to Web2 services and content was stressed.
A lot of useful content is generated in smaller organisations which complement that generated by large national or international bodies. The old networks of ‘traditional’ forestry are breaking down as new fields become important to discussions about forests. GFIS could have an important role in engaging with smaller organisations whose information may be highly relevant but largely unknown to wider audiences. GFIS has a clear role in linking people together to create networks of individuals with ideas and information to share.
People everywhere are experiencing the same need for information and the same difficulties in accessing or sharing knowledge. GFIS could produce some clear case studies of user benefits will help these people realise there is a shared understanding of the problems and a shared commitment to finding practical solutions.
Eero Mikkola, Gill Petrokofsky & Roger Mills
The following information was distributed before and during the workshop:
Invitation - pdf document
Participants - doc
Program - pdf
Welcome to workshop RM Oxford - pdf
Challenges - pdf
Future Publications - pdf
Intro GFIS - pdf
R4D CABI - pdf
Syndication - pdf