Enhancing Published Data for the World's Specimens of Horsehoe Bats and Relatives
Grant Overview and Re-integration Efforts
With this grant: Rapid Creation of a Data Product for the World's Specimens of Horseshoe Bats and Relatives, a Known Reservoir for Coronaviruses our goal was to add research value where we were able, to existing published specimen records from GBIF and iDigBio for the horseshoe bats and relatives. From the start, our group engaged the data publishers in an effort to realize their ability to reintegrate as much of this data as seems appropriate. Our vetting and enhancement work included:
- georeferencing any records with locality data but no assigned coordinates
- evaluating any currently assigned geocoordinates
- linking specimen records and GenBank records in both directions
- updating the taxonomy for taxon names applied to these specimens
- disambiguating the people collecting and identifying these specimens (see example at Bionomia.net)
- providing visualization of the resulting ranges for IUCN evaluation*
- giving each data provider their data back with our enhancements to consider re-integrating into their local collection's database for re-publishing
The resulting product serves as a model of how data in biodiversity collections might be used to address emerging diseases of zoonotic origin. Results from the project were disseminated widely in open-source journals, at scientific meetings, and via websites associated with the participating organizations and institutions. Support of this project provides a quality resource optimized to inform research relevant to improving our understanding of the biology and spread of SARS-CoV-2. The overall objectives were to deliver versioned data products, in formats used by the wider research and biodiversity collections communities, through an open-access repository; project protocols and code via GitHub and described in a peer-reviewed paper, and; sustained engagement with biodiversity collections throughout the project for reintegration of improved data into their local specimen data management systems improving long-term curation.
This RAPID award produced and delivered a georeferenced, vetted and consolidated data product for horseshoe bats and related species to facilitate understanding of the sources, distribution, and spread of SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses, a timely response to the ongoing global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and an important contribution to the global effort to consolidate and provide quality data that are relevant to understanding emergent and other properties the current pandemic. This RAPID award was made by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
