Objectives

Terms of Reference

The original Terms of Reference can be seen HERE

TheTerms of Reference were revised by IODE-XX (May 2009) and are as follows:

The IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange,

Recognizing that the work of the Group of Experts on Biological and Chemical Data Management and Exchange Practices has evolved from the initial focus on biodiversity to a coverage of a broader range of chemical and biological data which were not well covered before,

Taking into account the decision of the IOC Executive Council on the possibility of continuation of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System  (OBIS) under the umbrella of IOC,

Noting that the 19th session of IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE-XIX) had extended the Terms of Reference to include communication of the results of the work of GE-BICH to the wider community of data managers and data users through a web portal and through the Ocean Teacher for education of data managers and data users,

Decides that the GE-BICH adopts the following Mission Statement: “To promote greater integration of biological, chemical and physical data within IODE’s network of national data centres in support of biogeochemical research, and ecosystem studies and management.”

Further decides that the revised Terms of Reference be as follows:

1. To provide an international forum, raising awareness about new initiatives, best practices, and emerging standards for biological and chemical data management and exchange practices;
2. To collate and compile guidelines, supporting the integrated management and quality control of biological and chemical data in IODE’s network of national oceanographic data centres;
3. To contribute to the development of standards, controlled vocabularies, and recommended practices for the management, interoperability and exchange of biological and chemical data, supporting the scientific and operational requirements of the community;
4. To encourage data centres to compile inventories of past and present biological and chemical data holdings, and make data available to global databases and specialised data portals;
5. To encourage data holders to contribute data to data centres for the creation of regional and global integrated oceanographic databases incorporating physical, chemical and biological data;
6. To communicate the results from the GE to the wider community of data managers, providers and users.

Encourages IOC Member States to nominate experts having expertise in biological and chemical data management and exchange practices to the Group of Experts

Stresses the importance of:

• Continuing the close collaboration developed with OBIS within the new arrangements that will be decided on,
• Maintaining close relations with relevant IOC programmes such as HAB, IOCCP and GOOS, as well as other organizations and programmes including FAO, ICES, PICES, CIESM, ICSU, SeaDataNet.

Membership

The membership is selected to ensure an appropriate range of expertise related to the group’s short- and long-term objectives, and to maintain an appropriate geographical representation. The membership includes a maximum of four long-term and four short-term experts, including the chairpersons, selected from IODE’s Member States; representatives of other expert bodies are also regularly invited to attend GE-BICH sessions.

The membership was reviewed in March 2011 based upon Recommendation IODE-XIX.2 which redefined the terms of reference of IODE Groups of Experts limiting the long-term membership to 4 inter-sessional periods. IOC Circular Letter 2369 was issued on 27 January 2011 invited IOC Member States to propose long-term members. 5 nominations were received. The Letter was re-issued in April 2011 as IOC Circular Letter 2369rev (deadline for responses was 31/5/2011).

Click here to view the membership of the GEBICH·

Sessions

• ad hoc Session, Oostende, Belgium, 25 October 2012 [report]
• 5th Session, Oostende, Belgium, 17-20 January 2011 [report]
  4th Session, Oostende, Belgium, 27-30 January 2009 [report ]
• 3rd Session, Oostende, Belgium, 27-28 November 2006 [report]
• 2nd Session, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 22-24 March 2004 [report ]
• 1st Session, Silver Spring, MD, USA, 25-27 June 2002 [report ]

Workplan implementation

NEW: VISIT THE GE-BICH wiki on http://sites.google.com/site/gebichwiki/

The Terms of Reference of the Group first adopted by IODE-XVI and later extended during the first three sessions of the GE. They included:

• documenting the systems and taxonomic databases and inventories currently in use in various data centres;
• documenting the advantages and disadvantages of different methods and practices of compiling, managing and archiving biological and chemical data;
• developing standards and recommended practices for the management and exchange of biological and chemical data, including practices for operational biological data;
• encouraging data centres to compile inventories of past and present biological and chemical data holdings;
• encouraging data holders to contribute data to data centres for the creation of regional and global integrated oceanographic databases incorporating physical, chemical and biological data.
• creating and keeping updated GEBICH web “portal” making all results from the GE’s work available to a wider community of data managers and data users;
• contributing results of GEBICH activity to OceanTeacher making results from the GE and from other programmes available to education of data managers and data users.