Annie is an invasive species data coordinator for the Biofoundational Data Team of the Science Analytics and Synthesis Program at the U.S. Geological Survey.
Data from the Big Island region of the Hawaii Invasive Species Committee (ISC) statewide reportin... more Data from the Big Island region of the Hawaii Invasive Species Committee (ISC) statewide reporting system, including raw data and spatial data, developed by United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Hawaii Biodiversity and Mapping Program (HBMP) with input from ISC and the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS). The Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) is a voluntary partnership of private citizens, community organizations, businesses, land owners, and government agencies to address invasive species issues on the island of Hawaii. BIISC's mission includes education, early detection, rapid response, control and eradication of invasive pests threatening agriculture, native ecosystems, industry, human health or the quality of life within Hawaii County.
United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, 2021
Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so track... more Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so tracking introduced species provides a baseline for effective modeling of species trends and interactions, geospatially and temporally.
The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska (AK, with 532 records), Hawaii (HI, with 6,075 records), and the conterminous United States (L48, with 8,657 records). Each list includes introduced (non-native), established (reproducing) taxa that: are, or may become, invasive (harmful) in the locality; are not known to be harmful there; and/or have been used for biological control in the locality.
To be included in the US-RIIS, a taxon must be non-native everywhere in the locality and established (reproducing) anywhere in the locality. Native pest species are not included.
Each record has information on taxonomy, dates of introduction (where available; currently for 38%), invasion status (invasive or introduced), and citations for the authoritative sources from which this information is drawn. The US-RIIS builds on a previous dataset, A Comprehensive List of Non-Native Species Established in Three Major Regions of the U.S.: Version 3.0 (Simpson et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.5066/p9e5k160).
There are 15,264 records in the master list and 12,981 unique scientific names. The list is derived from 5,951 authoritative sources, was reviewed by or based on input from 30 invasive species scientists, and continues to be updated. Publication of version 2.0 of the US-RIIS is anticipated (but not guaranteed) in approximately 12 months.
This dataset's FGDC metadata record, its data management plan, and a text version of the dataset are all available for download at USGS' ScienceBase, here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P95XL09Q
Many thanks to these additional Reviewers/Contributors: Alexander Salazar, Miami University, Ohio; Alma Solis, Smithsonian Institution; Andrew P. Landsman, National Park Service; Bethany Bradley, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Bruce Cutler, University of Kansas; Cayla Morningstar, USGS-NAS; Chris Taliga, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Connor Davidson Crouch, Northern Arizona University; Danielle Froelich, SWCA Environmental Consultants; Darrell Ubick, Cal Academy; Faith Campbell, Center for Invasive Species Prevention; Gerry Moore, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Matt Bowser, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Matt Neilson, USGS-NAS; Michael Gates, USDA-ARS; Nancy Khan, Smithsonian Institution; Rachel Neville, Invasive Species Consultant; Roy Van Driesche, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Shyama Pagad, IUCN Invasive Species Specialists Group; Terry L. Whitworth, Washington State University; Thomas Henry, USDA-ARS; Vickie Brewster, USDA-APHIS; Warren Wagner, Smithsonian Institution. Our sincere apologies to the many contributors whom we may not have mentioned. We appreciate your assistance improving the quality of this dataset.
Biodiversity Information Serving our Nation - BISON (bison.usgs.gov) is the U.S. node to the Glob... more Biodiversity Information Serving our Nation - BISON (bison.usgs.gov) is the U.S. node to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (gbif.org), containing more than 375 million documented locations for all species in the U.S. It is hosted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and includes a web site and application programming interface for apps and other websites to use for free. With this massive database one can see not only the 15 million records for nearly 10 thousand non-native species in the U.S. and its territories, but also their relationship to all of the other species in the country as well as their full national range. Leveraging this huge resource and its enterprise level cyberinfrastructure, USGS BISON staff have created a value-added feature by labeling non-native species records, even where contributing datasets have not provided such labels. Based on our ongoing four-year compilation of non-native species scientific names from the literature, specific exam...
With a view toward creating a national Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) program,... more With a view toward creating a national Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) program, the United States National Invasive Species Council Management Plan for 2016–2018 calls for a series of assessments of federal EDRR capacities, including the evaluation of “relevant federal information systems to provide the data and other information necessary for risk analyses/horizon scanning, rapid specimen identification, and rapid response planning.” This paper is a response to that directive. We provide an overview of information management needs for enacting EDRR and discuss challenges to meeting these needs. We then review the history of relevant US policy directives for advancing invasive species information systems and provide an overview of federal invasive species information system capacities, including current gaps and inconsistencies. We conclude with a summary of key principles and needs for establishing a national invasive species information framework. Our findings ar...
ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information... more ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information on their potential impacts, ecological requirements, and effective management strategies. Information is often difficult for local managers to obtain since most invasive species are from other countries. This issue may be addressed by a system that can exchange data between resource managers and researchers globally in a standardized way. The Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) has been created to fill this need. Existing similar systems include the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Non-indigenous Species Database Network, and Discover Life. These systems use different approaches including caching, cross-database searches, web services, and web scraping. The key question this study answered is what the best approach for creating this system. A series of user surveys and interviews determined the required features for the system. Different possible approaches were tested for reliability and performance. The best approach was then selected based on how well each approach matched user needs. Results/Conclusions Surveys of providers showed a wide variance in available information technology (IT) resources. The top user needs included being able to search across multiple databases and map occurrence data from different providers. Performance showed that approaches without a “cache” had linearly increasing search times. With over 200 potential databases this resulted in a cross-database search of over two minutes. A search time of over two minutes is unacceptable for searching and mapping. Based on this and other results GISIN will include a cache of data from providers. To meet the range of IT resources the system allows providers to contribute data to the cache by: (1) installing a web service on an existing databases, (2) harvesting from a text file on a servers, and (3) uploading a file directly into the cache. The cache will include a high-performance database for executing user queries and creating maps. Individuals and organizations can access data in the system through an easy to use web site or a set of high-performance web services. This will allow a broad range of organizations to develop additional features and perform research such as modeling and risk assessment for the invasive species management community.
Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information on their... more Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information on their potential impacts, ecological requirements, and effective management strategies. Information is often difficult for local managers to obtain since most invasive species are from other countries. This issue may be addressed by a system that can exchange data between resource managers and researchers globally in a standardized way. The Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) has been created to fill this need. Existing similar systems include the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Non-indigenous Species Database Network, and Discover Life. These systems use different approaches including caching, cross-database searches, web services, and web scraping. The key question this study answered is what the best approach for creating this system. A series of user surveys and interviews determined the required features for the system. Different possible approaches were test...
Data from the Big Island region of the Hawaii Invasive Species Committee (ISC) statewide reportin... more Data from the Big Island region of the Hawaii Invasive Species Committee (ISC) statewide reporting system, including raw data and spatial data, developed by United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Hawaii Biodiversity and Mapping Program (HBMP) with input from ISC and the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS). The Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) is a voluntary partnership of private citizens, community organizations, businesses, land owners, and government agencies to address invasive species issues on the island of Hawaii. BIISC's mission includes education, early detection, rapid response, control and eradication of invasive pests threatening agriculture, native ecosystems, industry, human health or the quality of life within Hawaii County.
United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species, 2021
Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so track... more Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so tracking introduced species provides a baseline for effective modeling of species trends and interactions, geospatially and temporally.
The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska (AK, with 532 records), Hawaii (HI, with 6,075 records), and the conterminous United States (L48, with 8,657 records). Each list includes introduced (non-native), established (reproducing) taxa that: are, or may become, invasive (harmful) in the locality; are not known to be harmful there; and/or have been used for biological control in the locality.
To be included in the US-RIIS, a taxon must be non-native everywhere in the locality and established (reproducing) anywhere in the locality. Native pest species are not included.
Each record has information on taxonomy, dates of introduction (where available; currently for 38%), invasion status (invasive or introduced), and citations for the authoritative sources from which this information is drawn. The US-RIIS builds on a previous dataset, A Comprehensive List of Non-Native Species Established in Three Major Regions of the U.S.: Version 3.0 (Simpson et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.5066/p9e5k160).
There are 15,264 records in the master list and 12,981 unique scientific names. The list is derived from 5,951 authoritative sources, was reviewed by or based on input from 30 invasive species scientists, and continues to be updated. Publication of version 2.0 of the US-RIIS is anticipated (but not guaranteed) in approximately 12 months.
This dataset's FGDC metadata record, its data management plan, and a text version of the dataset are all available for download at USGS' ScienceBase, here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P95XL09Q
Many thanks to these additional Reviewers/Contributors: Alexander Salazar, Miami University, Ohio; Alma Solis, Smithsonian Institution; Andrew P. Landsman, National Park Service; Bethany Bradley, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Bruce Cutler, University of Kansas; Cayla Morningstar, USGS-NAS; Chris Taliga, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Connor Davidson Crouch, Northern Arizona University; Danielle Froelich, SWCA Environmental Consultants; Darrell Ubick, Cal Academy; Faith Campbell, Center for Invasive Species Prevention; Gerry Moore, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Matt Bowser, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Matt Neilson, USGS-NAS; Michael Gates, USDA-ARS; Nancy Khan, Smithsonian Institution; Rachel Neville, Invasive Species Consultant; Roy Van Driesche, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Shyama Pagad, IUCN Invasive Species Specialists Group; Terry L. Whitworth, Washington State University; Thomas Henry, USDA-ARS; Vickie Brewster, USDA-APHIS; Warren Wagner, Smithsonian Institution. Our sincere apologies to the many contributors whom we may not have mentioned. We appreciate your assistance improving the quality of this dataset.
Biodiversity Information Serving our Nation - BISON (bison.usgs.gov) is the U.S. node to the Glob... more Biodiversity Information Serving our Nation - BISON (bison.usgs.gov) is the U.S. node to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (gbif.org), containing more than 375 million documented locations for all species in the U.S. It is hosted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and includes a web site and application programming interface for apps and other websites to use for free. With this massive database one can see not only the 15 million records for nearly 10 thousand non-native species in the U.S. and its territories, but also their relationship to all of the other species in the country as well as their full national range. Leveraging this huge resource and its enterprise level cyberinfrastructure, USGS BISON staff have created a value-added feature by labeling non-native species records, even where contributing datasets have not provided such labels. Based on our ongoing four-year compilation of non-native species scientific names from the literature, specific exam...
With a view toward creating a national Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) program,... more With a view toward creating a national Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) program, the United States National Invasive Species Council Management Plan for 2016–2018 calls for a series of assessments of federal EDRR capacities, including the evaluation of “relevant federal information systems to provide the data and other information necessary for risk analyses/horizon scanning, rapid specimen identification, and rapid response planning.” This paper is a response to that directive. We provide an overview of information management needs for enacting EDRR and discuss challenges to meeting these needs. We then review the history of relevant US policy directives for advancing invasive species information systems and provide an overview of federal invasive species information system capacities, including current gaps and inconsistencies. We conclude with a summary of key principles and needs for establishing a national invasive species information framework. Our findings ar...
ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information... more ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information on their potential impacts, ecological requirements, and effective management strategies. Information is often difficult for local managers to obtain since most invasive species are from other countries. This issue may be addressed by a system that can exchange data between resource managers and researchers globally in a standardized way. The Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) has been created to fill this need. Existing similar systems include the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Non-indigenous Species Database Network, and Discover Life. These systems use different approaches including caching, cross-database searches, web services, and web scraping. The key question this study answered is what the best approach for creating this system. A series of user surveys and interviews determined the required features for the system. Different possible approaches were tested for reliability and performance. The best approach was then selected based on how well each approach matched user needs. Results/Conclusions Surveys of providers showed a wide variance in available information technology (IT) resources. The top user needs included being able to search across multiple databases and map occurrence data from different providers. Performance showed that approaches without a “cache” had linearly increasing search times. With over 200 potential databases this resulted in a cross-database search of over two minutes. A search time of over two minutes is unacceptable for searching and mapping. Based on this and other results GISIN will include a cache of data from providers. To meet the range of IT resources the system allows providers to contribute data to the cache by: (1) installing a web service on an existing databases, (2) harvesting from a text file on a servers, and (3) uploading a file directly into the cache. The cache will include a high-performance database for executing user queries and creating maps. Individuals and organizations can access data in the system through an easy to use web site or a set of high-performance web services. This will allow a broad range of organizations to develop additional features and perform research such as modeling and risk assessment for the invasive species management community.
Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information on their... more Background/Question/Methods Deciding how to manage invasive species requires information on their potential impacts, ecological requirements, and effective management strategies. Information is often difficult for local managers to obtain since most invasive species are from other countries. This issue may be addressed by a system that can exchange data between resource managers and researchers globally in a standardized way. The Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) has been created to fill this need. Existing similar systems include the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Non-indigenous Species Database Network, and Discover Life. These systems use different approaches including caching, cross-database searches, web services, and web scraping. The key question this study answered is what the best approach for creating this system. A series of user surveys and interviews determined the required features for the system. Different possible approaches were test...
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Papers by Annie Simpson
The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska (AK, with 532 records), Hawaii (HI, with 6,075 records), and the conterminous United States (L48, with 8,657 records). Each list includes introduced (non-native), established (reproducing) taxa that: are, or may become, invasive (harmful) in the locality; are not known to be harmful there; and/or have been used for biological control in the locality.
To be included in the US-RIIS, a taxon must be non-native everywhere in the locality and established (reproducing) anywhere in the locality. Native pest species are not included.
Each record has information on taxonomy, dates of introduction (where available; currently for 38%), invasion status (invasive or introduced), and citations for the authoritative sources from which this information is drawn. The US-RIIS builds on a previous dataset, A Comprehensive List of Non-Native Species Established in Three Major Regions of the U.S.: Version 3.0 (Simpson et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.5066/p9e5k160).
There are 15,264 records in the master list and 12,981 unique scientific names. The list is derived from 5,951 authoritative sources, was reviewed by or based on input from 30 invasive species scientists, and continues to be updated. Publication of version 2.0 of the US-RIIS is anticipated (but not guaranteed) in approximately 12 months.
This dataset's FGDC metadata record, its data management plan, and a text version of the dataset are all available for download at USGS' ScienceBase, here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P95XL09Q
Many thanks to these additional Reviewers/Contributors: Alexander Salazar, Miami University, Ohio; Alma Solis, Smithsonian Institution; Andrew P. Landsman, National Park Service; Bethany Bradley, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Bruce Cutler, University of Kansas; Cayla Morningstar, USGS-NAS; Chris Taliga, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Connor Davidson Crouch, Northern Arizona University; Danielle Froelich, SWCA Environmental Consultants; Darrell Ubick, Cal Academy; Faith Campbell, Center for Invasive Species Prevention; Gerry Moore, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Matt Bowser, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Matt Neilson, USGS-NAS; Michael Gates, USDA-ARS; Nancy Khan, Smithsonian Institution; Rachel Neville, Invasive Species Consultant; Roy Van Driesche, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Shyama Pagad, IUCN Invasive Species Specialists Group; Terry L. Whitworth, Washington State University; Thomas Henry, USDA-ARS; Vickie Brewster, USDA-APHIS; Warren Wagner, Smithsonian Institution. Our sincere apologies to the many contributors whom we may not have mentioned. We appreciate your assistance improving the quality of this dataset.
The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska (AK, with 532 records), Hawaii (HI, with 6,075 records), and the conterminous United States (L48, with 8,657 records). Each list includes introduced (non-native), established (reproducing) taxa that: are, or may become, invasive (harmful) in the locality; are not known to be harmful there; and/or have been used for biological control in the locality.
To be included in the US-RIIS, a taxon must be non-native everywhere in the locality and established (reproducing) anywhere in the locality. Native pest species are not included.
Each record has information on taxonomy, dates of introduction (where available; currently for 38%), invasion status (invasive or introduced), and citations for the authoritative sources from which this information is drawn. The US-RIIS builds on a previous dataset, A Comprehensive List of Non-Native Species Established in Three Major Regions of the U.S.: Version 3.0 (Simpson et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.5066/p9e5k160).
There are 15,264 records in the master list and 12,981 unique scientific names. The list is derived from 5,951 authoritative sources, was reviewed by or based on input from 30 invasive species scientists, and continues to be updated. Publication of version 2.0 of the US-RIIS is anticipated (but not guaranteed) in approximately 12 months.
This dataset's FGDC metadata record, its data management plan, and a text version of the dataset are all available for download at USGS' ScienceBase, here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P95XL09Q
Many thanks to these additional Reviewers/Contributors: Alexander Salazar, Miami University, Ohio; Alma Solis, Smithsonian Institution; Andrew P. Landsman, National Park Service; Bethany Bradley, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Bruce Cutler, University of Kansas; Cayla Morningstar, USGS-NAS; Chris Taliga, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Connor Davidson Crouch, Northern Arizona University; Danielle Froelich, SWCA Environmental Consultants; Darrell Ubick, Cal Academy; Faith Campbell, Center for Invasive Species Prevention; Gerry Moore, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Matt Bowser, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Matt Neilson, USGS-NAS; Michael Gates, USDA-ARS; Nancy Khan, Smithsonian Institution; Rachel Neville, Invasive Species Consultant; Roy Van Driesche, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Shyama Pagad, IUCN Invasive Species Specialists Group; Terry L. Whitworth, Washington State University; Thomas Henry, USDA-ARS; Vickie Brewster, USDA-APHIS; Warren Wagner, Smithsonian Institution. Our sincere apologies to the many contributors whom we may not have mentioned. We appreciate your assistance improving the quality of this dataset.