Launch of crowd-sourced information system brings together small-scale fisheries researchers from around the world
Day two of the 2nd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress marked the official launch of the Information System on Small-Scale Fisheries (ISSF). This online, user-contributed information system offers a platform for people interested in small-scale fisheries around the world to collaborate and share data. The system was showcased throughout the five-day conference, with participants from a diverse range of countries and backgrounds stopping in to contribute and discuss the future role for this tool in small-scale fisheries research.
The system, which displays information in both an interactive map interface, as well as a table format, allows researchers, fishers, fisher organizations, practitioners, managers, policy makers, students and any other parties, interested in the topic of small-scale fisheries, to locate and share relevant information. Advanced searches enable users to filter information by country, theme, issue, fishery type, gear type, and ecosystem type, in addition to numerous other characteristics. Although still in its infancy, the system has already brought together 1079 publications, 335 researcher profiles and 348 organization profiles, with additional contributions submitted daily by users. This growing online community represents a significant accomplishment in the, often fragmented, realm of small-scale fisheries.
In addition to providing an opportunity to demonstrate the ISSF’s current capabilities, the conference also facilitated an arena for discussion of further expansion and fine-tuning of the system. Next steps include the development of multilingual user templates and additional information categories such as fishery profiles, case studies, experiences, critical questions, projects, and training opportunities.
Access the ISSF directly at: http://issf.toobigtoignore.net/
Special thanks to Rodolphe Devillers, TBTI Working Group 1 leader, Randal Greene, TBTI Senior Information System Analyst, Arnaud Vandecasteele and others who provided input and worked on the development of ISSF.
Written by: Eric Rogers, TBTI Research Assistant
Too Big Too Ignore (TBTI) is a research network knowledge mobilization partnership funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). For more information, please visit http://toobigtoignore.net/.