Table 1 Definitions of data infrastructure dimensions
From: A global biodiversity use data infrastructure acknowledging indigenous and local knowledge
Dimension | Meaning | Proposed aspects to be implemented in a global data infrastructure of IPLCAD biodiversity-associated knowledge. |
|---|---|---|
Governance | Data management systems and practices that enforce data process, ownership, control, and access requirements17. | Robust participatory and collaborative governance framework, primarily–but not exclusively–at the local, regional, and national scale. This dimension supports CARE principles for inclusive development and innovation, improved governance, and recognition of Indigenous rights and interests. |
Metadata | The information that describes the content, context, quality, structure and other characteristics of data, making it easier to find, identify, select, and obtain information49. | Minimally, holders’ or guardians’ identity, with controlled vocabulary at the national/regional level and language35, biological species name, vernacular names, and the Free Prior Informed Consent process. Indigenous Metadata Bundles refer to information about governance, provenance, physical space, protocols, data rights and authority to be recorded alongside data on biodiversity use and knowledge25. This dimension adheres to CARE principles about recognition of rights and interests, responsibility for positive relationships, and respect for IPLCAD languages and worldviews. |
Accessibility | Refers to the ability of users to access, share, and use the database effectively. For example, academic researchers typically have greater access to databases than individuals from IPLCAD without an academic background. Thus, accessibility is also influenced by socio-cultural factors, intellectual property agreements, institutional reputation, and the perceived value of the database50. | Interface translated to local languages, if desired. Some parts of the database can have restricted access (see Permissions, below). This dimension adheres to CARE principles for recognition of rights and interests, respect for IPLCAD languages and worldviews, ethics for justice and future use, and collective benefits for equitable outcomes. |
Permissions | Refers to the access rights granted to specific contents of a database, which can require written requests following conditions for unrestricted or restricted use. | Profile log-in with varying accessibility, TK (traditional knowledge) labels. This dimension adheres to CARE principles for recognition of rights and interests, and all principles related to governance and authority to control. |
Accountability | Accountability involves being responsible for one’s actions and being able to explain or justify them to others, or the process of being held accountable for one’s actions51. | Governance framework ensuring transparency, traceability, and inclusivity across all scales (from local/regional to global). This dimension relates, specifically, to CARE principles on authority to control and governance. |
Interoperability | The ability of data or tools from non-cooperating resources to integrate or work together with minimal effort30. | Refers to the use of shared metadata standards and data pipelines (sequences for moving data from different sources through interconnected stages, to a given output); and since it must be critically aligned with other databases and data structures, this dimension relates to the majority of CARE principles focused on Authority to Control and Ethics. |
