Project 7 - Communication and Knowledge Exchange7.2: Knowledge Exchange
UPDATE – Biodiversity Information: we want to know what you think
The analysis of responses to the questionnaire Biodiversity Information: we want to know what you think is revealing some interesting results. We are planning focus group discussions to explore in more detail responses to the questionnaire and we look forward to your input to expand our understanding of the improvements that can be made to taxonomy products.
We are seeking interested people who are available to take part in focus group discussions sometime during March or May 2009.
The focus groups will be small, up to eight people. They should take approximately 2-3 hours and we intend to hold them during the morning, or after work depending on the preference of the group.
We have tentatively formed groups according to the postcodes participants provided in response to the questionnaire. Locations for the focus groups include all capital cities and various regional centres in each state. A draft schedule is included in the form at the link below. Final dates and locations will depend on numbers and preferences shown.
If you would like to be involved in the upcoming focus group discussions, please complete the online form.
If you haven't already nominated for participation in the Knowledge Exchange project and wish to do so, please contact the project investigators.
[February 2009]
Questionnaire now closed
The questionnaire Biodiversity Information: we want to know what you think has closed. Thankyou to everyone who participated; we received around 850 completed questionnaires and are now analysing the results to inform the next phase of the project.
We are organising focus groups to explore responses to the questionnaire in more depth. These focus groups will be held from November 2008 to February 2009.
If you haven't already nominated for participation in the Knowledge Exchange project and wish to do so, please contact the project investigators.
[November 2008]
Biodiversity Information: we want to know what you think
- Do you identify plants or animals? Do you need to know which species of fish you caught, what bird is that, the name of the plant you found, what insect pest is on your crop?
- Do you want to know the common name or scientific name? Do you need to know which names have been changed?
- Do you need to know what plants or animals are rare and threatened? Or which ones are invasive?
- Do you need to know about the geographic distribution of plants or animals. Or which plants or animals exist in your local area?
- Do you need to know about the habitat requirements of a plant or animal?
- Do you need to find out which animals or plants are related to one another?
All these activities use biodiversity information, delivered as taxonomy products. Taxonomy provides the basis for identifying and monitoring biodiversity.
We want to know what you think about the taxonomy products you use. What products do you find useful for your work? What do you like most about the products you use; what improvements can you suggest?
This information will be made available to researchers so they can produce improved taxonomy products for you to use in the future.
You are invited to complete a questionnaire on your experiences using taxonomy products. It contains 19 questions and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
If you are keen to contribute more of your ideas you can nominate to join a more in depth discussion on your needs and preferences.
You can also nominate to participate in workshops with scientists to develop taxonomy products or workshops to evaluate taxonomy products from current research.
You don’t need any formal qualifications to make a contribution, just experience with using biodiversity information and enthusiasm. [read more...]
[October 2008]
