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National Node of the BCH
Capacity Building Activities, Projects and Opportunities
Record information and status
Record ID
7079
Status
Published
Date of creation
2004-11-15 21:01 UTC (droy@usgs.gov)
Date of last update
2007-03-28 11:25 UTC (andrew.bowers@cbd.int)
Date of publication
2007-03-28 11:25 UTC (andrew.bowers@cbd.int)

General information
Title of the initiative
Biosafety Templates for Databases and Websites
Contact person
Donna Roy
IT Project Manager
Center for Biological Informatics
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr, MS 302
Reston, VA
USA, 20192
Phone:+1 703-648-4209
Fax:+1 703-648-4224
Email:droy@usgs.gov
Url:U.S. Capacity Building Projects: Biosafety Templates for Databases and Websites
Beneficiary country(ies)
  • CBD Regional Groups - Africa
  • CBD Regional Groups - Asia and the Pacific
  • CBD Regional Groups - Central and Eastern Europe
  • CBD Regional Groups - Latin America and the Caribbean
  • CBD Regional Groups - Western Europe and Others
Type of initiative
Main target group(s) / beneficiaries
  • Target group: Countries with no website or database with an intent to start collecting data, presenting data within a National Website, and reporting data to the BCH. The templates are Microsoft-Based, well-documented, and easy to use. With minimal customization, in a matter of days, users can start gathering data and presenting it to the public.
Donor(s) information
Government(s) sponsoring the initiative
  • United States of America
Agency(ies) or Organization(s) implementing or sponsoring the initiative
United Nations Environment Programme - Global Environment Facility (UNEP/GEF) / Biosafety Unit
United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri
PO Box 30552 - 00100
Nairobi
Kenya
Phone:+254 20 762 1234
Fax:+254 20 762 4489,+254 20 762 4490
Email:unepgef@unep.org
Url:United Nations Environment Programme - Global Environment Facility (Biosafety Unit)
Center for Biological Informatics (CBI) of the U.S. Geological Survey – National Biological Information Infrastructure
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr.
MS 302
Reston, VA
United States of America, 20192
Phone:+1 703 648 6244
Fax:+1 703 648 4224
Url:http://www.nbii.gov/index.html
Agency(ies) or Organization(s) implementing or sponsoring the initiative (Additional Information)
  • Organization: National Biological Information Infrastructure, US Geological Survey
  • Type of Organization: National government
Budget information
U.S. State Department - $$150,000.00
Availability of funds for participants
Yes
Activity details
Description of the initiative
The United States has invested considerable time and resources into the creation of its website and database which is interoperable with the International Biosafety Clearing-House, and wishes to share its experience with others. By doing so, it hopes to facilitate transparent, science-based evaluations of Living Modified Organisms.

The United States will be making the template (architecture) for its website and database freely available to interested parties to enable them to store and manage their information locally, and then report it to the central portal of the Biosafety Clearing-House as prescribed by the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. A beta version is now available as of March 30, 2004. Click at the link below for more information on becoming a beta user. When complete, countries will be able to download the blank template from this site and enter their data directly into it. This will greatly facilitate the development of national databases.

The United States will provide support to developing countries wishing to use this template by sponsoring training workshops in conjunction with UNEP-GEF, as well as providing phone and email technical support.  Information on phone and email support will be available on this site once the template becomes available.

The design template, which will store national data and create the reportable XML files, will meet the standards set within the pilot phase of the Biosafety Clearing-House.

National level activities
Information exchange & data management
Objective and main expected outcomes or lesson learned
Objectives
The use of the templates will provide a starting point for the development of the technical portion of the National Biosafety Framework. The templates are easy to modify, easy to use, and provide a great quick start package for implementation of a National BCH and website presence.

Training and technical support are provided in conjunction with the UNEP BCH Project.
General thematic area(s)
  • Institutional capacity
  • Human resources capacity development and training
  • Information exchange and data management including participation in the Biosafety Clearing-House
Additional Information
Additional Information
Other collaborating organizations
UNEP/GEF Biosafety Unit