The IUCN Species Information Service (SIS)

Importance of storing, maintaining & updating Red List data Primary value of the Red List is the underlying data Red List assessment = more than just the category & criteria Data (documentation & map) tells us the whole story: why the species is assessed as it is and what to do about it Data used for conservation planning, priority-setting and decision-making SIS is IUCN’s online data management system. Why is maintaining and managing Red List data so important? Recall that the primary value of the Red List is in the underlying data. A Red List assessment is far more than just the category and criteria; the data underlying the assessment, including the documentation and the map, give the whole story behind that taxon’s Red List status. This catalogue of information tells us why the species is assessed as it is and what to do about it. These data are widely used by many different sectors for conservation planning, priority-setting and decision-making, and are really what make the Red List such an important conservation tool.

What is the Species Information Service (SIS)? Species Information System (SIS) What is the Species Information Service (SIS)? Online system for centralized data storage Direct link to Red List website Standardizes assessments Transparency Facilitates consistency checking and review Allows for convenient and informed reassessments Source code is open-source and free: can be used to produce national and regional Red List assessments SIS SIS is an online system for centralized data storage; every assessor enters data in the same format into the same system. SIS links directly to the Red List website and thus facilitates publication of the Red List – the information in SIS appears on the website exactly as it is entered in SIS. Having a centralized tool to store and maintain data allows us to standardize all Red List assessments, which, given the tens of thousands of species assessed on the Red List, is very important. It also allows for transparency in the assessment process, as all historical assessments are saved for reference and all data used to produce the assessment should be summarized in SIS. Having an online system accessible by anyone, anywhere, facilitates consistency checking and assessment review, and allows for convenient and informed reassessments as all of the data for the existing assessment can be accessed and referred to. Finally, SIS is an open-source and free software; the source code can be used by anyone to re-create a “personal SIS” (though this isn’t as straightforward as it sounds, and requires substantial technical support).

Online SIS Gobies Ferns Sticklebacks Dragonflies Mayflies Bivalves Fern specialist Freshwater fish specialist Mollusc specialist Odonata specialist Ferns Gobies Sticklebacks Gobies & Sticklebacks Working Set Internet connection Online SIS Sharks Groupers Seahorses Gobies Sticklebacks Internet connection Fungi Reptiles Conifers Orchids Acacias Cycads Ferns Frogs Newts Salamanders Toads Bees Spiders Dragonflies Mayflies Bivalves Ferns Working Set Dragonflies & Mayflies Working Set All of the information for every species on the Red List is stored in this centralized database. [Click] Taxonomic specialists are based all around the world and they can all access the assessments they have permission to edit through SIS at the same time (as long as they aren’t working on the same taxa). [Click] So our fern specialist can access the fern assessments, [click] while a goby and stickleback expert edits goby and stickleback assessments, [click] an Odonata expert accesses dragonfly and mayfly assessments, [click] and a mollusc specialist edits bivalve assessments. Each of these assessors can only edit the assessments they have permission to access, and they can all access the system at the same time. Bivalves Working Set Birds Mammals Internet connection Internet connection Dragonflies Mayflies Bivalves

Online SIS Offline SIS Training site: https://train.iucnsis.org Practicing in SIS or testing functions before trying them on the live SIS. Use this for Red List training. Live site: https://sis.iucnsis.org Entering assessment information for the IUCN Red List web site. Use this for entering real data for the project and the IUCN Red List. Offline SIS Very careful management required to keep track of the current version of the dataset and to ensure correct version is uploaded back into the live SIS. Only one person should work on an offline dataset at any one time. MAKE REGULAR BACKUPS Please contact the Red List Unit if you absolutely need to use offline SIS. There are several different versions of SIS. For online versions of SIS, [click] there is a training site that is available for assessors to learn how to use the tool before accessing the live site, and also allows people to practice or test functions to make sure they do what you want them to do before trying them on the live site. The training site is in no way connected to the live site or to the Red List website, so you can try anything and change anything on the training site without worrying that it will affect the “real” data. [Click] There is also a live site, which is where the Red List data is actually stored. The information published on the Red List website comes directly from the live SIS site, and this is where you will enter your data for the Red List. [Click] There is also an offline version of SIS that can be used when there is no internet connection available. This acts just like a Word or Excel or any other document, in that each person has an individual copy that cannot be automatically merged. [Click] This requires very careful management in order to keep track of the current version of the dataset, and to ensure that the correct version is uploaded back into the live online SIS. [Click] Only one person should work on an offline dataset at any time – multiple people should not be working on the same species offline at the same time. [Click] As with any other document, it’s important to make regular backups when using offline SIS. [Click] If you really cannot use SIS online, contact the Red List Unit to discuss using SIS offline.

System Requirements Mozilla Firefox Best internet browsers for SIS are: Mozilla Firefox Google Chrome Apple Safari Offline SIS requires JAVA be installed (free to download) Does not work very well through Internet Explorer (IE not standards compliant) Mozilla Firefox The best internet browsers for using SIS are Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari. Firefox is recommended, as SIS has best functionality with Firefox. Offline SIS requires JAVA to be installed, and this is free to download. It’s best not to use Internet Explorer when working in SIS; Internet Explorer isn’t standards compliant, so SIS will not work properly in this browser.

Different versions of SIS are very similar: Offline The different versions of SIS – SIS offline, the online live site and the online training site – are virtually identical, so it is very easy to forget which version you’re using. This can have serious consequences: you wouldn’t want to test new functionality in the live site *thinking* that you’re in the training site, as you might accidentally delete or make errors in your data, and you wouldn’t want to enter all your data in the training site *thinking* that you’re in the live site, as it won’t be published. [Click] It’s therefore useful to give each version a different background colour, so you know which version you’re working in at all times. Online live It is useful to give each version a different background colour Online training

User accounts and permissions Each SIS user will get a specific Username and Password Permissions are tailored for each person: Only SIS managers and RLU staff have full access Users can edit and add new assessments only to those taxa that they have permission to edit Taxonomic information is strictly controlled Very few people have permission to change taxonomy There are several things to keep in mind regarding user accounts and permissions to perform certain actions within SIS. [Click] Each user will get a personal username and password – please do not share your login information with others. If someone else will do data entry for you or needs access to SIS for any reason, contact the Red List Unit and we can set them up with an account. The permissions within SIS are tailored for each person. [Click] Only the SIS Manager and Red List Unit staff have full access to all assessments within SIS. [Click] Other users will be able to edit and add new assessments only to those taxa that they have permission to edit. This allows assessors full access to all the species they are responsible for assessing, but prevents others from editing assessments without permission to do so. [Click] Taxonomic information is strictly controlled, and very few people have permission to edit taxonomy in SIS. If you believe the taxonomy in SIS is incorrect or that we should be following different taxonomic standards for certain groups, contact your Project Managers or the Red List Unit to discuss this.