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March 2023 Meeting Summary

We gathered on March 13th to kick off the year with a look at our workplan and the exciting progress we've already made in the first quarter. It was wonderful to have such a full house of experts to help us steer the platform in the right direction.

Who joined us​

A huge thank you to everyone who attended:

  • Chris Richards (USDA, USA) - Chair
  • Sunil Archak (NBPGR, India)
  • Peter Wenzl (Alliance Bioversity-CIAT, CGIAR)
  • Semíramis Rabelo Ramalho Ramos (Embrapa, Brazil)
  • Stephan Weise (IPK, Germany)
  • Francisco Lopez (ITPGRFA, FAO)
  • Luigi Guarino (Crop Trust)
  • Christelle Rabil and Matija Obreza (Genesys Team, Crop Trust)

Setting the stage for 2023​

Matija walked us through the 2023 workplan, which is closely aligned with our broader strategy. We're focusing on welcoming new data providers (especially through the BOLD project), supporting our existing partners, and making Genesys more visible and useful.

One of the most exciting additions is the introduction of AI! Chris and Peter were curious about what this actually means. In simple terms, we're working on a way to translate natural language, like "find accessions collected in Africa by CIAT before 2000", directly into Genesys filters. It's all about making the data more accessible for everyone.

Early wins in the first quarter​

We've already had a productive start to the year! Some highlights include:

  • Launching an upgraded data quality report for our providers.
  • Piloting the dataset validator tool, which is paving the way for searchable trait data.
  • Supporting the national genebanks of Jordan and the Philippines with their data updates and welcoming the national genebank of Mali to the platform.
  • Getting our communication back in gear with a reactivated Twitter handle and a new master slide deck.

The committee offered some great support here; Francisco, for instance, offered to help us connect with the government of South Korea and other priority countries to encourage their participation.

Deep dives into data and traits​

We had a very helpful technical discussion sparked by Sunil about how we define "traits." We clarified the difference between characterization (useful for managing and identifying PGRFA) and evaluation (focused on things like stress and disease resistance).

Sunil also raised a vital point about the need for permanent links, like DOIs, for datasets in Genesys. This would allow researchers to cite their work accurately and ensure that the data they use in publications remains accessible. We're exploring how to make this a reality.

Bringing back the workshops​

After a pause due to the pandemic, we're thrilled to bring back our data management workshops! The first one is set for late March in Montevideo, Uruguay, with 25 participants.

These workshops are about more than just publishing data; they're about improving how genebanks manage their material internally. Matija introduced GGCE (GRIN-Global Community Edition), which makes it much easier for technicians to capture data on the go using phones and tablets, even scanning barcodes and updating seed weights in real-time!

Thinking ahead​

We wrapped up by discussing a new consultancy aimed at identifying additional data types that could be added to Genesys. While we're expanding the types of data we host, we're also mindful of expanding our network of providers. Sunil also suggested a future technical deep-dive into managing genotype data descriptors, which we've noted as an important next step once our initial scoping is complete.