Skip to main content

Early Advisory Committee Meetings

Before we settled into our current rhythm of meetings, the Genesys Oversight and Advisory Committees worked together to lay the groundwork for our governance and strategic vision. Here's a look back at those early, pivotal sessions that helped shape where we are today.

November 2015: Transitioning to an Advisory Model​

On November 24, 2015, the Oversight Committee met in Amsterdam to see how Genesys was progressing and to plan for the future. This was a big moment for us, as we began moving from an "Oversight Committee" to an "Advisory Committee." This change reflected our goal to move toward more strategic, expert-driven guidance.

Moving from Oversight to Advice​

A big part of the session was updating the committee's Terms of Reference (ToR). We wanted to evolve the group into an Advisory Committee (AC) that could provide high-level recommendations to the Crop Trust. This new structure was designed to bring together ex-officio members (from the Crop Trust and the ITPGRFA Secretariat) and a small group of experts serving in their own personal capacity.

Making Genesys Better for Everyone​

The Committee discussed several ways to make Genesys more useful for both data providers and end users:

  • Better Request Integration: We noticed that the process for requesting material could be a bit clunky. The Committee pushed for better integration between Genesys and the ordering systems that genebanks already use, so people wouldn't have to enter the same data twice.
  • Data Transparency: To help users see how fresh the data is, the Committee suggested adding a list of recently updated records right on the platform.
  • Dealing with Duplicates: We talked about using data from "Crop Registries" to help find duplicate accessions across different collections, a key step in improving the quality of global PGRFA data.

Exploring New Technical Horizons​

The meeting also touched on the cutting edge of data management, including the use of Linked Open Data (LOD) and RDF formats to make core accession information easier for machines to read and share. We also discussed how to collaborate better with crop-specific portals (like those for Solanum) so we can maintain a "single source of truth" for accession data.

The People Who Helped​

We're so grateful for the contributions of the Oversight Committee members who joined us:

  • Theo van Hintum (CGN)
  • Robert Hijmans (UC Davis)
  • Luciano Nass (Embrapa)
  • Graham McLaren (IBP)
  • Francisco Lopez (ITPGRFA, FAO)
  • Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton (IRRI, CGIAR)
  • Paula Bramel (Crop Trust)
  • Matija Obreza (Crop Trust)

December 2016: User-Centricity and the Global Landscape​

We gathered again on December 10, 2016, at CIMMYT in Mexico to dive deep into Genesys' progress and look at how we fit into the global data landscape. It was a session full of ambition and a shared commitment to putting our users first.

Putting Users at the Center​

One of our main takeaways was that we needed a more thoughtful approach to UI/UX. While the interface had been improved, we realized we can't just guess what users want; we need to hear it from them. The Committee recommended doing formal assessments and interviews to make sure the Genesys experience is intuitive and truly helps the community.

Looking Beyond Passport Data: Phenotypes and Catalogs​

We explored the exciting idea of creating a Genesys Catalog of Phenotypic Datasets. Our goal is to move beyond simple passport data and provide access to high-quality characterization data. By focusing on global genebank material and using standardized measures, we can provide huge value for researchers and breeders.

Working Together in a Global Ecosystem​

Genesys doesn't exist in a vacuum, so we spent a lot of time talking about our relationship with other major initiatives:

  • GRIN-Global: Encouraging the use of GRIN-Global so we don't duplicate efforts.
  • EURISCO: Strengthening our technical collaboration and helping each other build capacity.
  • FAO-WIEWS & GLIS: Clarifying our roles and using DOIs as the main "integrators" to link physical material with digital data across all these platforms.
  • DivSeek & Big Data: Keeping an eye on genomic and geospatial data platforms to make sure Genesys can link to these emerging resources.

Supporting Our Data Providers​

We also discussed how we can better help data providers keep their data up to date. We recognized that updating passport data should be a regular "good practice" for genebanks, and we proposed creating guidelines and checklists to make this process simpler and more consistent for everyone.

The People Who Helped​

A warm thank you to everyone who participated in this productive meeting:

  • Theo van Hintum (CGN)
  • Robert Hijmans (UC Davis)
  • Luciano Nass (Embrapa)
  • Graham McLaren (IBP)
  • Ruaraidh S Hamilton (IRRI)
  • Nora Castañeda (Crop Trust)
  • Paula Bramel (Crop Trust)
  • Matija Obreza (Crop Trust)

Observers:

  • Fawzy Nawar (ICARDA)
  • David Marshall (JHI)