(Please use this thread to continue discussions on the presentations given by @mraymond , @larussell and @Maheva on day 2 of GB27)
Link to presentation video: https://gbif.box.com/s/po1izovh6beb5js6zc6qe96jnz1yxnrn
Great presentation!
I want to bring the subject of the need of (more) help to support virtual meetings. In our case, in LAC, I ask for the help of others NM and participants, because the amount of work was more than the usual even when the Secretariat support.
Even when this pandemy end, I think we need to have a plan B (or C…) for this kind of situations and be aware of the amount of extra work on make everything virtual (a lesson that we all already learn).
Maybe is something useful to add on the CESP, BID, BIFA projects, to have an alternative work plan for this kind of new pandemic realities.
Thanks!
Anabela
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For the Data Mobilisation course and others on the GBIF Spain platform…any plan for translations?
Thanks!
Anabela
@Anabela - RE: translations… Yes, now that the English version has been fully revised, I do need to work out translations. I will devise a plan and get in touch with those of you that helped with the original translations.
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Thanks Anabela,
We agree that help to support virtual meeting is very important (especially to monitor the chat and deal with possible technical issues). That is why we doubled he amount of mentors for the virtual workshop and have assigned roles in the Secretariat from hosting, to chat moderation to recording of videos to screen sharing.
Regarding the implementation of the CESP and BIFA projects selected just before the start of the pandemic, we offered the opportunity to revise their implementation plan to adjust to this new situation, and increased the possible implementation period for these projects by six months. For BID proposals, we will ask applications selected to submit a full proposal to indicate a risk assessment and mitigation strategies where they can think of alternative plan if the pandemic continue.
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Thanks, Anabela. Yes it was definitely important to engage a larger group than normal in the organization of the virtual regional meetings - and we really appreciated the efforts from the whole nodes community. It was very often the case that the virtual meetings required more preparation than the in person meetings, and we should make sure that all participants and project teams are aware of that.
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Thank you @mraymond, @larussell and @Maheva for your presentations! You, and all collaborators from the community, have done such a wonderful job.
I am interested in knowing more about potential other courses that could be included as part of the GBIF curriculum. In particular, how we could start the conversation if we have potential courses that could be assessed for inclusion, what would the Secretariat need from us (e.g., workplan, materials, evaluation & certification strategy, translations, etc.).
Thank you!
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Thank you Maheva for the replay.
For the virtual meeting is not just on the meeting (and yes, keep an eye on the chat is super important) but before and after too…all the materials, notes, translations…is a lot a work that the organizers must to be aware (as we all learned!).
For the CESP, BID and BIFA, yes! I already have that experience, and we’re conducting a virtual workshop on a CESP (is a kind of hybrid, because the first part was under normal circunstances). But my comment is more for the future…to show on the proposals if something similar like this pandemic or any political or natural issue appear, to have a plan B or C in thoses cases for avoid cancellations (move to virtual, change of activities, a differente distribution of the activities between the partners…)
Thanks
Anabela
Super! Thanks for the replay. Just let me know if I can help with the Spanish translations
Thanks Anabela,
You are correct to highlight that the virtual meetings do require a lot af work before and after the meeting.
In regards to the funded projects, the requirement of a risks assessment and plan for mitigation actions is required for most of our programmes, but we will definitely highlight the need to prepare for unexpected situations such as the pandemic, and the importance to develop solid mitigation plans in our future calls. We are also planning to develop more comprehensive guidance on project writing (especially in the context of GBIF-funded programme) next year. Risk assessment and the development of mitigation plans will certainly be an important topic addressed in this guidance document
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@pzermoglio RE: expanding GBIF training curriculum. This is a topic I would like to delve into and we do have some room for this in the 2021 work programme in relation to Data Quality. I would also like to consider what you all have done with georeferencing on the CESP project and there are other within CESP that I think would be appropriate as well. We’ll need to have some internal conversations to get started, but I’m glad to see your interest!
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Just to add to the discussion about accounting for virtual activities in project planning and budgets: I do think it is something we will need to look at over the longer term as we start to realise what the ‘new normal’ might look like. At the moment as Maheva mentions we are seeing this as a risk management issue - but we may need to have something of a rethink in the guidance we give about project planning and categories of expense types. As we have all come to learn, virtual events are not necessarily ‘cheaper’ than face to face meetings as the planning and execution will often require more staff time. It will be great to brainstorm on this as we adjust to new realities.
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