| The TDWG 2010 Annual Meeting will sponsor a Techno/BioBlitz event as part of the conference activities held in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA. It will be held on Wednesday, September 29th with additional opportunities to participate in identification and data processing the following day. This event will provide TDWG participants with opportunities to discover and explore an array of natural habitats in and around the village of Woods Hole while providing opportunities for those with technical skills to participate in the capture, processing and presentation of data. The event is not intended to cover the strict scope of a formal bioblitz, which generally consists of a 24-hour intensive inventory of a rather tightly constrained location. Instead, this event will combine casual, guided field trips within the Woods Hole village and some select locations in the area, with a support facility at the TDWG venue for identification, imaging, and computer support.New: [[BioBlitz2010FieldTrips#Schedule][Sign up here for bioblitz field trips]]
If you are a developer that wants to contribute developing software for the Bioblitz, check out the BioBlitz2010ProgrammerGuidelines|
The goals of the TDWG Techno/Bioblitz are to:
* Enable observational data to be captured in a manner that supports the overall goals of TDWG to “develop and promote standards for recording data about organisms. “
* Provide an opportunity to demonstrate these standards “in action” and evaluate their potential for uptake and use in a real world, “citizen science” event.
* Provide technically-oriented meeting participants the opportunity to showcase their technical skills and software solutions by supporting the event.
* Serve as a testbed for experiments in social and semantic computing for citizen science.
---+++Participate
|We encourage all TDWG 2010 attendees to participate in the bioblitz either through joining a field trip, performing identifications and microscope work in the lab, or at a technical level by supporting data capture, visualization and integration. For the field and lab-related events we are further interested in identifying individuals who might be interested in bringing specialized collecting equipment (nets, light, etc) or identification guides for use with one of the events. We are also interested in identifying volunteers who might be interested in:
1. Serving as a taxonomic guide for one of the field trips. We have some local volunteers who may have general knowledge of the event but who might appreciate deeper knowledge.
2. Serving as an expert in the lab “basecamp” with access to field guides, stereo-microscopy and other advanced imaging equipment. If you have special requests or would like to contribute equipment or expertise, please contact David Remsen (dremsen@gbif.org).|
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---+++Facilities
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|The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is supporting the Techno/Bioblitz through the provision of a large open laboratory located in the Loeb teaching facility. This room, and several adjoining rooms will provide ample space for supporting the event and will serve as the bioblitz “base camp.” It will remain open throughout the day and evening of the event (Wednesday), and also the following day (Thursday). It will provide bench space that will support 6 separate bioblitz identification “stations.” Each station will provide reference materials, trays, jars, small tanks, as appropriate to each station as well as the equipment listed below. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own identification materials and reference guides as aids for identification. The lab will serve as a base for:|
* Identification of botanical and (small) zoological specimens. We will provide jars, buckets and trays for capture and transport of small terrestrial and marine specimens to the lab for identification, scope work and image capture. We ask those bringing samples back to consider returning live specimens back to their capture location.
* Temporary (live) storage of small marine samples – The facility includes shallow circulating seawater trays for temporary storage of marine invertebrates, marine algae, etc. We will also provide containers and small aquaria for temporary housing.
* Microscopy – the MBL and the Carl Zeiss Facility are offering a range of microscopy and imaging equipment for identification and digital imaging of specimens. In addition we will have access to a digital SLR stand with lighting for capturing high-resolution macro-photographs. See table below for details.
* Computing – The lab will provide computer hardware to support image capture for each identification station (below) the lab will also include space for participants to set up computers if they wish space for development. In addition, a separate computer-support facility is available for coding and development at the MBL Club, which will supply power, tables, and network connections.
* Macrophotography – the lab will support at least one digital camera stand with macro photography capabilities. This setup will be staffed by a support person familiar in its use.
The layout is provisionally as listed below but final equipment setup will be laid out to maximize flexible use.
| Station # | Taxonomic Focus | Imaging Capability |
| 1 | Marine Invertebrates/Fish | (2) Zeiss Stemi 2000 (1 w/digital imaging) |
| 2 | Terrestrial plants | (1) Macrophotography Station, (1) Zeiss Stemi 2000 (1 w/digital imaging) |
| 3 | Insects/Arthropods | (2) Zeiss Stemi 2000 (1 w/digital imaging) |
| 4 | Macroalgae | (2) Zeiss Stemi 2000 (1 w/digital imaging) |
| 5 | Fungi | (2) Zeiss Stemi 2000 (1 w/digital imaging) |
| 6 | Micro-organisms (!ZooPlankton/Phytoplankton & Protists) | (1) Zeiss Discovery v.8, (1) Zeiss Stemi 2000 w/digital imaging |
---+++BIOBus
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|The Biodiversity Institute of Ontario and the International Barcode of Life will participate in the bioblitz with their mobile field research vehicle, the BIOBus! Since 2008, the BIOBus has been carrying researchers to biodiversity hotspots across North America to collect insects and other invertebrates. Hundreds of thousands of specimens representing over 10,000 species have been collected. When the BIOBus returns to the lab in Guelph, Ontario, each specimen is photographed and a tissue sample is analysed to recover a DNA barcode. Come and join the BIOBus and participate in collecting and preparing specimens for barcoding. View BIOBus pamphlet. |
---++Field Trips
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|The TDWG Techno/Bioblitz will feature a series of scheduled field trips dedicated to species observations and collection. The field trips are divided into two roughly equal blocks of approximately 2-3 hours with a few specialized outliers. One block occupies most of the morning from 09:30 till lunchtime and the second occupies the afternoon from 13:30 till approximately 16:00.
Each block offers field trips that provide opportunities with the following general taxonomic focal areas:|
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* Insects and non-insect arthropods
* Marine Invertebrates and Fish
* Fungi
* Higher Plants (including marine and estuarine)
* Microorganisms
* Birds
* Macroalgae (Seaweeds)
We expect to have all field trips provided with a local person with some expertise in the taxonomic area who can serve as a guide to the field trip location. We appreciate any additional TDWG meeting volunteers who may wish to add their own expertise.
---+++Locations
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|Field trips include those confined to walking distance within the village as well as a few to some special external locations that require transportation. These remote field trips, with the exception of the whale watch excursion (see below), are all within a 30 min or less drive from the TDWG meeting. We will provide vans for transport to these locations. The maximum number of participants for these off-site field trips will be dictated by interest, and the number of available vehicles. These off-site trips will likely take more time given the need for transportation but have been selected for their relative species richness and specialized habitat.|
| Note, that there is limited availability (15 max.) to participate in a collecting trip on the MBL fishing vessel, R.V. Gemma.
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---+++Schedule and Signup
|The [[BioBlitz2010FieldTrips#Schedule][schedule]] provides information about each planned field trip, and the opportunity to [[BioBlitz2010FieldTrips#Schedule][sign up]]. Note that there are 3 trips that fall outside the two major time blocks: one early birding walk and two evening events. 
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---+++Maps
See some prepared maps of Woods Hole and adjacent lands where we will conduct Bioblitz field surveys.
|Woods Hole Village
View TDWG Bioblitz - Woods Hole Village in a larger map| Crane Wildlife Area and other road trips
View Crane Wildlife Area in a larger map|MBL Cottages
View MBL Cottages from the MBL in a larger map|
---++++Photo Credits
[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/63319497@N00/3645940792/][_Sciurus Carolinensis_]] by djpmapleferryman.
[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/12978307@N00/3602445776/][_Squeezing Pollen Out_]] by Dmitry Mozzherin.
[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/microagua/3669099439/][_Dos En Uno En Los Ciliados_]] by Antonio Guillén.
[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/12978307@N00/3624322607/][_Piping Plover: Charadrius melodus_]] by Dmitry Mozzherin.
[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/3827847242/][_Duneside Artemesia_]] by takomabibelot.
[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/48757934@N08/4459318303/][_Horseshoe Crab_]] by Tracy Barbaro.
[[http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/2725403060/][_Heathland Lichen_]] by takomabibelot.
All photos from the EOL Flickr group and licensed under Creative Commons.