The founding charter of the Omic Biodiversity Observation Network (Omic BON)

Abstract

Omic BON is a thematic Biodiversity Observation Network under the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), focused on coordinating the observation of biomolecules in organisms and the environment. Our founding partners include representatives from national, regional, and global observing systems; standards organizations; and data and sample management infrastructures. By coordinating observing strategies, methods, and data flows, Omic BON will facilitate the co-creation of a global omics meta-observatory to generate actionable knowledge. Here, we present key elements of Omic BON's founding charter and first activities.

Keywords: GEO BON; biodiversity; biomonitoring; eDNA; earth observation; essential variables; omics.

Figure 1:

High-level positioning of Omic BON across related projects and initiatives. Omic BON originated out of the union of the Global Omics Observatory Network (GLOMICON) and the Genomics Observatories Network (GOs Network), partnering with established observatory-grade activities. With its partners, Omic BON will support the coordination of omics observations into a meta-observatory. Within GEO BON, Omic BON will complement thematic BONs focused on environments (Marine BON, Freshwater BON, Soil BON), as well as National and Regional BONs. Omic BON will additionally work closely with the GEO BON Genetic Composition Working Group as well as the Species Population Working Group and will coordinate with the relevant Knowledge Hubs as they arise. Further, Omic BON will contribute to the coordination of omics-enabled essential variables (EVs) between GEO BON and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). Within the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, Omic BON will work closely with the Decade's Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON), which will be a key contributor to the marine component of Omic BON. Through OBON, Omic BON will further coordinate with the relevant Decade Actions such as the Marine Life 2030 (ML2030) program, the Digital Twins of the Ocean (DITTO) program, the Better Biomolecular Ocean Practices (BeBOP) project, and so on. Moreover, Omic BON will collaborate with the relevant data and sample infrastructures, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC), and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN), with relevant standards and best practices bodies, such as the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC), Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), and the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS), to support their application and maturation, as well as with ethical, social and legal bodies, such as the Local Contexts initiative to ensure responsible practices.

Figure 2:

Omic BON's proposed governance structure and its parts main responsibilities. Start-up phase: Omic BON will formalize its organization during the start-up phase (anticipated duration 1 year) with 2 transitional committees: an Exploratory Committee (EC) tasked with coordination and management and an Advisory Committee (AC) representing key partner organizations. Operational phase: This will progress into the operational phase, where the initial committees will transition into clearly scoped bodies and mechanisms, operating along publicly released terms of reference. To transition, the EC will appoint the first Steering Committee (SC), which will set the strategic direction of Omic BON. The SC will initiate the Omic BON membership and form a General Assembly (GA) thereof. In addition to the founding members, we envision the GA will include both contributors who are actively contributing or managing data as a node in the network and community members who participate in discussions and contribute in other ways toward the BON. Subsequently, members of the SC will be nominated and elected by the GA. Implementation or fulfillment of SC strategy and decisions will be carried out by a Secretariat, which is appointed by and reports to the SC. Interest groups (IGs) and working groups (WGs) will be formed based on the strategy laid out by the SC, which will put out a call for IGs and WGs every year at the annual meeting. Based on that call, motions to form IGs/WGs can be proposed by members of the GA and reviewed by the secretariat and SC.