International Species Information System
Encyclopedia
The International Species Information System (ISIS) is an international non-profit organization serving zoo
s and aquarium
s worldwide. ISIS provides its members with zoological data collection and sharing software, used by more than 800 zoos and aquariums in almost 80 countries. The ISIS database contains information on 2.4 million animals of 10,000 species. ISIS members use the basic biologic information (age, sex, parentage, place of birth, circumstance of death, etc.) collected in the ISIS system to care for and manage their animal collections (including demographic and genetic management in many cases).
The CEO of ISIS is Roger Stonecipher.
, Californian Condor, Przewalski's Horse
, Red Wolf
, Micronesian Kingfisher
(not yet reintroduced), and Arabian Oryx
. Individual zoos cannot generally afford to maintain a viable species population (which for most mammals is in the range of 500 animals to maintain gene pool diversity), so this work requires a coordination between many zoos. In addition, the scientific expertise is spread throughout the world, not at a single institution, and breeding and population management rely on knowing information about animals in all member institutions, especially pedigree history (parentage) and demography
(births and deaths).
ISIS records are accepted by international regulatory bodies like CITES. Several Regional Associations seek ISIS membership for their members: Ninety-eight percent of Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA) in North America are ISIS members. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
(EAZA) requires its members to join ISIS. ISIS works in partnership with zoo associations around the world.
Currently, ISIS has staff and representatives in Amsterdam
(the Netherlands), Bogota
(Colombia), Tokyo
(Japan), New Delhi
(India) and headquarters in Minnesota
(USA).
ARKS4, or "Animal Records Keeping System" lets members contribute information and generate reports from that database.
MedARKS, or "Medical Animal Records Keeping System" is distributed upon request to ISIS members, and supports veterinary medical records keeping and collection.
SPARKS. or "Single Population Analysis & Records Keeping System" supports studbook management and species analysis, and is for use by studbook keepers.
EGGS is egg clutch management software for a single facility, and augments records for egg-laying species in both ARKS4 and SPARKS.
REGASP, or "Regional Animal Species Collection Plan" is distributed upon request to ISIS members under license from the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA), and gives access to plans from other collections.
ZIMS, or "Zoological Information Management System" is the next generation ISIS software which is being delivered in stages starting in March 2010. The ZIMS application is the world’s first real-time, unified global database for animals in zoos and aquariums. It will be released in four stages starting in March 2010 with the core animal inventory functionality needed by zoos and aquariums. Future releases will include information needed by veterinarians (March 2011), studbook keepers (September 2011), and advanced functionality (workflow tools in March 2012).
and internet hosting for member organizations. Built on Microsoft SharePoint
, the ISIS Community Portal website already houses resources for European, Australasian and Dutch Zoo and Aquaria Associations. Additionally, services are provided to groups focused on global conservation effort such as the Amphibian ARK, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group and a network of South Asian zoos and aquariums.
Grants and endorsements have been provided by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA), the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) and other zoological associations. The doctors also raised development funding from private foundations and the United States Department of the Interior
. For the first 30 years, the Minnesota Zoo hosted the program on their grounds.
Since 1989, ISIS has been incorporated as a non-profit entity under an international Board of Trustees elected by subscribing member institutions.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
s and aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
s worldwide. ISIS provides its members with zoological data collection and sharing software, used by more than 800 zoos and aquariums in almost 80 countries. The ISIS database contains information on 2.4 million animals of 10,000 species. ISIS members use the basic biologic information (age, sex, parentage, place of birth, circumstance of death, etc.) collected in the ISIS system to care for and manage their animal collections (including demographic and genetic management in many cases).
The CEO of ISIS is Roger Stonecipher.
Centralized database
Today, zoos and aquariums are “gene bank” for endangered species. In some cases, species which have become extinct the wild have been bred in zoos and eventually returned to the wild. Examples include the Black-footed FerretBlack-footed Ferret
The Black-footed Ferret , also known as the American polecat or Prairie Dog Hunter, is a species of Mustelid native to central North America. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN, because of its very small and restricted populations...
, Californian Condor, Przewalski's Horse
Przewalski's Horse
Przewalski's Horse or Dzungarian Horse, is a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of central Asia, specifically China and Mongolia.At one time extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu...
, Red Wolf
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
, Micronesian Kingfisher
Micronesian Kingfisher
The Micronesian Kingfisher, Todiramphus cinnamominus, is a species of kingfisher from the Pacific Islands of Guam, Pohnpei and Palau...
(not yet reintroduced), and Arabian Oryx
Arabian Oryx
The Arabian Oryx or White Oryx is a medium sized antelope with a distinct shoulder hump, long straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of Oryx genus, native to desert and steppe areas of the Arabian peninsula...
. Individual zoos cannot generally afford to maintain a viable species population (which for most mammals is in the range of 500 animals to maintain gene pool diversity), so this work requires a coordination between many zoos. In addition, the scientific expertise is spread throughout the world, not at a single institution, and breeding and population management rely on knowing information about animals in all member institutions, especially pedigree history (parentage) and demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
(births and deaths).
ISIS records are accepted by international regulatory bodies like CITES. Several Regional Associations seek ISIS membership for their members: Ninety-eight percent of Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
(AZA) in North America are ISIS members. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
-External links:*...
(EAZA) requires its members to join ISIS. ISIS works in partnership with zoo associations around the world.
Currently, ISIS has staff and representatives in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(the Netherlands), Bogota
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
(Colombia), Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(Japan), New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
(India) and headquarters in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
(USA).
ISIS software
ISIS serves as a center for cooperative development of zoological software. This spreads software development costs across many institutions, making the software support available to all participants at a reasonable cost.ARKS4, or "Animal Records Keeping System" lets members contribute information and generate reports from that database.
MedARKS, or "Medical Animal Records Keeping System" is distributed upon request to ISIS members, and supports veterinary medical records keeping and collection.
SPARKS. or "Single Population Analysis & Records Keeping System" supports studbook management and species analysis, and is for use by studbook keepers.
EGGS is egg clutch management software for a single facility, and augments records for egg-laying species in both ARKS4 and SPARKS.
REGASP, or "Regional Animal Species Collection Plan" is distributed upon request to ISIS members under license from the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA), and gives access to plans from other collections.
ZIMS, or "Zoological Information Management System" is the next generation ISIS software which is being delivered in stages starting in March 2010. The ZIMS application is the world’s first real-time, unified global database for animals in zoos and aquariums. It will be released in four stages starting in March 2010 with the core animal inventory functionality needed by zoos and aquariums. Future releases will include information needed by veterinarians (March 2011), studbook keepers (September 2011), and advanced functionality (workflow tools in March 2012).
Community portal
ISIS has also established a community-based web environment that provides intranetIntranet
An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to securely share any part of an organization's information or network operating system within that organization. The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network...
and internet hosting for member organizations. Built on Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint is a web application platform developed by Microsoft. First launched in 2001, SharePoint is typically associated with web content management and document management systems, but it is actually a much broader platform of web technologies, capable of being configured into a wide...
, the ISIS Community Portal website already houses resources for European, Australasian and Dutch Zoo and Aquaria Associations. Additionally, services are provided to groups focused on global conservation effort such as the Amphibian ARK, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group and a network of South Asian zoos and aquariums.
History
In 1973, Drs. Ulysses Seal and Dale Makey proposed ISIS as an international database to help zoos and aquariums accomplish long-term conservation management goals. It was founded in 1974 with an initial membership of 51 zoos in North America and Europe, and its membership has increased every year since.Grants and endorsements have been provided by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
(AZA), the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) and other zoological associations. The doctors also raised development funding from private foundations and the United States Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
. For the first 30 years, the Minnesota Zoo hosted the program on their grounds.
Since 1989, ISIS has been incorporated as a non-profit entity under an international Board of Trustees elected by subscribing member institutions.