CONFERENCE ROUNDUP
April: AsociaciÓn Latinoamericana de Parques ZoolÓgicos y Acuarios (ALPZA) conference
For the first time, ISIS was represented at an ALPZA conference. Forty Latin American zoo and aquarium leaders attended this conference in Cali, Columbia.
This conference gave us the opportunity meet many Latin American zoo and aquarium staff, learn what their hopes, challenges and accomplishments are, and to introduce ISIS and the ZIMS Project to the Latin American community. Nate Flesness gave a presentation (his first-ever conference talk in Spanish) at this conference.
A special “thank you” to Magaly Ojeda and Rachel Rogers for assistance with the PowerPoint translations!
AZA legislative conference successful for ISIS/ZIMS Project
Many US zoo directors took time during the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s (AZA) directors’ retreat and legislative conference in Washington, DC to encourage their congressional representatives to support further funding for the ZIMS Project.
Last year, the US Congress appropriated US $500,000 to ISIS. This year, we are requesting the additional US $4.5 million needed to reach our
US $10 million funding goal.
Due to efforts during this conference, 38 Congressional representatives and 17 Senators have signed letters encouraging Congress to provide the funding for the ZIMS Project.
Thank you to all of our US directors who have made personal pleas, calls and written letters to their representatives in Washington! We could not get Congressional funding without your support!
May: ARAZPA-SEAZA joint annual conference
The Australian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA) and the South East Asian Zoos Association (SEAZA) held a joint conference in Melbourne, Australia.
In addition, the ISIS Board, the International Animal Data Information Systems Committee (IADISC), Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) Steering Committee and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Council met during this time. These joint regional conferences in addition to the international groups added up to a very global group of participants.
During the ARAZPA-SEAZA Joint Annual Conference WAZA launched the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy (WZACS). To learn more, go to www.waza.org.
ISIS Board meeting
The board conducted a substantial review of the ZIMS Project status, financing arrangements and plans for deployment, and Building ZIMS: the Campaign for ISIS (capital campaign).
The board made an important decision to invite Building ZIMS: the Campaign for ISIS financial contributors to be considered for selection as one of a relatively small number of institutions that will use ZIMS before it is completed. These pre-release users will focus on helping strengthen the integration aspects of ZIMS design (interactions among the multiple animal care staff roles at a single institution) and becoming the final test sites as we release ZIMS builds for testing. These institutions will be “early adopters,” will help us assure that ZIMS will meet institutional needs and may be mentor to other institutions as they move to using ZIMS.
The ISIS Board appointed Dr. Kenjiro Nagase, general curator at Osaka Municipal Tennoji Zoo, to a three-year term on the ISIS Board. JAZA is very interested in joining the ISIS network and using ZIMS in Japanese. The Board position will help with two-way communications and understanding between ISIS and JAZA.
In addition, The ISIS Board reviewed matters such as membership and acceptance of the 2004 independent audit.
ZIMS Project update
The first phase of the ZIMS Project – general design – is complete. Almost 500 volunteers spent numerous hours gathering input and reviewing documentation on what the ZIMS application should include. We could not have completed this work without the hard work and dedication of all of these volunteers! Thank you!
Now, a core group of ISIS Board Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), International Animal Data Information Systems Committee (IADISC) members and ISIS staff will take the lead on helping our software vendor CGI convert this advice into operations within the software application. From this process, CGI will create the screens and buttons that will allow users to interact with the ZIMS application.
We are also beginning plans for training and preparing members to use ZIMS in their institutions. Look for more information on these plans in the near future.
Have questions about the ZIMS Project or application?
ZIMS Project Manager Syed Hassan will be available to answer members' questions about the upcoming ZIMS application in a series of one-hour conference calls.
15 June, 10:00 a.m. CST
20 July, 10:00 a.m. CST
17 August, 10:00 a.m. CST
21 September, 10:00 a.m. CST
19 October, 10:00 a.m. CST
16 November, 10:00 a.m. CST
14 December, 10:00 a.m. CST
To participate in these question-and-answer sessions, dial +1-651-209-9277. Use the pass code 675982.
Hardware required to use ZIMS software
Zoological Infomration Managment System (ZIMS) software will be available in three models. Each institution will chose the model that best fits their needs. To help our members prepare for ZIMS, we have listed hardware requirements for each model of the ZIMS application below. (This information is also available on the ISIS Web site.) We expect to begin training members on ZIMS mid-2006.
ZIMS ASP Model
This model works like an online bank or airline reservation system, allowing you to go to the Web site and enter transactions. ISIS members who use this option will have the ability to change their data and see it in real-time.This model is suitable for small to medium zoos and aquariums where the Internet connection is fast and there are few users. Vast information technology (IT) expertise availability will not be necessary to run this model.
You will need:
• Computer with P3 or P4 processor
• Reliable and fast Internet connection
• Internet Explorer 5.5 or better
ZIMS Locally Hosted Model
This model works like an in-house ticketing or finance system. ZIMS will “talk” to some other applications. Institutions may have many users. This model assumes that the institution is a medium to large size institution with in-house IT expertise available. You should use this model if your institution has legal requirements to keep a copy of your own data on your own servers.
You will need:
• Two servers with P4 processors
Microsoft SQL server
Microsoft Windows Server 2000 or better
• 1 GB RAM
• At least 100GB hard disk space
• Internet connection
ZIMS Standalone Model
This is a single computer version for the institution that has limited Internet connectivity, only one or two people using the system and no IT expertise available.
You will need:
• Computer with P4 processor with at least 512MB RAM, 40GB disk space
• Windows 2000 or better
• MS-SQL personal and dial-up (or faster) Internet connectivity
If you have questions about these requirements, please contact ISIS support (+1.651.209.9250; support@isis.org).
ZIMS functionality
In each issue of ISIS News, we describe some of the new functionality that ZIMS will offer our membership.
Improved system tracking for “range state ownership”
In the current ISIS system, there are only two-levels of ownership tracking. This poses a problem in situations where an animal is the property of one institution, on loan to another and “owned” by a third party, such as a government (called “range-state ownership”).
ZIMS will provide three levels of ownership so that this situation can be properly recorded within the system.
ISIS communications survey results
Thank you to the 388 members who responded to the recent ISIS communications survey. Your responses will be very helpful to our future communications efforts!
The communications survey shows that members are relatively happy with the current ISIS communications efforts, but that improvements in some areas are necessary. While more than 86% of respondents rate overall communications quality at good, more than 11% said the quality is “variable,” indicating that there is still need for improvement in the ISIS communications program. Click here for more results.
SPARKS could help save rare horse breed
A recent article in The Chronicle of the Horse magazine highlighted the use of ISIS Single Population Analysis & Records Keeping System (SPARKS) software in saving rare purebred horses –
Cleveland Bays.
Cleveland Bays are the oldest indigenous British equine in the world. They are the foundation bloodline for numerous lines of horses, including Morgans and Clydesdales. There are only about 500 purebred Cleveland Bays left in the world. The American Livestock Breed’s Conservancy lists Cleveland Bays as “critical.”
Data dating as far back as 1700 has been loaded into the SPARKS system. This data shows that of the original line of 182 “founders” (horses whose bloodlines are uniquely individual and unrelated to any other horse breed) has been reduced to just 2.5 lines.
Using SPARKS recommendations, breeders can now breed pairs that will continue to safely lower relatedness of the breed and increase genetic diversity among the horse. Breeders have been struggling for more than 40 years to save this breed. Now, with the introduction of SPARKS to this community, they are hopeful that they will succeed.
ISIS News volunteers/staff
Reviewers/contributors
Frands Carlsen, Copenhagen Zoo
Robert Erhardt, Zoological Society of San Diego
Kevin Johnson, ARAZPA
Translators
Chinese: Wenlei Fang, ISIS
Danish: Britta Scholz, Givskud Zoo; Henrik M Hestbech
French: Aude Desmoulins, Lille Zoo; Anne Fletcher-Jones, The Living Desert
German: Ulrike Rademacher, Stuttgart Zoo
Japanese: Kazu Takami, Osaka Municipal Tennoji Zoo
Polish: Barbara Zalewska
Spanish: Magaly Ojeda, National Foundation of Zoos & Aquaria (FUNPZA)
Russian: Tanya Arzhanova, Moscow Zoological Park
Web designer Yasir Wasi
Editors Michele Peters; Elisabeth Hunt news@isis.org
Contact ISIS central offices +1.651.209.9240 isis@isis.org
ISIS support: +1.651.209.9250 support@isis.org