Plantae: The Digital Ecosystem for Plant Science

Problems being solved: In a facsimile of “big data” problems we encounter and hear about, the community of plant science is dispersed, siloed, and tends to rely on in-person activities to remain connected. It is less effective and less supportive as a result. Moreover, mechanisms for preserving information, building a robust online “presence” for collaborative efforts, and collaborating around documents are also non-standard and dependent on commercial products such as Dropbox, Google Docs, etc.

The solution: In partnership with the Global Plant Council, ASPB has developed the Plantae digital ecosystem. Part social media network, part knowledge hub, and part resource repository, Plantae (currently operating in Beta) allows formation of public and private groups, resource contributions and sharing (publicly and privately), and extensive social media discourse. A team of Plantae Fellows helps to curate the best resources for the community. The new Plantae seminar series delivers a mix of learning experiences around research, soft-skills, and professional development. In 2017, Plantae will be launching online journal clubs as well. It is free to join and free to use and a robust resource for building both a public face for funded projects, departments, and lab groups and parallel private groups for collaboration and information sharing. Although other commercial networks that duplicate aspects of this functionality certainly exist – LinkedIn, ResearchGate, etc. – Plantae is a unique in that it both integrates several capabilities into a single platform and that it is “all plant science all of the time.”