RAPID: Rapid Creation of a Data Product for the World’s Specimens of Horseshoe Bats and Relatives, a Known Reservoir for Coronaviruses

授予佛罗里达州立大学的这项研究将支持有助于开发世界马蹄蝠及其近亲标本的地理参考、审查和版本化数据产品的研究，供研究类SARS冠状病毒的起源和传播的研究人员使用，包括新冠肺炎的病原体。据报道，马蹄蝠和其他密切相关的物种是几种类似SARS冠状病毒的宿主。这些蝙蝠的物种主要分布在这些病毒已经传入人类种群的地区。目前，与这些蝙蝠标本相关的数据保存在自然历史收藏中，这些收藏广泛分布在全国和全球。此外，将这些标本与当地联系起来的信息大多含糊不清，或者在许多情况下缺失。这降低了标本对了解SARS-COV-2和类似病毒的来源、出现和分布的效用。该项目将利用扩展标本模型，通过合并与每个蝙蝠标本相联系的辅助信息，提供高质量的地理参考数据产品。由此产生的产品将成为如何利用生物多样性收集中的数据来应对新出现的人畜共患疾病的模型。该项目的成果将在开源期刊、科学会议上以及通过与参与组织和机构有关的网站广泛传播。对该项目的支持提供了优化的优质资源，以便为与提高我们对SARS-CoV-2生物学和传播的了解相关的研究提供信息。总体目标是通过开放获取的储存库，以更广泛的研究和生物多样性收集界使用的格式提供版本化数据产品；通过GitHub提供项目协议和代码，并在同行评议的文件中进行说明；在整个项目中持续参与生物多样性收集，将改进的数据重新纳入当地标本数据管理系统，改进长期管理。这一快速奖励将制作和提供马蹄蝠和相关物种的地理参考、审查和综合数据产品，以便于了解SARS-CoV-2和相关病毒的来源、分布和传播，及时应对由SARS-CoV-2造成的持续全球大流行，并为全球努力巩固和提供与了解当前大流行的紧急和其他特征相关的高质量数据作出重要贡献。这一快速奖项由生物基础设施部(DBI)利用冠状病毒援助、救济和经济安全(CARE)法案的资金做出。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The award to Florida State University will support research contributing to the development of georeferenced, vetted, and versioned data products of the world’s specimens of horseshoe bats and their relatives for use by researchers studying the origins and spread of SARS-like coronaviruses, including the causative agent of COVID-19. Horseshoe bats and other closely related species are reported to be reservoirs of several SARS-like coronaviruses. Species of these bats are primarily distributed in regions where these viruses have been introduced to populations of humans. Currently, data associated with specimens of these bats are housed in natural history collections that are widely distributed both nationally and globally. Additionally, information tying these specimens to localities are mostly vague, or in many instances missing. This decreases the utility of the specimens for understanding the source, emergence, and distribution of SARS-COV-2 and similar viruses. This project will provide quality georeferenced data products through the consolidation of ancillary information linked to each bat specimen, using the extended specimen model. The resulting product will serve as a model of how data in biodiversity collections might be used to address emerging diseases of zoonotic origin. Results from the project will be disseminated widely in opensource journals, at scientific meetings, and via websites associated with the participating organizations and institutions. Support of this project provides a quality resource optimized to inform research relevant to improving our understanding of the biology and spread of SARS-CoV-2. The overall objectives are to deliver versioned data products, in formats used by the wider research and biodiversity collections communities, through an open-access repository; project protocols and code via GitHub and described in a peer-reviewed paper, and; sustained engagement with biodiversity collections throughout the project for reintegration of improved data into their local specimen data management systems improving long-term curation.This RAPID award will produce and deliver a georeferenced, vetted and consolidated data product for horseshoe bats and related species to facilitate understanding of the sources, distribution, and spread of SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses, a timely response to the ongoing global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and an important contribution to the global effort to consolidate and provide quality data that are relevant to understanding emergent and other properties the current pandemic. This RAPID award is made by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (DBI) using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.