01.10.2002 31.12.2027
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Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

Free access to worldwide biodiversity data.

GBIF objectives The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international initiative that aims to make scientific data and information relating to biodiversity available worldwide, free of charge and long-term, in digital form on the Internet.GBIF mainly supplies scientific data on biodiversity from over 1.7 billion documents in natural history research collections around the world. This data is being carefully supplemented by a growing volume of observed data.Almost 100 nations and international organisations have so far joined the GBIF initiative. The volume of data on biological diversity that can be accessed through the GBIF-Portal has increased to over 300 million records from over 330 data providers. GBIF in Germany Germany is one of the founder members of the GBIF. Under the lead management of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), 8 GBIF nodes have been set up in Germany based around large organism groups. These nodes aim to coordinate the electronic recording of the data available in Germany on the various organism groups and to ensure that it is fed into the GBIF information system. The longer-term maintenance of the national GBIF structure that has been established must be achieved by gradually institutionalising the relevant tasks. It will only be possible to carry the existing tasks out satisfactorily in the medium term if the GBIF is to be seen as a national task in which the relevant federal and state departments, and the funding institutions, database operators and collection owners get actively involved. The BMBF is giving the GBIF approx. 17.5 million euros in the period 2001 to 2013. As of 2007 the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) funds 50% of the yearly contributions. On behalf of the BMBF the organisational unit Environment, Culture, Sustainability in the German Aerospace Center Project Management Agency (PT-DLR) attends functionally and administrative to the funding measure Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Lycaenidae – Blue Butterfly© UFZ/Martin Wiemers

Objective and members of GBIF

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international initiative to make scientific data and information about biodiversity available for free worldwide on a permanent basis by publishing it in digital form on the internet.

More than 100 countries and international organizations have joined the GBIF initiative so far. 1.9 billion occurrence data from 62,000 data sources can currently be accessed at GBIF (last update: October 2021). These include the specimens in natural history collections. 1745 data holders provide GBIF with their data.

GBIF was established in 2001 on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the participants. Germany is one of the founding members and has supported the initiative since 2001 with an annual contribution, since 2007 including a co-payment by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The BMBF is providing approx. 26.3 million euros for GBIF in the period 2001-2027.

GBIF in Germany

Starting in 2002, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has funded the establishment of altogether eight GBIF nodes in Germany, whose focus is on major groups of organisms. Here researchers coordinate the digitization of information available in Germany regarding specific groups of organisms and ensure that this data is fed into the GBIF information system. From 2009, GBIF Germany has been extended to include a comprehensive soil zoology information system (GBIF-Edaphobase).

Priorities of future work

Up until 2027, work will focus on promoting research for a better understanding of global biodiversity and on enhancing knowledge transfer. Societal challenges related to global change will also be considered in this context.

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