GBIF is participating in a major new project to build a European Biodiversity Observation Network, aimed at helping scientists, policy makers and the public to access a wide range of biodiversity information.
The EU BON project, funded by the European Union, brings together 30 partners from 18 countries. The work will cost €9m, spread over four and a half years.
Among the products will be a European integrated biodiversity portal, a roadmap for handling citizen science data and a framework for open data publishing.
GBIF’s specific contributions, costed at nearly €300,000, include helping to improve data standards and interoperability, providing a metadata registry and catalogue, and providing access to data through robust web services.
EU BON is led by the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, and will contribute to the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON). An EU BON ‘kick-off meeting’ will be held in Berlin from 13-15 February, preceded by an international symposium entitled Nature and Governance – Biodiversity Data, Science, and the Policy Interface, taking place on 11-12 Februrary.