GBIF Work Programme 2023 Annual Update to Implementation Plan 2023–2027

Knowledge gaps are reduced by consolidating data coverage across the thematic areas of relevance

GBIF’s relevance to research is enhanced, through increased recognition and uptake of GBIF- mediated data among researchers across additional scientific disciplines

Continue and advance collaborative activities with soil, freshwater and disease vector research communities, including mechanisms for analysing current data use, sponsoring data papers, providing small grants to fund data mobilization, and developing targeted guidance on publishing thematically relevant data

Support data management and flows for the Vector Atlas project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Update current guidance on publishing DNA-derived data, provide translation, promotion and training, and enhance and expand reference libraries incorporated into the GBIF taxonomic backbone

Direct additional eDNA data streams to GBIF, including from national programmes

GBIF supports the evolution of fundamental data-driven biodiversity research and its application across methods, scales and disciplines in life and environmental sciences

Coordinate development of use cases demonstrating the value of biodiversity data across cutting-edge modelling approaches, through the Biodiversity Digital Twin (BioDT) project supported by Horizon Europe

Improve data streams between GBIF and key ecological data infrastructures

Improve data streams between GBIF and other biodiversity data infrastructures, including through the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project supported by Horizon 2020

GBIF is recognized as a leader and an exemplary initiative across the worldwide open science community

Engage with working groups on UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science to ensure GBIF’s experience and innovations regarding open and FAIR data are well reflected in associated guidance and documentation

Engage with OECD Secretariat to ensure best practices developed by GBIF are reflected in its Recommendation on Access to Research Data from Public Funding

Work with nodes, data publishers, partners and indigenous peoples’ groups to complete and implement GBIF recommendations on applying The CARE Principles on Indigenous Data Governance

Author peer-reviewed paper describing GBIF’s literature tracking system and analysing its impact on data citation

GBIF-mediated data is consistently and transparently applied and cited across multiple indicators used to monitor progress towards the goals and targets agreed through the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

GBIF is recognized as a key implementation partner for biodiversity-related projects supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)

GBIF-mediated data is fully integrated into national Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) platforms as well as national reporting processes for the CBD

Implement recommendations from the 2022 consultation through the alliance for biodiversity knowledge to enhance use of primary biodiversity data in CBD indicators

Formalize partnership with the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) to define GBIF’s role in supporting global, national, regional and thematic observation networks and the data needed to measure Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs)

Build on discussions initiated in 2022 to consolidate GBIF’s position as a service provider for GEF implementation agencies

Work with information management team at CBD Secretariat and its Informal Advisory Group on Technical and Scientific Cooperation to provide the option of GBIF hosted portals as a standard component of CHM sites

Improve GBIF connections and explore partnerships with other biodiversity-related conventions such as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Fauna (CITES) and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, including through better coordination between GBIF nodes and national focal points

GBIF’s value in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is recognized and reinforced through strategic partnerships with relevant international organizations focused on climate change, food security, human health and well-being, and both terrestrial and marine biodiversity

Relevance to multiple SDGs contributes to a broader funding base for GBIF both through project-based support and national contributions

National contributions and project-based support provide a broader funding base that increases GBIF’s relevance to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs

Explore formal partnership options with the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Green Climate Fund, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and other relevant agencies to build on demonstration and communication of thematic relevance across the SDGs

Develop new communication materials that describe GBIF’s value and in support of the SDGs

Develop GBIF’s strategy for marine biodiversity, including its contributions to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and the UN Decade on Ocean Science, in partnership with the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) and other relevant stakeholders

GBIF’s role in providing data infrastructure essential to the work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is fully recognized and communicated

GBIF’s use in policy and decision processes is enhanced through partnerships and better communicated

Negotiate renewal of GBIF-IPBES Memorandum of Understanding

Work with IPBES Data and Knowledge Task Force to pilot attribution of assessment findings to GBIF-mediated datasets through DOI citations; and to catalyse funding support for data mobilization in response to knowledge gaps

Develop joint communications with IPBES Secretariat to support the release of global invasive alien species assessment

Collaborate with Biodiversa+ to establish GBIF’s role in supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

Pilot the use of additional citation-tracking services to capture and communicate further examples of use of GBIF-mediated data in policy, including through the Overton searchable index of policy documents

Lending agreements prepared by financial institutions and public development banks include clear and unequivocal requirements for sharing biodiversity data

Private companies, trade associations and consultancies in all global regions recognize GBIF as the preferred platform to share primary biodiversity data gathered through impact assessments and monitoring

Advance the Data4Nature initiative in collaboration with Agence Française de Développement and other public development banks, including the World Bank

Engage the Equator Principles Association to implement and strengthen its recommendations to banks regarding their clients’ sharing of biodiversity data

Work with consultants to develop simplified tools to support standardized data capture and sharing from environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), as well as recommendations for use of primary biodiversity data in generation of ESIAs

Support node managers in engaging with and mobilizing data from the private sector, based on guidance developed through CESP projects, and develop options for a GBIF private-sector help desk

Attend CBD meetings and engagement in consultations and working groups as an observer inter-governmental organization

Attend IPBES plenary meetings and actively engage in the IPBES Task Force on Data and Knowledge and its respective working groups, as well as the IPBES Task Force on Capacity Building, in GBIF’s role as an IPBES strategic partner

Engage with GEO BON through participation in the Advisory Board and partnerships with regional and thematic BONs

Continue engagement with IUCN to implement the Memorandum of Cooperation, including regular imports of checklist data from the Red List of Threatened Species and the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS)

Coordinate and facilitate multi-partner activities through the alliance for biodiversity knowledge, based on governance and collaboration models developed during 2022

Continue partnership with Catalogue of Life (COL) to address the governance of species lists and improve their fitness and value for conservation and policy

The Secretariat, nodes and Heads of Delegation are equipped with robust materials to demonstrate GBIF’s value for money

Additional countries join or return to GBIF as Voting Participants

Additional funding agencies or foundations commit supplementary funds to support GBIF activities as part of the resource mobilization strategy

Disseminate findings of the economic valuation of the GBIF network commissioned from Deloitte Access Economics

Develop communication materials that outline GBIF’s value in virtual and in-person events, including the 2023 Global Nodes Meeting and GB30

Design a new model for a GBIF Annual Report focused on progress towards the outcomes outlined in this implementation plan, both through the global work programme and the activities of nodes

GBIF nodes provide a strong and stable foundation for data mobilization and use through the network

The role of GBIF nodes as hubs for data mobilization and use is better understood and supported, especially at national level

Develop a peer-to-peer training curriculum for nodes covering key aspects of node functions

Organize training sessions at the 2023 Global Nodes Meeting addressing needs raised by the nodes committee, such strengthening data use, improved collaboration between nodes and HoDs, and collaboration with national focal points of other intergovernmental initiatives

Publish analysis of risks and benefits of publishing sensitive species data, and develop associated guidance and recommendations for nodes

GBIF national participation is expanded across currently under-represented regions, G20 economies and megadiverse nations

Current Associate Participants have agreed pathways towards achieving or returning to voting participation

Develop a Participation and Engagement strategy aligned with the GBIF capacity framework and resource mobilization strategy that outline clear roles for the Secretariat, nodes and national delegations

As a component of the Participation and Engagement strategy, promote and extend specific services exclusive to national members as an incentive to become or remain a GBIF Participant, e.g. national hosted portals, and develop ‘onboarding’ activities for new Participants as well as periodic ‘refresher’ events for existing Participants

Building on the outcomes of the 2022 GBIF Asia Summit, develop a specific strategy for enhancing GBIF activity in the region at both national and institutional levels

Organize an in-person engagement event to target countries in the Arabic-speaking regions (North Africa and West Asia)

Continue funding of contracted regional support staff in Asia and Africa, and explore options for expanding contracted support staff in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia, and the Pacific

GBIF’s ongoing capacity support programmes are successfully concluded, and new support programmes are scoped

Additional training and guidance resources are available to the community in multiple languages covering both data mobilization and data use

Conclude the current Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) and Biodiversity Information Fund for Asia (BIFA) programmes with completion of projects in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Pacific and Asia, with final reporting to respective funders in the EU, the JRS Biodiversity Foundation and the Ministry of Environment, Government of Japan

Organize and hold an end event for the current BID programme to communicate impact of the projects and proposals for successor activities

Following publication of the external BID review, consult with community on proposed scope for follow-up capacity programmes covering multiple regions and with multiple funding sources

Conclude projects funded under the current Biodiversity Information Fund for Asia programme (BIFA), and explore options for a follow-up capacity support programme in Asia

Based on needs evaluated through the GBIF capacity enhancement framework, scope additional training modules to enhance and expand existing training curricula

Following an evaluation of its first year of operation, refine the GBIF Data Use Club

Support training needs for mobilization of DNA-derived data, including through the BioDATA Advanced programme focussed on South Africa and Norway

GBIF-maintained software and informatics infrastructure provides high, ongoing levels of availability and performance that keep pace with growth in data publication and use

Address "technical debt" in software and infrastructure

Plan capacity and hardware procurement to accommodate growth in volume and use of data

Provide environments for development and network-wide testing, particularly related to indexing under revised data standards

Maintain GBIF R (rgbif) and Python (pygbif) libraries to follow changes in GBIF public interfaces

Replace Google Analytics with a more personal privacy-focused web analytics package

Replace the Cloudera Data Warehouse with an open-source alternative

Monitor carbon footprint of GBIF services

The expanding GBIF community of users are fully supported by a responsive help desk team and improved technical documentation

The taxonomic and collections communities benefit from improvements in GBIF support to the Global Registry of Scientific Collections (GRSciColl) and the Catalogue of Life

Expand the distributed help desk team, including through use of the regional support contractors

Assess taxonomic data gaps and provide summary reports on them to the Catalogue of Life

Improve technical documentation for data publishing guidelines, data processing, common tools and tutorials, and reference APIs

Support increased content curation on GRSciColl, coordination of the editor and user communities, and data import and synchronization processes

Improved user interface to GBIF.org

Improved capabilities for GBIF to handle ecological, collections, and phylogenetic data

Data reuse increased through more stable GBIF identifiers

Align interfaces, functionality and software used in GBIF.org, hosted portals, the shared data pipeline project and the Living Atlases

Improve GBIF network pages, presentations of regions, and accommodate community-provided content

Improve ability for users to filter based on content types (e.g. citizen science, eDNA)

Further develop capabilities for event-based search following prototype co-developed with the Atlas of Living Australia

Implement a material catalogue to capture specimen information exposed in the new data model

Enrich GRSciColl through integration of collection description information, compatible with the Latimer Core schema, to support use cases such as priorities for data mobilization

Allow downloads of data published to any Darwin Core extension

Implement tools and policies to address content changes in the Catalogue of Life

Develop tools to align a filtered subset of GBIF-mediated data with a phylogeny, an exemplar workflow to showcase phylogenetic organization of a dataset using sequence-based identification, and ability to run phylogenetic diversity metrics from GBIF-mediated datasets

Explore approaches to annotation capabilities in GBIF.org that enable data corrections, enrichments and user-provided rules that combine taxonomic, geographic and temporal combinations to detect suspicious records

Define and implement procedures to improve the stability of identifiers associated with records published through GBIF

The revised GBIF data model is matured and applicable for use

All controlled terms used in GBIF processing are managed in the vocabulary server

Refine the revised unified data model developed during consultations in 2022

Develop documentation and communication material for the revised data model, prepare a submission to Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), and establish an appropriate maintenance group

Enhance the GBIF Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT) to support data publishing using the revised data model, and emerging formats such as the Catalogue of Life Data Package and CamTrapDP for camera-trap data

Mature the tools and processes around maintenance of the vocabulary server, including growing the community of vocabulary editors and aligning vocabularies with relevant ontologies for the revised data model