Speaker
Description
New technologies are enabling scientists to obtain data rapidly and continuously. Examples include camera traps, phenocams, and citizen science apps, among others. These rapidly increasing biodiversity data sets challenge new forms of data access, processing, and documentation.
In response to these challenges, we focus on data cubes as an alternative to efficiently handle species occurrence data in tandem with metadata documentation.
In an ongoing collaboration between the EBV Data Portal and the Biodiversity Building Blocks for Policy project (B-Cubed), we are developing informatics to facilitate the analysis of species occurrence in a data cube format. We are using the largest biodiversity database, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), although we are not limited to it, to deploy species occurrences in a more interoperable format. Additionally, we leverage the concept of data cubes to standardise access to biodiversity data using the Essential Biodiversity Variables framework.
Currently, we are mobilising species occurrence data and calculating metrics for the Invasive Alien Species of Union concern and the Birds Directive from the European Union (EU). The implementation of these occurrence cubes involves harmonising species listed in the EU environmental legislation, creating occurrence cubes through the new GBIF API server, and publishing metrics using the EBV Cube format. The entire workflow is open and accessible via GitHub, with scripts available as Jupyter notebooks.
We strongly believe that data cubes will facilitate data sharing and processing and need to be extended to biodiversity stakeholders. For this reason, our results are aiming to support Member States' reporting obligations under the nature directives. Additionally, interoperability with other data cubes is pending. Co-development of tools and approaches with other fields, such as Earth sciences, will undoubtedly benefit cross-cutting research. This is urgently needed for policies that respond to feedback in the coupled crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change.
| Status Group | Postdoctoral Researcher |
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