Ocean Biogeographic Information System

Ocean Biogeographic Information System
Name	Ocean Biogeographic Information System
Type	International scientific data repository
Established	2003
Headquarters	UNESCO

Ocean Biogeographic Information System The Ocean Biogeographic Information System is an international marine biodiversity data infrastructure supporting global research, conservation, and policy. It aggregates species occurrence records, taxonomic treatments, and survey metadata to inform initiatives such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and regional marine programs like the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Designed to serve stakeholders including the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it interoperates with repositories such as Global Biodiversity Information Facility and projects like the Census of Marine Life.

Overview

The system compiles georeferenced species observations, taxonomic backbones, and survey effort metadata to support assessments by bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the United Nations Environment Programme. It facilitates spatial analyses for programs such as the Coral Triangle Initiative, the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission, and the International Whaling Commission, while aligning with standards developed by organizations like the International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization. Data consumers include agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the European Environment Agency, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

History and Development

Initiated in the early 2000s under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the platform grew alongside collaborative projects including the Census of Marine Life, the Global Ocean Observing System, and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. Early contributors included institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Natural History Museum, London, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Australian Museum, which partnered with regional programs like the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the Caribbean Community. Subsequent milestones were influenced by standards and initiatives associated with the World Register of Marine Species, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and the Research Data Alliance.

Data Content and Standards

Content encompasses occurrence records, taxonomic hierarchies, environmental variables, and expedition metadata supplied by organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea, and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. The system employs vocabularies and schemas aligned with the Darwin Core terms endorsed by the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) and integrates authority files from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the World Register of Marine Species. Quality control procedures reflect best practices promoted by the International Barcode of Life consortium, the Global Taxonomy Initiative, and the Convention on Biological Diversity technical working groups.

Governance and Partnerships

Governance involves coordination among entities such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and national institutions including the British Antarctic Survey and the United States Geological Survey. Partnerships span research organizations like the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, conservation NGOs such as Conservation International and BirdLife International, and regional bodies like the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Funding, policy alignment, and strategic planning have engaged multilateral funders such as the Global Environment Facility and development partners including the World Bank.

Applications and Use Cases

Researchers at institutions like the University of Oxford, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Cape Town use the database for species distribution models informing assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Conservation planners working with agencies such as the IUCN, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the European Commission apply outputs to design Marine Protected Areas and fisheries management measures advised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and regional fisheries management organizations like the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Oceanographic modelers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography combine records with data from the Argo program and the Global Ocean Observing System for climate impact studies.

Data Access and Technology

Data access adheres to open-data principles championed by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and leverages tools and platforms used by the National Science Foundation and the European Commission for research infrastructure. The technical stack incorporates interoperability protocols endorsed by the Research Data Alliance, metadata standards from the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), and taxonomic services akin to the World Register of Marine Species. Users range from scientists at the Smithsonian Institution to policy analysts at the United Nations Environment Programme and software developers contributing to projects like the Open Geospatial Consortium.

Challenges and Future Directions

Key challenges include harmonizing taxonomies across authorities such as the World Register of Marine Species and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, ensuring data quality for stakeholders like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and supporting capacity building in regions served by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the African Union. Future directions point toward enhanced integration with observing networks like the Global Ocean Observing System, advanced analytics used by organizations such as the Alan Turing Institute and the European Space Agency, and policy-relevant outputs for multilateral processes including the High Seas Treaty negotiations and the Convention on Biological Diversity post-2020 framework.

Category:Marine biodiversity databases