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issues. It is building the framework and partnerships for

housing integrated, updated and accessible global biodi-

versity, ecology and geophysical data for use by the

scientific and conservation community. Its work toward

the GEO Biodiversity Observation Network includes,

for example, the distribution of data and results from

the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Likewise, the

USGS, NBII, and other governmental and non-govern-

mental institutions are pursuing: (1) development of

web-enabled capabilities (tools) to improve the effi-

ciency of digital data input and resulting accuracies; (2)

Integration and improved accessibility of key global data

sets; (3) Creation of long-term data sharing and analy-

sis partnerships with leading international biodiversity

and ecological informatics and conservation organiza-

tions.

For this purpose, various global biodiversity and asso-

ciated geophysical datasets are being created. Combined

datasets allow for the creation and analysis of valued-

added products and analyses. The following tools are

being developed, tested, and deployed:

• The Global Integrated Trends Analysis Network

(GITAN) is developing a Global Data Toolset

(GDT)

2

which is an operational and easy-to-use

online polygon data entry tool to facilitate an orga-

nization’s ability to engage its network in the entry

and/or validation of digital data (e.g. protected

areas, species distributions, Important Bird Areas).

Network places great emphasis on the establishment of a shared but

distributed architecture of data provision, processing and delivery

of information open to everyone. For example, we envision that each

partner institution will form a data node within the network, so that

each node may share its individual databases with the network to

the extent the partner wishes.

Toward these goals, several demonstration projects are currently

being developed on biodiversity and climate change, protected

areas characterization and monitoring, the use of geospatial data

to improve threatened and endangered species assessments, and a

monitoring system for invasive species. For example, one of the

network partners, the Ecological Forecasting Program at NASA,

is developing the Ecological Model Web, which is an open-ended

system to improve ecological forecasting abilities. The Model Web

brings together various computer models and databases dealing

with a broad scope of physical, chemical, biological and ecologi-

cal processes and making them interoperable via a distributed

network of web services. Model interoperability is often limited

by both technical and non-technical barriers, thus severely limit-

ing their potential uses and users. Following the GEOSS

architecture, the Model Web will try to remove such barriers so

that global access to sophisticated ecological modelling and fore-

casting becomes a reality. A demonstration system is currently

being developed that will test the viability of the concept as well

as provide a core onto which further components can be added.

In a similar vein, the World Data Center for Biodiversity and

Ecology (WDCBE)

1

is supporting the data and information require-

ments for some of the world’s global biodiversity and ecological

Geographic distribution of density of species occurrence records

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) currently mediates approximately 135 million records of species occurrences through its data portal

(http://data.gbif.org)

. Such historical biodiversity data is needed in many fields of biodiversity research, for example, in establishing baselines for

measurement and monitoring of biodiversity change

GEOSS C

OMPONENTS

– O

BSERVING

S

YSTEMS