Partnership with Esri gives ArcGIS community easy access to species occurrence records

GBIF and geographic information system (GIS) technology leader Esri have launched a new partnership to facilitate the direct integration of GBIF-mediated biodiversity data with Esri's suite of mapping and analysis software. This first-of-its-kind collaboration aims to improve overall data quality, accessibility and the delivery of open access biodiversity data to Esri’s global user base, empowering researchers, governments and decision-makers to more effectively incorporate biodiversity data into spatial analyses and planning.

“We are proud to partner with GBIF to transform critical biodiversity data into actionable insights using powerful geospatial tools,” said Sean Breyer, Esri Director of ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. “From sustainable planning and conservation to environmental risk mitigation, organizations need trusted data and advanced mapping capabilities to understand where action is needed and how to make the greatest impact.”

Showcased at the Esri User Conference in San Diego, California, the new integration leverages GBIF’s robust API infrastructure, enabling users of tools like ArcGIS to visualize, map and analyze biodiversity records. The integration also builds on GBIF's citation tracking programme, with users able to create sharable Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) through the use of derived datasets for geospatial biodiversity datasets generated through Esri products. This ensures proper attribution, visibility and reproducibility of GBIF-accessed data to support scientifically-informed research based on the findable, accessible, interoperable and reproducible (FAIR) data principles.

"This partnership marks a major milestone in expanding the reach and utility of GBIF-mediated data," said Joe Miller, GBIF Executive Secretary. "This partnership is a natural evolution for GBIF as we have been making data available to three cloud service providers over the past few years. Whether you’re a government analyst, conservation NGO, or researcher, this integration brings open access biodiversity data directly into the tools you already use. By enabling the automatic generation of GBIF DOIs within Esri products, we can more precisely track data usage, enhance attribution and quantify impact—ultimately promoting a stronger culture of transparency, reuse and cross-sectoral collaboration in spatial data science."

The new GBIF integration is expected to streamline workflows for governments, academic institutions, NGOs and businesses around the world who already use Esri products. It is anticipated that the barriers to using GBIF-mediated data will be significantly reduced for users in the GIS and spatial planning and environmental mapping communities.

"As a national biodiversity data infrastructure, streamlining access to trusted biodiversity data is critical to delivering improved biodiversity outcomes," said Andre Zerger, Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) Director. "With the prevalence of Esri software across Australia’s environmental consulting, government, and higher education sectors, this partnership will be transformational in supporting users to access GBIF-mediated data. The ALA are proud to play a role in supporting this global integration with Australian biodiversity data."