We automatically serve all “live” collections and some “snapshot” collections via DwC-A files . iDigBio harvests all collections with specimen data. GBIF harvests both specimen and observation data, but each institution must register a collection with GBIF.
Registering a collection dataset with GBIF requires that the “collection” manager set up an account with GBIF for their institution or collection, and then the collection uses the Symbiota portal for data users to harvest. GBIF needs to have this direct agreement with the institution housing the collection before Symbiota can make their data available to GBIF. This is a simple registration step on the side of GBIF, part of whose function is to ensure that institutions stay informed of where their data end up. If your institution is already registered with GBIF, you can add your collection as another dataset and your simply need to be added to the agreement. You do not have to coordinate with other collections at your institution, you can publish your data separately.
Typically, all “live collections” in a Symbiota portal serve data to both GBIF and iDigBio, although some “snapshot collections” may also serve their data through SCAN if they do not have a dedicated IPT or DwC-A files directly available to the public. GBIF technically harvests data directly from the data provider, Symbiota simply allows GBIF to harvest directly from a data provider through their “collection” on a Symbiota portal. GBIF shows datasets (e.g., Symbiota collections) as sets from the institution. Each collection within an institution can have their own workflow for GBIF to harvest data if they wish, for example data from a vertebrate collection can come from Arctos via VertNet and data from the institution’s insect collection can be harvested from Symbiota (e.g., University of New Mexico).
GBIF Steps (Contact helpdesk@gbif.org and Neil Cobb if you need help navigating through steps)
- If your collection does not have a GBIF Organization Key or you are uncertain if it does, go to the “GBIF Endorsement Request page” and follow the instructions to establish your collection/organization with GBIF. Be sure to look up your collection or institution with GBIF to ensure that it is not already established. In filling out the GBIF survey you do not need to use an IPT, instead you are publishing a DwC-A via the SCAN portal. Select USGS as your endorser. You do not need help publishing, SCAN is publishing for you.
- If your collection is already established, review the GBIF metadata for your collection and existing datasets and contact GBIF to make any appropriate changes, if necessary. You may want to coordinate with other collections at your organization at this point, since the GBIF organization entry relates to your institution as a whole. If your collection already has data published with GBIF, review that data to ensure it is not the same data you wish to publish in the Symbiota portal. If it is, make the appropriate arrangements with GBIF to manage that data BEFORE publishing from the Symbiota portal.
- If your collection has not been established with GBIF yet, follow the instructions for requesting endorsement with GBIF to obtain a GBIF Organization Key. The GBIF Organization Key should have the following format: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx. Once your organization has a key, contact GBIF and request that the GBIF user specified in the Publishing Information box has permission to to make your dataset available to GBIF. Once the permissions are set, enter the key in the “GBIF Organization Key” box and click on the “Save Key” button.
Publishing Information box is only available to collection administrators: Go to your collection, click on pencil, go to Darwin Core Archive Publishing and go to Publishing Information box (below).
In the end you need a user account on the GBIF website and editor rights on that account. If you already have one please send them to the GBIF Helpdesk:
- Account user name or email address
- A list of the organizations that you will be publishing for (please submit a url to the GBIF publisher page
A nice primer on best practices Best Practices for Publishing Biodiversity Data from Environmental Impact Assessments
Contact Neil Cobb if you need help registering with GBIF.