As part of its work programme, Biodiversa+ aims to support data interoperability and harmonisation of biodiversity monitoring databases.
In this context, Biodiversa+ has published a report on the harmonisation and interoperability of datasets across regions and countries in May 2023. This report provides a state of the art, based on the literature. It also identifies data interoperability and harmonisation challenges as well as possible support from Biodiversa+.
The report highlights 3 main challenges:
- a need for common (meta)data standards;
- the lack of adequate capacity building and knowledge sharing opportunities;
- hindrances related to the current governance of biodiversity monitoring.
These challenges and possible ways of overcoming them were identified during two workshops. The first workshop focused on the European and global databases and initiatives. The second workshop explored national and sub-national databases and initiatives and had participants brainstorming on the three main challenges listed in the report.
Lastly, the report maps national and sub-national biodiversity monitoring databases and identifies their data workflows and architecture, what are data used for, best practices and main challenges faced by these databases. This mapping was developed based on the outcomes of a survey shared with the Biodiversa+ partners and participants of the two workshops.
