The Portuguese Node of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF.PT) was selected to join the network of open research data repositories of the National Program for Open Science and Open Research Data (PN CADAI). This initiative, managed by FCT through FCCN, and financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), aims to strengthen the management and sharing of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data in Portugal.
Created in 2013, GBIF.PT has played a strategic role in the dissemination and management of biodiversity data, aligning itself with the objectives of PN CADAI. Its main activities include support for the scientific community, training and qualification in data management, as well as the promotion of good practices in sharing scientific information.
Within the scope of this program, GBIF.PT has established three main objectives:
1. Expansion of training programs – in addition to face-to-face workshops on computer science applied to biodiversity, massive open online courses (MOOC) will be developed in Portuguese.
2. Greater private sector involvement – encouraging the publication of data from Environmental Impact Assessments and Monitoring Programs, based on EDP’s positive experience. Local administration will also be a target sector for data sharing.
3. Strengthening support for data publishing – promoting the adoption of the new GBIF data model and exploring the application of experience gained to other natural resources and environment domains.
The Portuguese GBIF Node, based at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA) since 2015, has the mission of integrating and supporting Portuguese data providers in the GBIF network, ensuring the accessibility of biodiversity information for scientific and social purposes. GBIF.PT's work is based on principles of independence, neutrality, quality of information and collaboration.
GBIF is an international biodiversity data network funded by governments around the world, providing open access to more than three billion species occurrence records. Among them, 221 million include images, audio or video, containing detailed information about location, date, observer and habitat conditions. Data published through GBIF are widely used in scientific research and policy-making, including studies of biodiversity, biogeography, agriculture, climate change and public health, among others.
This selection of GBIF.PT to integrate the PN CADAI reinforces Portugal's commitment to promoting open science and valuing biodiversity data as an essential resource for knowledge and evidence-based decision-making.