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AADC makes 7 datasets, totaling 342,099 records, available through the OBIS Portal. The AADC is a part of the Australian Antarctic science program. AADC manages science data from Australia's Antarctic research; maps Australia's areas of interest in the Antarctic region; manages Australia's Antarctic state of the environment reporting; fabricates, installs, and manages Australia's Antarctic station tide gauges; provides advice and education and a range of other products. The AADC was established in 1995 as a repository for scientific data resulting from the Australian Antarctic Science Program. Data resulting from the science program is the property of the Australian Government. However, in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty's Article 3.1.c, the Australian Government has made these data publicly available after two years from the date of collection. All data within the AADC is discoverable and described through their metadata system.
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BATS is a collaboration between the Virgnina Institute of Marine Science, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Russian Academy of Sciences’ Zoological Institute, the Smithsonian Institutions’ National Museum of Natural History, and the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Inc. The goal is developing a multi-species inventory of zooplankton and micronekton at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study (BATS) station, a 13-year, ongoing oceanographic time series situated in the western North Atlantic subtropical gyre, or Sargasso Sea.
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The BioMar project demonstrated methods and produced a good practice guide for the collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination of marine ecological and environmental data for coastal management. The application of this system in coastal nature conservation management in particular was demonstrated with data from Britain and Ireland. However, the system has application to other European countries, and relevance to the management of other coastal resources.
The project began in 1992 and the final report made available in June 1997. Administrative Co-ordination of BioMar was by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in Ireland with Scientific Co-ordination by Trinity College Dublin (TCD). The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the UK, were partners in the project. The company AIDEnvironment (The Netherlands) made a contribution during the first year of the project, and there were sub-contracts with specialists in Galway, Ireland. The main tasks in the project (and the partner with primary responsibility) were to:
· Develop a marine biotopes classification (JNCC);
· Survey marine biotopes in Ireland (TCD);
· Survey maritime biotopes in Ireland (NPWS);
· Assess remote survey methods (Newcastle);
· Develop computerised data storage, analysis, and dissemination systems (TCD with JNCC);
· Provide an inventory of marine protected areas in Europe (AID Environment).
Canadian Regional OBIS Node (Canadian RON)
The Canadian RON, managed by Bob Branton at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, acts as a data integrator of many marine diversity research groups in Canada. The Canadian RON gives the OBIS Portal accessibility to 13 datasets, totaling 489,023 records, maintained or managed by different governmental and non-governmental agencies within Canada, including:
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AC CDC aims to be an authoritative and reliable source for comprehensive, accurate and objective information on Atlantic Canada's natural heritage, with principal focus on the species and ecological communities in their region that are globally, nationally or provincially rare in occurrence and, in some cases, endangered at one or more of these levels. The Centre collects data on rare and imperiled species and plant communities and their management in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The AC CDC uses a methodology employed by approximately 90 conservation data centres (CDCs) in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. The AC CDC, like all other Canadian CDCs, is a member of NatureServe, an international non-profit organization based in Arlington, Virginia. NatureServe develops and provides (a) central science and technical support to all CDCs and (b) biodiversity information products and services spanning multiple nations, states and provinces in the Western Hemisphere. They are based in Sackville, New Brunswick on the campus of Mount Allison University.
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BIO is a modern oceanographic research facility, established in 1962 by the Federal Government of Canada and is located on the shores of the Bedford Basin in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. BIO is Canada's largest center for ocean research and first major federal center devoted to oceanography. Four government departments, inhabiting its 40 acre campus, perform targeted research mandated by government or in partnership, advise on marine environments including fisheries and offshore hydrocarbon resources, provide navigational charts for waters from Georges Bank to the Canadian Arctic, and respond to environmental emergencies.
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The CBIF, as a member of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), is exploring new ways to improve the organization, exchange, correlation, and availability of primary data on biological species, including marine species, of interest to Canadians. By enhancing access to these data, CBIF provides a valuable resource that supports a wide range of social and economic decisions including efforts to conserve our biodiversity in healthy ecosystems, use our biological resources in sustainable ways, and monitor and control pests and diseases.
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The Canadian Museum of Nature is home to one of the world's largest and finest natural history collections. Comprised of 24 major science collections of more than 10 million specimens, the Museum's holdings cover four billion years of Earth history. In addition to preserving these precious specimens for posterity, the collection is a vital resource for scientists, researchers and museums in Canada and around the world. For instance, by examining past patterns of species distribution, climate change and extinction, paleobiology research helps scientists understand natural events that occur during environmental changes and assists in predicting future consequences. The museum uses the past to prepare for the future. The specimens provide the backbone for many special exhibitions and signature galleries, and they greatly enhance the museum’s educational programmes, designed for adults, teens and children, about the natural world.
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The CMB is a non-profit society, established in the Fall of 2000 to enhance Canadian scientific capacity in support of the protection of marine biodiversity, with a focus on the Northwest Atlantic. Although the CMB has an initial focus on the Northwest Atlantic, there is some information concerning both the Pacific and Arctic environments. The CMB was formed in response to the 1992 Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) and FAO's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing, which have established an international framework for broader conservation objectives for the management of ocean use activities. Consistent with these international legal instruments, the 1997 Oceans Act defines Canada's obligation to incorporate ecosystem considerations within an Oceans Management Strategy (OMS). In addition, the pending Species-At-Risk legislation (SARA) addresses a high profile component of these broader conservation objectives. Under the new legislation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada is to take the lead in developing the OMS, and will be responsible for protection of marine species under SARA. The mandate of the Centre is to provide a focus for structuring independent research efforts toward an overall synthesis of information on marine biodiversity. Scientists working under the auspices of the CMB undertake leading-edge research in fisheries, marine ecology, physical oceanography and related sciences, which, when combined with other CMB projects, contribute to an overall ecosystem approach to fisheries management and biodiversity issues. The CMB is host to a number of marine biodiversity databases.
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada is the lead federal government department responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters. This mandate includes responsibility for the conservation and sustainable use of Canada's fisheries resources while continuing to provide safe, effective and environmentally sound marine services that are responsive to the needs of Canadians in a global economy. Including those who serve in our fleet, at each of the six regional offices and at headquarters in Ottawa, Fisheries and Oceans Canada employs approximately 10,000 people across the country. The DFO mission is to deliver to Canadians the following outcomes:
· Safe and Accessible Waterways;
· Healthy and Productive Aquatic Ecosystems;
· Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture.
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HMSC is a unique independent not-for-profit scientific institution; with a mission of education, research, and technology transfer to industry. Located near the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, in eastern Canada, the HMSC is perfectly positioned to access one of the world's most biologically diverse marine ecosystems. The campus is located in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick, Canada which is on the shore of the St. Croix estuary, on the lower part of the Bay of Fundy. Its mission is to, through research and education, enhance knowledge and provide the leadership necessary to achieve sustainable development and effective management of the coastal environment by:
· Developing and transferring relevant science and technology to the private sector;
· Contributing to the training and education of future generations of scientists and technologists through the provision of unique research and teaching facilities to universities and other institutions;
· Pioneering marine education for elementary and secondary students and teachers and the general public in order that they may better understand and appreciate the importance of the coastal and marine environment; and
· Providing knowledge and service in the identification and classification of cold water fishes and other marine organisms through the maintenance and expansion of its internationally recognized Atlantic Reference Centre
Members include: Acadia University; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Heritage Salmon; McGill University; Mount Allison University; New Brunswick Department of Education; New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture; Stolt Sea Farm Inc.; The Atlantic Salmon Federation; Université de Moncton; University of Guelph; University of New Brunswick; University of Toronto; and University of Western Ontario.
ARC is a museum at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre for the identification and archiving of marine species in Atlantic Canada. ARC hosts the Bay of Fundy Species Information System, dedicated to providing taxonomic, biological and ecological information on marine algae, invertebrates, fish, mammals and shore birds in the Bay of Fundy region. The present project draws together key aspects of this knowledge with that of other partners into a database that allows rapid retrieval of information on species found, or likely to occur, in the Bay of Fundy. The project is a collaboration among the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government (ETF), the Centre of Marine Biodiversity (CMB), the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and the Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC).
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The Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History maintains a database for marine organisms, including birds, mammals, and fishes. It contains mostly Nova Scotia material but there is also representation from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the Northwest Territories, and other parts of North America. The ichthyology collection is the most extensive with over 2800 specimens. Temporally, specimens were collected from 1873 to 2002. The dataset was developed from the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History (NSMNH) - Museum Information Management System (MIMS) as an electronic catalogue of specimen and collecting information. The Museum is located in Haliax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Bob, does SABS play a role in the data that are provided to the Portal?
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HMAP forms the historical component of the Census of Marine Life program. It aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of how and why the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life in the world's oceans changes over the long term. To achieve this aim, HMAP engages in three forms of activity:
•Institutional Development: to co-ordinate the project, HMAP is developing institutional bases at the universities of Southern Denmark, Hull and New Hampshire.
•Discipline Building: to further the sub-discipline of marine environmental history, HMAP organizes graduate summer schools and workshops
•Research: to extend our knowledge of ecosystem dynamics, HMAP sponsors teams of historians, archaeologists, marine ecologists, biologists and fisheries scientists to analyze historical and environmental data relating to the exploitation by humans of marine animal populations over the last 2000 years. This research effort is currently focused on the following regional projects: North East Atlantic; World Whaling; Caribbean Sea; White and Barents Seas; South East Australian Shelf and Slope; Newfoundland & Grand Banks; Gulf of Maine; South West African Shelf.
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CephBase is a dynamic relational database-driven web site that has been online since 1998. The purpose of CephBase is to provide taxonomic data, life history, distribution, images, videos, references and scientific contact information on all living species of cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus) in an easy to access, user-friendly manner. James B. Wood and Catriona Day are the co-creators of CephBase, which is physically located at the National Resource Center for Cephalopods at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
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Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (U.S.A.) |
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The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people. EPA EMAP is a research program to develop the tools necessary to monitor and assess the status and trends of national ecological resources. EMAP's goal is to develop the scientific understanding for translating environmental monitoring data from multiple spatial and temporal scales into assessments of current ecological condition and forecasts of future risks to our natural resources. EMAP aims to advance the science of ecological monitoring and ecological risk assessment, guide national monitoring with improved scientific understanding of ecosystem integrity and dynamics, and demonstrate multi-agency monitoring through large regional projects. EMAP develops indicators to monitor the condition of ecological resources. EMAP also investigates designs that address the acquisition, aggregation, and analysis of multiscale and multitier data.
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FishBase is a large information system with key information about all fishes of the world, containing summaries, photos, and maps plus detailed standardized data on population dynamics, reproduction, trophic ecology, morphology, physiology genetics and other topics. FishBase is currently supported and supervised by a consortium of 8 international institutes and organizations. Data encoding and programming is done mostly by a group of specialists in the Philippines. There are also over 1000 partners world-wide who contribute photos and data and check entries for accuracy.
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Flanders Marine Institute (Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, VLIZ) |
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VLIZ houses the European OBIS node (EurOBIS) and is developing the Taxonomic Information System for the Belgian coastal area, a biogeographical data system containing a comprehensive list of species recorded from the Belgian coast, the Southern Bight of the North Sea and the surrounding countries. The focal area for this database spans from northern France (rocky shores north of Wimereux, where the fauna changes dramatically) to southern Holland, including the Delta area and the whole of the tidal part of the Scheldt estuary. Distributions from more distant locations are recorded only if they are also listed in publications dealing mainly with distribution records from the focus area. The precision with which the distribution records, both on the geographical and on the temporal scale, are recorded, is variable: the closer a record is to the focal area, the more details VLIZ attempts to record. VLIZ acts as a coordinating and information center for marine sciences in Flanders. It hosts the Flanders Marine Data and Information Centre, and deploys the vessel Zeeleeuw for oceanographic research. The Centre assembles different types of data and information, implements international standards, and (re)distributes data nationally and internationally. VLIZ is a membership organization. Any individual or group with an interest in research in the coastal zone can become a member.
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NeMys is a biological online data system developed and maintained at the Ghent University, Belgium, Marine Biology Section with a focus on marine Nematoda and Mysida. Ghent University offers high-quality, research-based education in all academic disciplines. Ghent University attracts over 26,000 students, with a foreign student population of over 1,000 EU citizens and some 900 students from non-EU countries. With a view to cooperation in research and scientific service, numerous research groups, centres and institutes have been founded over the years. Several of them are renowned worldwide, in various scientific disciplines such as biotechnology, aquaculture, microelectronics, and history. Ghent University invests an annual amount of more than 150 million euro in research projects on behalf of public and private partners. The Marine Biology Section of the Department of Biology of the Ghent University has been involved in ecological and systematic research of marine ecosystems since 1970. It has about 40 scientists (post-docs, Ph.D. and M.Sc. students) and 8 research assistants. The database application was designed in a fully generic way and can be used for any possible taxon. The main marine datasets now running on the system are the Mysida dataset and the Nematoda dataset. The Mysida dataset contains an up-to-date world list of the known taxa of this order. Linked to the list are a growing number of fully digital literature sources, geographical information, pictorial information, collection information and morphological information. The Nematoda dataset focuses on marine free-living Nematodes and data are added according to regions of research interest. Data are input at the Marine Biology Section, Ghent University (Mysida by Tim Deprez, Nematoda by several meiobenthic researchers).
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The Hexacorals Database at the University of Kansas, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center is a compilation of publications concerning taxonomy, nomenclature, and geographic distribution of extant hexacorallians - members of cnidarian orders Actiniaria (sea anemones in the strict sense), Antipatharia (black corals), Ceriantharia (tube anemones), Corallimorpharia (sea anemones in the loose sense), Ptychodactiaria (sea anemones in the loose sense), Scleractinia (hard or stony corals), and Zoanthidea (sea anemones in the loose sense). Hexacorallia also provides tools for interfacing geospatial, taxonomic, and environmental data for a group of marine invertebrates. Dr. Daphne Fautin is the Curator in charge at the museum and research center. The Kansas Geological Society at the University of Kansas hosts the web site.
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The Biotic Database of Indo-Pacific Marine Mollusks is a collaborative effort among The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the Australian Museum in Sydney, the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, and the California Academy of Sciences in San Franscisco. The editor-in-chief of the database is Gary Rosenberg at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, which also hosts the database. The database manager is Paul J. Morris, the editors are Winston Ponder, Peter Middelfart, Philippe Bouchet, and Terry Gosliner.
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Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (IFREMER) |
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IFREMER maintains the BIOCEAN database for deep-sea benthic ecological fauna. Ifremer 's missions are to conduct and promote basic and applied research, make expert assessment reports and take action for technological and industrial development intended to:
· identify, evaluate and enhance marine resources and enable their sustainable exploitation
· improve methods of monitoring, forecasting trends, protecting and enhancing marine and coastal environments
· encourage the economic development of maritime activities
IFREMER’s activities include:
· coastal environment management
· marine living resource management
· ocean research
· engineering and marine technology
· managing ocean research vessels and tools for underwater intervention
IFREMER has:
· an annual budget of nearly 150 million euros,
· 1,385 salaried employees at Ifremer and 320 salaried staff at Genavir (shipowner)
· 5 centres: Brest, Manche/mer du Nord, Méditerranée, Nantes, Tahiti
· 72 laboratories or research departments, located in 24 stations along the coastline of metropolitan France and in the French overseas administrative departments and territories
· an entire range of facilities for aquaculture production and experimentation
· 7 vessels ( 4 of them blue ocean), 1 manned submersible, 1 remotely-operated deep sea (- 6,000 m) vehicle
· a full set of test facilities
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National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S.A.) |
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NBI is a dynamic quantitative database on benthic species distributions and a corresponding taxonomic voucher collection of preserved benthic specimens obtained from studies conducted by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partnering institutions in estuarine and other coastal areas around the country. The database component is referred to as the National Benthic Infaunal Database (NBID) and the voucher component is referred to as the National Benthic Specimen Collection (NBSC). Both the NBID and the NBSC are maintained in the benthic ecology laboratory by the Coastal Ecology Program at the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s (NCCOS) Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR) in Charleston, SC. The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) conducts and supports research, monitoring, assessment, and technical assistance to people managing coastal ecosystems and society's use of them. Formed within the National Ocean Service in March 1999, it puts all NOAA's coastal research centers in one group. Each Center has specific capabilities and research expertise in important ocean and coastal issues. CCEHBR conducts interdisciplinary research to resolve issues related to coastal ecosystem health, environmental quality, and related public health impacts. Chemical, biomolecular, microbiological, and histological research is conducted to describe, evaluate, and predict the significant factors and outcomes of natural and human influences on marine and estuarine habitats. The Cooperative Oxford Laboratory in Oxford, Maryland is part of this Center.
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National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S.A.) |
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NOAA NODC manages the Plankton Subset of the World Ocean Database 2001 database of globally distributed plankton tows which are included in the World Ocean Database 2001 (WOD01). WOD01S is managed by the Ocean Climate Laboratory, a division of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. The primary objectives of the OCL are to:
· improve the quality of the NODC's oceanographic data archives by using the data to perform scientific analyses
· develop improved ocean climatologies for annual, seasonal, and monthly compositing periods
· investigate interannual-to-decadal ocean climate variability using historical oceanographic data
· build scientifically, quality-controlled global oceanographic databases
· facilitate international exchange of oceanographic data.
The OCL includes the International Data Exchange Group that conducts programs related to international affairs and oceanographic data exchange and also supports World Data Center for Oceanography, Silver Spring (WDC). Operated under the auspices of the U.S. Academy of Sciences, WDC is one of the U.S. discipline subcenters within the World Data Center system. There are two other World Data Centers for Oceanography, World Data Center-B for Oceanography, Obninsk, Russia and World Data Center- D, Oceanography, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
The OCL directs the international Global Oceanographic Data Archaeology and Rescue (GODAR) Project. Initiated by the NODC and WDC, this project was subsequently endorsed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. The GODAR Project has resulted in an increase of over six million historical ocean temperature profiles, 140,000 chlorophyll profiles, 1,400.000 plankton observations, as well as many other data.
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Ocean Biogeographic Information System – Spatial Ecological Analysis of Megavertabrate Populations (SEAMAP) |
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The Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University maintains the SEAMAP digital database of marine mammal, seabird, and sea turtle distribution and abundance. As part of OBIS, a group of investigators, led by Andrew Read of Duke University, is creating SEAMAP. Partners with Duke include UC San Diego, University of Washington, College of the Atlantic, St. Andrews University, British Antarctic Survey, SAHFOS, NMFS Southeast Fisheries Center, and several industries. The web-based system will allow the interactive display, query, and analysis of Digital Archive in conjunction with environmental data. Goals include:
· facilitating study of potential impacts on threatened species
· enhancing our ability to test hypothesis about biogeographic and biodiversity models
· supporting modeling efforts to predict distribution changes in response to environmental change.
· develop a strong public outreach component
The Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences provides educational opportunities for students at the doctoral level (PhD), graduate professional level (Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry), and undergraduate level. The school also offers undergraduate and graduate courses at the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, and a continuing education program (Duke Environmental Leadership program) including a master’s program for mid-career professionals and certificate and short courses.
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· SeamountsOnline is an NSF-funded project designed to gather information on species found in seamount habitats, and to provide a freely-available online resource for accessing and downloading these data. It is designed to facilitate research into seamount ecology, and to act as a resource for managers. SeamountsOnline is in active development, and data content is being expanded continually. At present, the data holdings primarily cover the fish and crustacea of the Hawaiian/Emperor chain and the Nasca/Sala-y-Gomez chain, and all metazoan taxa from the Norfolk Ridge. This project represents a collaboration between the San Diego Supercomputer and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, both in La Jolla, California, USA. The Census of Marine Life has just funded a Seamounts project (CenSeam), to be led by Malcolm Clark at NIWA in New Zealand.
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SAHFOS operates the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey of phytoplankton and zooplankton. The SAHFOS mission is to maintain the work of the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey and to promote research, education and knowledge about the marine environment. The Foundation has been collecting data from the North Atlantic and the North Sea on biogeography and ecology of phytoplankton and zooplankton since 1931. More recently, as the Foundation has become more involved in international projects, work has been expanded to include other regions around the globe. The results of the survey are used by marine biologists scientific institutes and in environmental change studies across the world. The CPR team is based in Plymouth, England and consists of analysts, technicians, researchers and administrators, who all play an integral part in the running of the survey. The Foundation depends on voluntary cooperation of the international shipping community. A consortium of agencies from nine countries, the EU and international organizations provide financial support.
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SOC, in Southampton, England, manages the Discovery Collections Midwater Database. SOC is one of the world’s leading centres for research and education in marine and earth sciences, for the development of marine technology and for the provision of large scale infrastructure and support for the marine research community. SOC, which opened in 1996, is a purpose-built development creating a centre for some 450 research scientists, lecturing and support staff as well over 600 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The SOC research mission aligns to the NERC “Science for a Sustainable Future” strategic plan 2002-2007 and the University of Southampton mission. SOC has a portfolio of long and short-term research, combining opportunities and expertise within the NERC and University systems; providing strategic advice to NERC and the UK Government; carrying out a variety of research commissioned by a wide-ranging customer base. Oceanography is an international science – much of the work at SOC is done in collaboration with other scientists, nationally and internationally.
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ZooGene is a DNA sequence database for calanoid copepods and euphausiids. The ZooGene partnership includes 4 principal investigators from the University of New Hampshire, University of Washington, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, in Woods Holes, Massachusetts, and 13 expert taxonomic consultants from seven countries, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, México, New Zealand, and U.S.A. ZooGene will be incorporated into the Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ) database to be housed at the University of New Hampshire, U.S.A.