iDiv- Biodiversity Informatics Unit (BDU)

Description

The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)External link funded by the GExternal linkerman Research Foundation (DGF), is a hub for international biodiversity science whose central mission is to promote theory-driven synthesis and data-driven theory. The concept of iDiv encompasses detection and quantification of biodiversity, understanding its existence and emergence, exploring it’s consequences for ecosystem functions and services, and developing new strategies to safeguard biodiversity.

No single institution – not even a whole generation of scientists – possesses the intellectual capacity to exploit the potential of the data it generates and assembles. Without efficient data storage and sharing within iDiv, between iDiv and the outside, and between current and future generations of scientists, much of these valuable and expensive data will be prone to deterioration and eventually lost. At the same time, data is gaining an ever increasing role in scientific progress and, in particular, constitute the raw material for the research groups. In view of this the iDiv’s Biodiversity Informatics Unit (BDU) has been established in the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU) and its main tasks and responsibilities are –

1. Design and develop iDiv’s data management portal using the modular and scalable BExIS ++ framework as the foundation.
2. Cater to sDiv External linkworkshop requirements related to biodiversity data management, integration and storage.
3. Ensure safe, long-term storage and back-ups of the data.
4. In consultation with the stakeholders within iDiv consortium develop biodiversity data-sharing policy, enforcement strategies and mechanisms to provide incentives for data sharing.
5. Develop and implement plans to encourage biodiversity data paper publications for facilitating data discovery and dissemination.
6. Technical and organisational integration of the unit’s work in national and international networks.
7. Teaching biodiversity data management courses at iDiv’s graduate school (yDiv).
8. Coordinating the biodiversity informatics unit’s work with that of the bioinformatics and biodiversity synthesis within iDiv