Biodiversity Information Science and Standards :
Conference Abstract
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Corresponding author: Vijay Barve (vijay.barve@gmail.com)
Received: 05 Sep 2023 | Published: 07 Sep 2023
© 2023 Vijay Barve
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Barve V (2023) Elevating the Fitness of Use of GBIF Occurrence Datasets: A proposal for peer review. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 7: e112237. https://doi.org/10.3897/biss.7.112237
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Biodiversity data plays a pivotal role in understanding and conserving our natural world. As the largest occurrence data aggregator, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) serves as a valuable platform for researchers and practitioners to access and analyze biodiversity information from across the globe (
The community emphasizes the importance of data quality and its direct impact on the fitness of use for biodiversity research and conservation efforts (
I highlight a missing component in GBIF's data publication process: the absence of formal peer reviews. Despite GBIF encompassing the essential elements of a data paper, including detailed metadata, data accessibility, and robust data citation mechanisms, the lack of peer review hinders the credibility and reliability of the datasets mobilized through GBIF.
To bridge this gap, I propose the implementation of a comprehensive peer review system within GBIF. Peer reviews would involve subjecting GBIF datasets to rigorous evaluation by domain experts and data scientists, ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of the data. This process would enhance the trustworthiness and usability of datasets, enabling researchers and policymakers to make informed decisions based on reliable biodiversity information.
Furthermore, the establishment of a peer review system within GBIF would foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among the biodiversity community, as experts provide constructive feedback to dataset authors. This iterative process would not only improve data quality but also encourage data contributors to adhere to best practices, thereby elevating the overall standards of biodiversity data mobilization through GBIF.
biodiversity data, data quality, Global Biodiversity Information Facility data publication
Vijay Barve
TDWG 2023