OpenBioMaps – self-hosted data management platform and distributed service for biodiversity related data

Abstract

AbstractBiodiversity related observational data are collected in a variety of ways and for a variety of purposes, mostly in the form of some sort of organised data collection action. Data management solutions are often developed to manage the data collection processes and organise the data, which may work well on their own but are less compatible with other data management tools.In a continuous development process, we have created the OpenBioMaps (OBM) biodiversity data management platform, which can be used as a self-hosted data management platform and as a free service, hosted by several institutions for biological database projects. OBM has the ability to integrate biological databases without any structural or functional constraints, allowing a high degree of flexibility in data management and development; it provides interfaces to facilitate communication between different end-user communities, including scientists, citizens, conservationists and educational staff. We have also established a network of OBM services based on collaboration between government, educational and scientific institutions and NGOs to provide a public service to those who lack the capacity or knowledge to set up or manage their own self-hosted servers.OpenBioMaps uniquely focuses on the entire data management process, from building the data structure to data collection, visualisation, sharing and processing.