JRS Biodiversity Foundation grants ETI proposal
Added: January 4 2009
The project proposal by TanBIF, ETI BioInformatics and Viafrica on ‘A Species Information Authoring Tool Underpinning Distributed, Collaborative Information Harvesting and Sharing in Tanzania’ was awarded with a 200,000 US dollar grant from the JRS Biodiversity Foundation. The project focuses on promoting an active use of the Tanzanian biodiversity information webportal in the information exchange in the Tanzanian society. TanBIF’s website, built with ETI's BioPortal Toolkit, dynamically harvest biodiversity information from quality sources in response to textual or map-based queries. In the project ETI will extent the functionality of the TanBIF portal with a photo-upload tool for tourists, and a special biodiversity project tool for schools. The species authoring tool will be enhanced to facilitate collaboration in information generation. TanBIF will facilitate local training sessions and promote nation wide information harvesting. Viafrica will engage selected schools in the project and develop learning materials and training of teachers. In addition to the enhanced TanBIF website, CD-based information systems are foreseen. The project’s output will be available to other countries in the region; contact ETI for more information.

Vice President opens TanBIF BioPortal website
Added: November 6 2008
The Vice President of Tanzania, His Excellency Dr Ali Mohammed Shein, officially launched the TanBIF webportal at the occasion the 15th meeting of the Governing Board of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) in Arusha, Tanzania. The webportal was developed by ETI BioInformatics based on its BioPortal Toolkit, in close cooperation with Tanzanian scientists. The development was part of a CEPDEC Pilot Project, initiated by GBIF, and funded by the Danish Government. The TanBIF portal unlocks a wealth of biodiversity information of relevance for biodiversity research, education and policy making. Data are dynamically harvested from many sources including the GBIF data network and other qualified sources such as IUCN, CITES, Prota, and others. A species information system, continuously updated with contributions from various Tanzanian research institutes, forms the core of the portal.

Launched: Marine Species Identification Portal (MarBEF/KeyToNature)
Added: October 17 2008
We are proud to announce the launch of the Marine Species Identification Portal, an initiative of ETI BioInformatics under MARBEF (an EC funded Network of Excellence) and KeyToNature (a project in the EC e-contentPlus Programme). This website provides open access to scientific information on marine species, including identification keys, to support the scientific community in activities such bio-monitoring programs, and to provide students and other interested parties with general information on marine biodiversity. The Marine Species Portal unlocks information on 9,875 marine species and 5,545 higher taxa, most with descriptions and illustrations. A total of 7,932 taxa are keyed out in 52 identification keys. Furthermore 19,876 synonyms plus 2,782 vernacular names in English, and 8,389 names in 25 other languages, facilitate searching.

The information was compiled over a period of 10 years by a global network of collaborating taxonomists started with UNESCO support. Currently 31 species documentation projects are included; information on authors and other contributors can be found for each section under the menu item ‘credits’. Most projects are also available on CD-ROM published in ETI's World Biodiversity Database series. The information and identification systems presented here were constructed using the Linnaeus II taxonomic data management package that is downloadable from the ETI website. Differences in geographic coverage and taxonomic treatments are the consequence of a decentralized, author-driven mechanism that ETI set up for species documentation; a process that is still ongoing.

The Marine Species Portal is very much a work in progress; other functionality such as dynamic maps will be added. Your participation to improve, enhance and increase the content of this site is much appreciated and encouraged! If you have keys on missing taxa, hold better illustrations or more detailed descriptions, don't hesitate to contribute! This is your site; we merely facilitate the information sharing process! We are interested in your feedback to improve the information service.

Soortenbank uitgebreid met reptielen en amfibieën!
Added: June 5 2008
Soortenbank is uitgebreid met informatie over in Nederland voorkomende soorten reptielen en amfibieën. Naast de algemene en wetenschappelijke namen, worden korte beschrijvingen en kleurenfoto’s aangeboden. Van 10 soorten amfibieën zijn geluiden beschikbaar. Per soort is ook de leefwijze, het biotoop en de verspreiding in Nederland aangegeven. Determineren kan met een sleutel op basis van illustraties en een “snelzoeker” waarin vrij gekozen kan worden welke kenmerken te gebruiken. Er wordt ook een cd-rom gepubliceerd: De Interactieve Reptielen en Amfibieëngids voor gebruik onafhankelijk van het internet.

De soortenbank is een initiatief van ETI BioInformatics in samenwerking met een netwerk van biodiversiteitinstellingen en taxonomische specialisten. De website biedt gedetailleerde gegevens over bijna 5000 soorten en ondersoorten. Doel is om een ieder die uit hobby of professioneel in de natuur is geïnteresseerd een handig instrument te bieden om de biodiversiteit in de leefomgeving te determineren. Op termijn zullen de zoogdieren en zoetwatervissen toegevoegd.

De soortenbank is een bijdrage aan de activiteiten van de Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF Species Banks) en de Encyclopedia of Life (EoL) en maakt deel uit van het Key2Nature project van de Europese Unie.

Afrotropical robber-flies added to the World Biodiversity Database
Added: June 5 2008
The new Lasiocnemus project by Torsten Dikow summarises taxonomic information about the robber-fly genus Lasiocnemus. It provides diagnoses and descriptions, interactive identification tools as well as photographs of all known species.

European launch Catalogue of Life Annual Checklist 2008
Added: May 22 2008
ETI is proud to announce the European launch of the Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life (CoL) Annual Checklist 2008 at the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of Species2000 at the Natural History Museum in London. The CoL 2008 covers more than 1.1 million species and provides a validated taxonomic backbone for biodiversity information services such as offered by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the Encyclopedia of Life (EoL), the Consortium for the Bar Coding of Life (CBOL) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The Catalogue of Life, available on CD and on the Internet (www.catalogueoflife.org), is the result of a worldwide collaboration involving 52 contributing databases, hundreds of taxonomic specialists, and organisations focused on informatics. The consortium aims to cover all estimated 1.8 million known species of plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and viruses by 2011.

The CoL endeavour is a truly distributed project, integrating input from many parties (for content and technology) worldwide. The project is led by Prof. Frank Bisby (Species2000) and by Dr Thomas Orrell (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). ETI BioInformatics has developed the user interface, database system and webservice for the CoL, and is responsible for the production.

The Col 2008 CD-ROM can be obtained at the Species2000 Secretariat (www.species2000.org). A webservice to link the CoL to your own website is available as well.

BioWie website online
Added: May 22 2008
Op 14 mei jl. is de BioWie website geopend: een digitale gids of 'smoelenboek' van personen (professioneel of particulier) die betrokken zijn bij biodiversiteit in Nederland. Hier kunnen mensen elkaar vinden vanuit een gedeelde interesse en betrokkenheid bij biodiversiteit of biodiversiteitbeleid. Het doel van BioWie is het bevorderen van de samenwerking en de uitwisseling van kennis en informatie.

BioWie is ontwikkeld in het kader van het comBIO-programma (communicatie Biodiversiteit Internationaal Overheidsbreed), een gezamenlijk initiatief van de departementen betrokken bij het nationale en internationale biodiversiteitbeleid (het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit, het ministerie van Volkshuisvesting Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer, het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, het ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat, het ministerie van Economische Zaken, het ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen en het ministerie van Defensie.

Het comBIO-programma wordt in opdracht van het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit uitgevoerd door de adviesbureaus NovioConsult Van Spaendonck, CREM en Pauw Sanders Zeilstra Van Spaendonck. De technische ontwikkeling is uitgevoerd door ETI Bioinformatics.

BioWie website online
Added: May 22 2008
On 14 May the BioWie website was launched: an online directory and ‘face book’ of people involved with biodiversity in The Netherlands. It serves as a central meeting point and accommodates locating persons who share common interests of commitments. BioWie aims to improve collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and information.

The ‘BioWie’ platform was developed in the context of the comBIO programme, a shared initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Ministry of Housing Spatial Planning and Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry van Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the Ministry van Economic Affairs, the Ministry van Education, Culture and Science en the Ministry of Defence.

The comBIO programme is carried out in assignment for the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality by: consultancy agencies of 'NovioConsult Van Spaendonck, CREM’ and ‘Pauw Sanders Zeilstra Van Spaendonck’; technical development is done by ETI Bioinformatics.