OBIS is a marine biodiversity data platform and a community: it relies on the contributions and involvement of individuals and institutions to grow. We have listed below six potential entry points to contribute to OBIS, become an OBIS Node, or support the Community. If you do not find a path that suits you or if you need additional information, send the OBIS Secretariat a message at helpdesk@obis.org.
Transition from local marine biodiversity data holder to becoming a global contributor: make your data available on OBIS! We welcome data contributors from all regions and backgrounds, whether you are a marine biologist, part of a privately funded project, an institution, or a citizen science initiative. Beyond marine occurrence data, you can contribute to OBIS with numerous data types, such as, for example, presence and absence data, abiotic and biotic measurements, or DNA-derived data, including DNA sequences.
To publish a dataset to OBIS, there are five main steps you must go through:
You will receive support and guidance at each step of the process. Read more about how to contribute to OBIS with marine biodiversity data: https://manual.obis.org/contribute.html#why-publish-data-to-obis
Are you using OBIS data? Cite it! You will make data providers more visible and their contributions properly acknowledged. Data citation creates a virtuous cycle that strengthens the entire global marine biodiversity data chain. Learn how to cite OBIS data: https://manual.obis.org/citing.html
If you have solid experience in marine biodiversity data and the Darwin Core data format, as well as available time, you can offer support to a Node on a volunteer basis. Below is the list of Nodes open for volunteer support, along with a description of the kind of support needed, the expected involvement, and the required skills.
There is no request for support at the moment. Come back later!