With support from EU-funded B-Cubed project, GBIF introduces new summary format suited to biodiversity modelling and indicators

GBIF has enabled a simple, easy-to-use service for creating and downloading species occurrence cubes based on GBIF-mediated data. The service enables users to select their geographic, temporal and taxonomic dimensions of interest to generate customised reports summarising occurrences in a format suitable for use in biodiversity models and indicators. Its implementation is part of the work of the Horizon Europe project B-Cubed (Biodiversity Building Blocks for Policy).

The new data cube service standardises access to biodiversity data for producing Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) as well as indicator workflows and models for climate and land use change created by B-Cubed partners. Specific case studies will test the capacity of indicator workflows to capture relevant aspects of biodiversity change based on different policy targets.

By providing species occurrence measures across user-defined dimensions and resolutions, cubes significantly expand the usability of GBIF-mediated data. The ability for users to define biodiversity dimensions across time, space and taxa and obtain species occurrence counts at those resolutions will improve integration with other data sources.

For example, species occurrences have an important role in calibrating and validating biodiversity models derived from satellite imagery, but to date, differences in temporal and spatial resolutions have required considerable data processing. By better matching the scale and resolution, data cubes can aid users to build more robust models of species distribution and biodiversity change more efficiently and improve biodiversity baselines and monitor changes over time.

Find out more about the new download function here.

##########################################
This new implementation is part of B3's WP2, led by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). B3 (Biodiversity Building Blocks for policy) receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme (ID No 101059592). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the EU nor the EC can be held responsible for them.