All posts tagged with open-data

Sixty-two million pages of scientific text, images, and metadata, representing 500 years of biodiversity data will be openly accessible via the Registry of Open Data on AWS

The BHL Technical Team is thrilled to announce that Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) datasets will be openly accessible on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud, thanks to the AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program. Moving BHL data to the cloud allows researchers globally to explore and analyze over 500 years of biodiversity data, enhancing their ability to derive scientific insights from our shared past to inform future global environmental policy.

BHL data is now hosted on AWS, and comprises over 62 million pages of scientific text from the 15th to the 21st centuries. BHL’s vast collection represents an unparalleled biodiversity resource with enormous potential to be used for longitudinal studies and conservation efforts.

The Biodiversity Heritage Library has joined the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) as an Associate Participant. GBIF operates through a network of global nodes to develop and maintain an open data infrastructure for sharing digital biodiversity data. As an Associate Participant, BHL will encourage open access and use of biodiversity data among its stakeholders and actively participate in the implementation of the GBIF Work Programme. “BHL provides open and free access to over 250 years of biodiversity information via web services and open APIs,” said Martin Kalfatovic, BHL Program Director.