Around 100 invited experts from around the world will gather in Copenhagen in July 2012 for the Global Biodiversity Informatics Conference (GBIC), to discuss how informatics can best meet the challenges posed by biodiversity science and policy.

The conference, to be hosted in Copenhagen University beside the headquarters of the GBIF secretariat, will focus on the practical steps needed to provide the information needs of global commitments such as the Aichi 2020 targets to halt biodiversity loss.

GBIC will bring together experts in the fields of biodiversity informatics, genomics, earth observation, natural history collections, and biodiversity research and policy. Through a series of structured workshops led by interdisciplinary teams of experts, the conference will address questions such as:

• What are the opportunities for novel integration of data to support science?
• What are the most significant biodiversity data products and applications that the community could develop to address issues such as:

              o     the degradation of ecosystem services;
              o     patterns and impacts of habitat loss and climate change;
              o     the spread of invasive and pest species that threaten environmental                                              health and food security?

• How can breakthrough research in computer science and new informatics tools enhance fundamental research on populations, species, communities and entire ecosystem landscapes?
• What new organizational structures and interactions are needed to make this possible?

Attendance at GBIC will be by invitation only. The outcome will be published in the form of a Global Biodiversity Informatics Outlook (GBIO), intended as the main background document for the e-Biosphere 2013 conference that will take place in London on 11-13 March 2013. An advanced draft of GBIO will be circulated at the IUCN World Congress and CBD Conference of Parties in September/October 2012.

GBIC is funded jointly by the GBIF and the Coordination of Research e-Infrastructure Activities Towards an International Virtual Environment for Biodiversity (CReATIVE-B) project, part of the EU-funded Lifewatch programme. Its organizing committee includes, in addition, representatives from Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), the Consortium of Barcode of Life (CBOL) and Natural History Museum, London (NHM).

For inquiries, please contact:
gbic2012@gbif.org

Or

Tim Hirsch
Senior Programme Officer for Engagement
GBIF Secretariat
thirsch@gbif.org

From 20 April, more details and documents will be available at
www.gbic2012.org.