GBIF developed the Harvesting and Indexing Toolkit (HIT) as a software platform to manage biodiversity data harvesting and quickly build indexes of the harvested data.

This Java-based tool can harvest data from providers publishing their data through three protocols: DiGIR, BioCASe, and TAPIR. It can also harvest data directly from a single data dump, created in accordance with the new Darwin Core Archive standard. Built in such a way that it is fully extensible, the HIT will allow additional protocols to be easily incorporated in the future.

Schedule for 2010

April

• 7th - Call for testing RC 1 opens
• 23rd - GBIF HIT RC 1 made available
• 28th - Call for testing RC 1 closes, and testing commenced

June

• 25th - Testing closes, and final reports delivered by testers

July

• 9th - Final report from testing feedback published

September

• 17th - GBIF HIT RC 2 made available

December

• 10th - GBIF HIT Release 1.0 made available

More details are available on the HIT here.