Following the launch of the new portal, GBIF is now shifting focus toward implementation of a range of approaches for identifying gaps or areas of ignorance within GBIF-mediated data, including gaps in taxonomic, spatial and temporal coverage. These issues were highlighted in last year's Ebbe Nielsen Challenge and in scientific literature, including yesterday's new paper in Scientific Reports by Julien Troudet and colleagues.
The GBIF Content Mobilization Priorities 2017 provide three main calls to action:
- Address major geospatial gaps: calling for the urgent mobilization of additional GBIF-compatible biodiversity data from all countries that currently have an average of less than one record per square kilometer
- Mobilize sampling-event data: calling for agencies and organizations that carry out field surveys or manage such data to publish them for wider use through the GBIF network
- Digitize natural history collections: calling for additional investments to liberate data from all the world’s natural history collections
GBIF strongly encourages all relevant stakeholders to consider opportunities to mobilize data that will address these priorities, and we encourage funding agencies to fund activities that will contribute new data in these areas.