OTS database information on GBIF

As of today, the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) started sharing species database information with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), an organization whose stated mission is to facilitate the open access of global biodiversity data via the internet with the goal of aiding sustainable development.  

For María Auxiliadora Mora, representative for GBIF in Costa Rica, “the support of OTS represents a great scientific contribution for this country and the world over, and can aid in decision making processes that help to conserve biodiversity”.

The first collection of data that OTS is providing to GBIF is the Florula of Las Cruces, which consists of an open access database (http://www.ots.ac.cr/florulalc) that houses information on the flora found at the Las Cruces Biological Station, located in San Vito, Coto Brus county.

For Dr. Zak Zahawi, Director of the Las Cruces Biological Station and Wilson Botanical Garden “this action represents a big leap forward for the station and its databases, making these data accessible to more scientists all over the world”.

Among the positive aspects of sharing data with GBIF, it is worth mentioning that when a user searches for a particular species (http://data.gbif.org/occurrences/search.htm), the system provides information obtained from different databases that are managed throughout the world and by different providers, of which OTS is now one. 

In the upcoming months, OTS will continue to add additional data from its collections to share with GBIF.