Anabela Plos
Administrator of the Argentine Node of GBIF since 2015, Regional Support for the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean of the BID-GBIF Program.
I’m interested in digitization of biological collections, digitization protocols, standardization, and data quality. A taxonomist by training, graduated from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum – National University of La Plata (Biology, Botany), with studies in anatomy, morphology, optical and electron microscopy techniques, georeferencing, molecular biology, cladistics, and biogeography.
Within the GBIF community, I have held several roles: member of the GBIF Nodes Committee (2nd Vice Chair) for the period 2021-2025 and regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean for the period 2016-2021. I provide training for staff responsible for digitizing collections at the national, regional, and international levels, expanding the capacity of collection centers to manage the digitization of primary biodiversity data and its integration into the data portals. Tutor/mentor in the Biodiversity Information for Development program.
But I’m also interested in citizen science and the natural history collections: I lead the City Nature Challenge and Great Southern Bioblitz citizen science initiatives in Argentina. Ambassador for the iNaturalist network. Founding member of the Ibero-American Network of Open and Participatory Science (RICAP) and the Red Naturalia, which brings together staff from natural science collections in Argentina and Latin America.
In other areas, I consider myself a developing Wikimedian, as I often participate in activities with platforms such as Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and explore new ways to use them in my daily work with open biodiversity data.
Abstract
Data Dissemination of Global Biodiversity
This presentation will focus on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and its role in collecting and sharing primary biodiversity data worldwide. GBIF provides free, open, and easy access to biodiversity information for anyone, supporting research, conservation, and decision-making. The talk will cover the types of data published on GBIF and the safeguards it uses, such as Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), Creative Commons licenses, author and institution attribution, and common data standards.
GBIF has nodes in many countries across Latin America and the Caribbean that coordinate biodiversity data sharing and collaboration. While some countries contribute large amounts of data, others are still developing their involvement. The Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) initiative, funded by the European Union and managed by GBIF, supports these regions by funding projects that help fill data gaps. BID strengthens biodiversity data coverage in underrepresented areas, helping global conservation efforts.