The data available in EMODnet Biology are usually published through IPT instances, which may belong to an OBIS node (e.g., EurOBIS, OBIS UK, medOBIS), an institutional IPT (e.g., IEO, ILVO), a GBIF IPT (e.g., FinBIF, Spain), among others. Datasets published through an IPT instance undergo EMODnet Biology QC checks before becoming available through the EMODnet portal and associated web services. Datasets that do not pass these checks will be available in OBIS or GBIF.
If the data pass the QC checks, they are then added to the biodiversity database supporting the data infrastructure behind EMODnet Biology and EurOBIS and are published as a layer in a GeoServer instance that is used for the EMODnet viewer and also the EurOBIS download toolbox. All data available from these two viewers are the same and these data can also be found in the EDITO data lake, through a data flow that has been established between these two EU services, as three standardised files (Occurrence, MeasurementOrFact and DNA).
The EurOBIS IPT contains only the data that was published through this tool. Therefore, it does not correspond to all the data available in the viewers mentioned above because the source data remain where they are first published and by not exposing it (again) via the EurOBIS IPT, we avoid duplication in OBIS and GBIF.
The system is based on three key principles: federation (IPT instances), collaboration (dual data flow between the different initiatives), and network (through both the EMODnet Biology consortium and also the EurOBIS network). This data flow demonstrates the extent of data interoperability and reusability via multiple initiatives and services that use the same standards and data sharing tools.
Continuous improvements support the frequency of data availability through EMODnet Biology, currently on a quarterly basis, the publication of different data types (e.g., eDNA, seabed habitats) or other relevant information (e.g. taxa occurrence absences), as well as the improvement of the metadata exposed, the use of vocabularies and available output formats.