Collections

This collection hosts outputs from the FP7-funded EU project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON). The project proposes an innovative approach in terms of integration of biodiversity information systems from on-ground to remote sensing data, for addressing policy and information needs in a timely and customized way.

This collection hosts outputs from the FP7-funded EU project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON). The project proposes an innovative approach in terms of integration of biodiversity information systems from on-ground to remote sensing data, for addressing policy and infor ...

Addressing today’s global environmental challenges requires access to significant quantities of data. This holds especially true for the natural sciences, where one rich data trove remains unearthed: The European scientific collections. These jointly hold more than 1.5 billion objects, representing 80% of the world’s bio- and geo-diversity. With only 10 % of these objects digitised, their information remains vastly underused, thus impeding potential applications of this critical scientific resource.

The EU-funded ICEDIG project – “Innovation and Consolidation for Large Scale Digitisation of Natural Heritage” - aims to support the implementation phase of the new Research Infrastructure DiSSCo (“Distributed System of Scientific Collections”) by designing and addressing the technical, financial, policy and governance aspects necessary to operate such a large distributed initiative for natural sciences collections across Europe. This collection of articles highlights the major outputs of the ICEDIG project over the last three years (January 2018 to March 2020).

Addressing today’s global environmental challenges requires access to significant quantities of data. This holds especially true for the natural sciences, where one rich data trove remains unearthed: The European scientific collections. These jointly hold more than 1.5 billion objects, representing  ...

European natural history collections play a critical role in mapping a sustainable future for ourselves and the natural systems on which we depend. Since 2004 the EC funded SYNTHESYS programme has been supporting this community, underpinning new ways to access and exploit natural science collections, harmonising collections policy and funding collections-based research for more than 4000 scientists.

SYNTHESYS+ is the fourth iteration of this programme, running from February 2019 to January 2023.  This growing collection of articles highlights major outputs from SYNTHESYS+ over the four year of activity, covering topics such as our new digitisation on-demand service, the construction of a European Loans and Visits System (ELViS) and a new data processing platform (the Specimen Data Refinery), applying artificial intelligence to speed up the digital mobilisation of natural history collections.

European natural history collections play a critical role in mapping a sustainable future for ourselves and the natural systems on which we depend. Since 2004 the EC funded SYNTHESYS programme has been supporting this community, underpinning new ways to access and exploit natural science collections ...