Metadata on Biodiversity: Definition and Implementation

Abstract

SINP (Information system on nature and landscape) and ECOSCOPE (Observation for research on biodiversity data hub) are two distinct scientific infrastructures on biodiversity relying on different data sources and producers. Their main objective is to document and share information on biodiversity in France. INPN (https://inpn.mnhn.fr) is the reference information system for data related to nature. It manages and disseminates the reference data of the "geodiversity and biodiversity" part of the SINP, and deliver the metadata and data to GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility). For SINP and Ecoscope projects, working groups composed of scientific organisations have defined two compliant metadata profiles, also compliant with INSPIRE Directive, to describe data on this thematic. These profiles are implemented using existing metadata standards: ISO 19115/19139 (for geographic metadata) for SINP and EML (Ecological Metadata Language) and ISO 19115/19139 for ECOSCOPE. A mapping has also been processed between the two profiles, as well as several thesaurus for keywords and a classification system for taxonomic identification are used, so as to ensure interoperability between systems. The profiles are implemented in web applications for editing and managing data (GeoSource/GeoNetwork for SINP and an ad hoc application for ECOSCOPE). These applications allow the harvesting of metadata using OGC/CSW (Catalog Service for the Web) standard. Next steps will support increased metadata visibility through the automatization of web-services.