Objectives

"To set up the means, tools and infrastructure to produce a more rational and a more effective framework for European biodiversity research"

ViBRANT is about connecting the people, data and science of biodiversity...

Connecting people...  From remote islands to urban jungles, there are people studying biodiversity in every corner of the globe. ViBRANT helps connect these these people, enabling groups of like-minded individuals to work together regardless of their physical location. ViBRANT provides tools to support collaboration as part of Virtual Research Communities. Each community website (Scratchpad) contains tools and services that enable users to study biodiversity in all its different facets. From documenting and sharing datasets to describing new species, ViBRANT provides the means for a growing ecosystem of different communities to study the natural world.

Connecting data... Information about biodiversity is scattered in myriad of different places, from rare 18th Century manuscripts to expensive contemporary journals. Importantly most contemporary information about biodiversity is in the minds and computers of the people studying the natural world. ViBRANT helps defragment this information in several ways, from creating an online space for users to safely store and share data, to semantically connecting this information with the published literature. ViBRANT provides a window on the natural world through portals that can be customised to filter biodiversity data relevant to our users needs. ViBRANT is also researching ways to make biodiversity data standards more accessible, helping to improve the quality and reach of this information. 

Connecting science...  There is a disconnect between the producers of taxonomic and systematic information and the communities that use it. From back-garden naturalists to climate change scientists, people from all walks of life depend on accurate biodiversity information. ViBRANT aims to bridge this gap, using technology to help synthesise taxonomic data, making it more assessable and interchangeable for a range of different communities. ViBRANT is building tools to help professional and citizen scientists, from mobile phone applications that record biological information in the field, to complex data visualisations that help explain and predict the distribution of life on Earth. 

Our operational objectives are… 

1. to provide sustainable services in data mobilisation, integration, publication, sharing, use and reuse to research communities, biodiversity and conservation agencies, national and regional authorities and the European public.
2. to connect end users of biodiversity data to networks of primary producers or to the most appropriate research facility. 
3. to provide the means for biodiversity researchers to establish and document the state of the art in biodiversity research.
4. to identify research and development needs and gaps in the provision of support to biodiversity researchers.
5. to provide an information centre for biodiversity research results and developments.
6. to defragment access to biodiversity data through data mining biodiversity literature.

Project details

The project description, also known as "Part B" and the "Description of Work" is attached below.  This, when combined with financial details, makes "Annex 1" of the grant agreement.