In our Special Issue of 29 September 2000, we take a look at the emerging science of "biodiversity informatics" -- the efforts under way to make the vast, decentralized resources of global biodiversity information available in digital form, and the enormous challenge of imposing consistency and compatibility among the scores of searchable databases on the world's biota.

For the browsing pleasure of our readers, we've collected the various Websites discussed in the Special Issue Viewpoints by Bisby and Edwards et al. -- along with some other sites related to the union of information technology and biodiversity studies -- together in this special supplement.

• Global databases
• Geographical, regional, and national databases
• Databases for specific taxonomic groups
• Tools and software for integrating online biodiversity data
• Government, scientific, and advocacy organizations promoting biodiversity study
• Other resources

Species 2000

Ambitious undertaking with the aim of "enumerating all known species of plants, animals, fungi and microbes on Earth," in a comprehensive resource that ties together a variety of smaller online taxonomic indexes. Users will be able to access the data through one of two search engines: An "annual checklist" that's reviewed and updated every 12 months, and a "dynamic checklist" that provides more current information. (Prototypes of both are up and running.)

Species Analyst

Provides access to a variety of natural history databases through a Web interface. Data (principally museum collection information such as date specimen was collected, latitude and longitude of collection site, and the collector's name) can be downloaded in a variety of formats. Site will also generate a global distribution map of the collection sites for a given query, and can link users to online tools for further analysis and modeling of the data at the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility

GBIF, a long-term project of the international Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, is building "an interoperable network of biodiversity databases and information technology tools," the structure of which is summarized in the project's business plan.

The Tree of Life
TreeBASE
Deep Green

Comprehensive databases presenting phylogenetic and biodiversity data from published papers in interactive phylogenetic-tree form.

Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Cooperative effort of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican agencies building "an on-line, scientifically credible list of biological names" for North American taxa.

CONABIO

Mexican-government site with primary aim of establishing a continuously updatable national biodiversity information system.

Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad

Costa Rican biodiversity information.

Belize Biodiversity Information System

Site providing nomenclature, taxonomic, distribution, and life history data for a variety of bird, mammalian, reptilian, amphibian, and fish species in Belize.

NatureServe

An "online encyclopedia of life" sponsored by the Association for Biodiversity Information. Provides data on nomenclature, conservation, geographic distribution, and life history of more than 50,000 U.S. and Canadian plant and animal species and ecological communities. Users can search by common or scientific species name, species association, and other criteria.

Biological Collection Information Service in Europe (BioCISE)

Project to identify and publish a Web-based catalog of European biological collections and collection information systems.

Australian Biodiversity Information Facility

Site gathering together taxonomic and other databases on the fauna, flora, marine and freshwater algae, and lichens of the Island Continent.

Western Australia Herbarium FloraBase

Taxonomic, specimen, and geographic-distribution data on flora from the state of Western Australia.

Virus Databases Online

Australian National University site providing a rich assemblage of links to viral indexes and databases.

World Data Center for Microorganisms

Directory of culture collections, databases on microbes and cell lines, and Web links on biodiversity and biosafety.

Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory

Site of the U.S. Agricultural Research Service includes databases on taxonomy of vascular plants and fungi.

USDA Plants Database

Impressive Department of Agriculture site providing taxonomic names, checklists, and distributional, phylogenetic, and other data for vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.

International Plant Names Index

A joint project of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Harvard University Herbaria, and the Australian National Herbarium, the site is attempting to provide a database of names and bibliographical data for all seed plants.

Global Plant Checklist (International Organization for Plant Information)

Prototype site for comprehensive database that will ultimately encompass 300,000 vascular-plant species and more than one million plant names, as well as some non-vascular species.

International Legume Database & Information Service

Project to document and catalog world legume species diversity.

BioSystematic Database of World Diptera

Part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Diptera Site, this database at present includes a "Nomenclator" that lets users check for names and basic taxonomic information on thousands of species of flies. Under development are an additional Species Database, for queries about details of species distribution and other attributes; a Reference Database, for looking up papers and other research on flies; and a collection of other taxonomic tools.

European Register of Marine Species

Checklists of marine species sorted by taxonomic category, and including information on location of reference specimens, taxonomic experts, bibliography, and other topic areas.

UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms

Searchable database of marine-species names and other data.

FishBase

Extraordinary catalog of data on taxonomy, morphology, and ecology of virtually all of the world's 25,000 known fish species.

Inter-Institutional Database of Fish Biodiversity in the Neotropics (NEODAT II)

Impressive gathering of databases providing systematic and geographic information on neotropical freshwater fish specimens in North American and European natural-history collections.

CephBase

Life history, taxonomic, and distribution data on living species of cephalopods.

System-Wide Information Network for Genetic Resources (SINGER)

Clearinghouse for information on collections maintained by the International Agricultural Research Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Collections comprise more than half a million samples of "crop, forage and tree germplasm of major importance for food and agriculture."

Global Register of Migratory Species

Will attempt to "summarize our state of knowledge about migratory species" via a relational database tied to a geographical information system.

Alice Software

Company marketing software for "the creation, management and publication of biodiversity data."

LITCHI Project

Collaborative group of researchers at three U.K. universities that are seeking to write "taxonomically intelligent" software for tying together various databases on species diversity.

MultiFlora Project

Project to use "information extraction" techniques to place descriptive data "locked" in natural-language texts into a more structured electronic database, to facilitate automated analysis.

Spice for Species 2000

The software development backbone for the Species 2000 project.

WORLDMAP

Software for "exploring geographical patterns in diversity, rarity and conservation priorities from large biological datasets."

DIVERSITAS

Umbrella group (sponsored by six international scientific and policy organizations) to promote and co-ordinate scientific research efforts in global biodiversity. The group is organizing an International Biodiversity Observation Year (IBOY) in 2001-2002.

Convention on Biological Diversity

United Nations initiative focused on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and equitable sharing of world genetic resources. The Convention's Clearing-House Mechanism site draws together a rich assortment of databases and other online information sources on biodiversity.

National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)

Well-stocked Web clearinghouse for data and information on North American biological resources. Includes a superb collection of links on genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

Canadian Biodiversity Information Network (CBIN)

Wealth of information on Canadian biodiversity, including basic information on biodiversity, lists of biodiversity events, and an excellent colletion of links with a Canadian focus.

North American Biodiversity Information Network

Long-term project to coordinate the tri-national bioinformatics efforts of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The project aims to link a variety of North American biodiversity data sources (such as those of NBII, CONABIO, and CBIN) toward "the creation of a North American and worldwide biodiversity information network that is publicly accessible and free."

International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases

Subgroup of the International Union of Biological Sciences that is promoting the development and use of standards to facilitate exchange of data among various online sources.

Association of Systematics Collections

Nonprofit organization supporting natural history collections, institutions, and research. Includes a list of searchable specimen databases.

Association for Biodiversity Information

Site promoting information exchange and data on biodiversity, with a North American focus.

Overview of Biodiversity Informatics

Useful review, from the California Academy of Sciences, of various biodiversity informatics projects, especially those related to systematics collections.

Biodiversity and Biological Collections Web Server

Browseable site with an abundance of links "of interest to systematists and other biologists of the organismic kind."