Building the databases of life

New opportunities to analyze huge datasets of specimens, with associated DNA and ecological data, are bringing biodiversity research into a new era. Rather than the restricted approach with limited datasets, or on the basis of postulated data, scientific developments are growing fast to exploit the full potential of digitized natural history collections (integrated with other data sets), as a representation of biodiversity. The essential step forward is the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). This virtual facility will allow for the first time a seamless sharing all digital biodiversity data. The Netherlands participates in GBIF and has established a national node NL-BIF, supported by NWO, the University of Amsterdam, and the Ministry of Science, Culture and Education. Science will only truly benefit from the data resources through GBIF if enough valuable and targeted databases become available on-line in an interoperable web environment, to be linked to analyzing tools. New funding opportunities, such as the EU 6th Framework Programme, will promote research projects that require the availability of validated high quality databases of collections and associated data. This investment proposal describes - in view of the research plans of the cooperating institutes - which selection of specimen information bas to be digitized in the short term to meet the new research challenges best. The research plan is fundamental for two main goals: a. Assembling the Tree of Life Building a Tree of Life for the Earths species, living and extinct, is a global effort that will benefit science and society. European institutes increasingly focus their research efforts on studying phylogenetic relationships. New computational methods and the availability of huge specimen and comparative genomics databases will enable the construction of the Tree of Life. b. Biodiversity and Global Change A central problem in biodiversity science is to analyze and model biodiversity patterns on different spatial and temporal scales under conditions of change caused by biotic and abiotic factors. Given sufficient digitized data, it would be possible to analyze and predict processes of change in an unprecedented way. The consortium that presents this investment proposal developed its interrelated research plans in view of these goals. The research plans are also related to relevant collection strengths, and the suitability of targeted specimen and associated databases. This leads directly to the identification of digitization priorities. Digitized data are at least the descriptors: the derived data from the specimens that will be used in scientific research. Additional optional data depend on the specific research programme to which the databases will contribute. These can be of various kinds, such as ecological data, images of detailed characters, or DNA sequences. Although each institute regards the digitization of collection specimens as an integral part of their tasks, it is, within the restrictions of each ones operational budget, impossible to invest in a massive digitization of the selected collections and to benefit fully from the opportunities provided by GBIF. Presently, about 1,8 million of the over 30 million specimens is databased according to scientific specifications. This proposal will almost double this amount in two years up to 3.,3 million records. This looks like a modest increase, but it is in fact a really challenge to produce the validated databases that will have to serve the research plans. GBIF bas called upon its members (countries) to strongly invest in digitization of contents. As such, this proposal aims to construct selected collection specimen databases, in accordance with standards set by GBIF. This proposal for NWO investments is restricted to digitization of data contents. The related activities for linkages between databases and interoperability are the work domain of GBIF and its national nodes. The Netherlands node of GBIF (NL-BIF) has expressed that its work programme for the years 2004 and 2005 will accommodate the interoperability of the databases on-line. This investment proposal starts with an elaborate description of the joint research themes, while the selected relevant collections are summarized in Annex 1. It then continues with the rationale of this investment plan and its national and international relevance. The proposal ends with a description of the institutes themselves, the management structure and the budget. The proposed investments to genererate database contents are calculated for the personnel costs, and the equipment for data entry.