What is the GBIF?
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world's governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, with open access to data about all types of life on Earth.
Why is sharing your Birda sightings with the GBIF so important?
Researchers need large quantities of good-quality data for their research into areas such as migration patterns, species distributions, bird populations and the effectiveness of conservation efforts. By logging your bird sighting and sharing them with GBIF, you are making a valuable contribution to the data available to these researchers.
How do I submit my sightings to the GBIF?
There is no need to change any setting, simply log your sightings on Birda, and we will automatically share your public sightings with the GBIF.
How do I opt out of submitting my sighting to the GBIF?
If you choose not to send your sightings to the GBIF, you opt out via the Birda app as follows: Profile > Settings > Science
How do privacy settings impact what is sent to the GBIF?
Your 'Post Sharing' and 'Location Privacy' settings will impact how sightings are shared with the GBIF. If you want the GBIF to receive all of your sightings with precise locations then make sure your 'Post Sharing' and 'Location Privacy' settings are set to 'Everyone'. Here is some more information on 'Post Sharing' and 'Location Privacy' settings and how they impact what is shared with the GBIF:
'Post Sharing' settings
These are the three 'Post Sharing' settings for your sightings and sessions. You can change your default 'Post Sharing' settings in your profile settings here: Profile > Settings > Privacy Controls > Sightings and Sessions. This is how 'Post Sharing' settings impact what is sent to the GBIF:
Everyone: Your sightings will be shared with the GBIF.
Followers: Your sightings will not be shared with the GBIF.
Only you: Your sightings will not be shared with the GBIF.
'Location Privacy' settings
These are the two 'Location Privacy' settings you can set for your sessions and sightings. You can change your default 'Locations Privacy' settings in your profile settings here: Profile > Settings > Privacy Controls > Locations. This is how 'Locations Privacy' settings impact what is sent to the GBIF:
Everyone: The precise location of your bird sightings will be shared with the GBIF.
Only you: The obscured location of your bird sightings will be shared with the GBIF.
Does Birda share sightings of sensitive species with the GBIF
Birda does not currently send sightings of sensitive species with the GBIF. We will however submit sightings of sensitive species to the GBIF in the future when we are able to automatically obscure the precise location of sensitive species before submission to the GBIF.
Data quality
Birda has spent a lot of time refining the platform in such a way that it produces valuable, quality data for conservation researchers. Take a look at the user-centric features as well as background features Birda has in place to ensure we produce quality data for scientific research.