Comprehensive biodiversity data can inform decision- and policy-making. While many such data already exist, the challenge lies in finding, accessing, and making sense of existing, but dispersed pieces of data. Data are not always encoded in accordance with international data standards and best practices and often lack the necessary contextual metadata required to correctly apply and interpret it. Accessing Arctic biodiversity data from a range of sources and in variable formats can require a lot of effort from users to gather and assemble information.
The Arctic SDI is the collaborative initiative of the National Mapping Agencies of the eight Arctic nations (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the USA) with a goal to promote partner-based development of an Arctic spatial data infrastructure. The Arctic SDI has been endorsed by the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials since November 2009 and is part of the general scientific and technical collaboration among the Arctic nations.
An update on the activities and actions surrounding the implementation of the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service (ABDS).
