Data providers can now submit data and information on seafloor habitats and communities in a standard format to the global Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). This is thanks to a collaboration between EMODnet Seabed Habitats and EMODnet Biology – who also manage the European node of OBIS, EurOBIS. The partnership has produced guidance document on data standards aimed at OBIS/EurOBIS data providers submitting information on habitat types and species occurrences. This has been made possible thanks to the recent changes to the data structure used by OBIS (Darwin Core Archive) to allow measurements and facts to be attributed to events (e.g. samples) as well as occurrences (i.e. species observations). This new approach will improve interoperability, discoverability and reusability of the valuable additional environmental data collected alongside species observations during marine surveys.

The guidance document is available in the resources section of the EMODnet Seabed Habitats portal and through the OBIS manual itself.