IPT v2.3.3 - Your repository for standardized biodiversity data

GBIF is pleased to announce the release of IPT v2.3.3, now available for download from the IPT website.

This version looks and feels the same as 2.3.2 but is much more robust and secure. I'd like to recommend that all existing IPT installations be upgraded as soon as possible following the instructions listed in the release notes.

Additionally, a couple new strategic features have been added to the tool to enhance its potential. A description of these new features follows below.

Improved dataset homepage

Compared with general-purpose repositories such as Dryad or Figshare, the IPT ensures that uploaded biodiversity data gets disseminated in a standardized format (Darwin Core Archive - DwC-A), facilitating wider reuse and enabling the data to be indexed by aggregators such as GBIF.org.

Interoperability comes at a small cost though, as depositors choosing to use the IPT must overcome a learning curve in understanding how to map their data to the Darwin Core standard.

To make this easier for depositors, a new set of Darwin Core Excel templates have recently been released. These new templates provide a simpler solution for capturing, formatting and uploading data to the IPT.

Similarly, users of the standardized data need to understand how to unpack a DwC-A and make sense of the data inside.  

Data Records section - RLS Global Reef Fish Dataset
doi:10.15468/qjgwba

To make this process easier for users, a new Data Records section has been added to the dataset homepage that provides an explanation of what the DwC-A format is with a graphic illustration showing the number of records in each file contained within it.

Overall this advancement will strengthen the IPT as a data repository, which is already capable of assigning DOIs to datasets to make them discoverable and citable. 

Translation into Russian 

Map of IPT installations in Russia - January 2017

Installed in 52 countries around the world, use of the IPT heavily is underrepresented across Russian speaking countries. Therefore to extend the IPT's reach in these areas, the user interface has been fully translated into Russian by a team of volunteer translators with the largest contribution made by Ivan Chadin from the Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Map of data published by Russia - January 2017

At the time of writing there were already 18 datasets from Russia published by 5 IPTs installed across Pushchino, Moscow, St Petersburg and the Komi Republic. It will be exciting to watch this number grow over time in part thanks to this enormous volunteer contribution.

Acknowledgements

Once again I'd like to recognize all the volunteer translators that contributed their time and expertise to making this new version available in seven different languages:

• Sophie Pamerlon (GBIF France) - Updating French translation
• Yukiko Yamazaki (GBIF Japan (JBIF)) - Updating Japanese translation
• Daniel Lins (Universidade de São Paulo, Research Center on Biodiversity and Computing - BioComp) - Updating Portuguese translation
• Néstor Beltrán (Colombian Biodiversity Information System (SiB Colombia)) - Updating Spanish translation
• Ivan Chadin (Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Max Shashkov (Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Science) and Artyom Leostrin (Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint-Petersburg)) - Adding Russian translation 

I'd also like to recognize a few volunteers that helped make significant improvements to the IPT codebase:

• Bruno P. Kinoshita (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)) - Fixed issue #1241, ensuring the IPT can be installed on a server behind a proxy
• Pieter Provoost (UNESCO) - Fixed issue #1248, improving the IPT's RSS feed
• Tadj Youssouf (Security researcher, fb.com/oc3f.dz) - Helped address a cross site scripting issue

Although the core development of the IPT happens at the GBIF Secretariat, the coding, documentation, and internationalization are a community effort and everyone is welcome to join in.

I look forward to seeing the IPT's community of volunteers and users continue to grow and hope you can unlock the full potential of this publishing tool and repository.