Digital repositories and services for biodiversity research in the Czech Republic
Preserving, studying, and delivering biodiversity data of worldwide importance

Ecosystem of specialized repositories, services, and software integrations designed to serve as a national base for sharing biodiversity data in the Czech Republic. Implementation is underway as part of the EOSC Environmental Sciences Working Group of the National Repository Platform for Research Data (OS I NRP) project and Open Science II (OS II) project.

EOSC

Integrated in the National Repository Platform (NRP) of the EOSC.CZ

Developed and maintained by a team of the Czech DiSSCo consortium

FAIR data principles

Provide and use FAIR biodiversity research data in the proper and easy way!

Herbarium Collection Repository

Herbarium collections of plants and fungi constitute an indispensable resource for reproducible and repeatable biodiversity research. With more than 10,000,000 specimens housed in over 60 herbaria, the Czech Republic ranks among the top five countries in the world in terms of the number of herbarium specimens per capita. These specimens document biodiversity research activities as well as spatial and temporal patterns of plant and fungal diversity since the 18th century, and are relevant at both national and international levels. The Herbarium Collection Repository provides a unique platform for storing and sharing digital objects—high-resolution scans and photographs of herbarium specimens physically housed in Czech herbaria. Through its connection to the JACQ database system, and subsequently through GBIF, all herbarium data and associated metadata are made available to botanists and plant ecologists worldwide.

Repository website

BioBank “GGBN CZ”

The rapid technological advances of recent years—particularly in the field of molecular genetics—have led to an exponential increase in both the quantity and diversity of information that can be extracted from materials stored in genetic collections. These collections have become essential tools for uncovering evolutionary relationships among species, understanding the mechanisms underlying the origin and persistence of biodiversity, and appreciating its role in maintaining ecosystem stability—and, by extension, preserving the environment for future generations. The network of biodiversity genetic collections in the Czech Republic provides metadata on stored biological materials, such as tissue and DNA samples, through individual installations of the Specify software, which are connected to the GGBN (Global Genome Biodiversity Network). While the material predominantly originates from Central Europe, the collections also include representatives of the global fauna. All recorded material is available to researchers worldwide.

Zoological Collection Repository

Biomonitoring and Genetic Data Repository

Biodiversity Reference Data Repository

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