Operations and Maintenance Support for Canadensys: Pancanadian Biodiversity Informatics Network and Portal

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A major objective of Canada’s Biodiversity Goals and Targets for 2020 is to make accessible accurate and relevant information about biodiversity and ecosystem services to support conservation and sustainable development. The Canadensys research platform is the principal informatics infrastructure for sharing biodiversity data in Canada and its continuation and growth are essential for meeting these targets and for maintaining Canada’s global leadership in biodiversity science. Established in 2008 through a major grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canadensys makes Canadian biodiversity information (data and metadata) available to everyone. Canadensys is a network of data providers from over 20 Canadian institutions who together have begun the task of publishing Canada's biodiversity records, with 3 million (of ~ 50 million) records published to date. We have also developed and host VASCAN, the authoritative online database of vascular plant names for Canada. Canadensys is an active partner in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), representing Canada as an Associate Participant, and has actively contributed to the development of skills and technology in biodiversity informatics worldwide. Canadensys has played a global leadership role through its early adoption of, and contributions to, the GBIF Integrated Publishing Toolkit, its development of the Canadensys Explorer, and its international collaborations with the USA, France, Australia, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, and Togo. The Canadensys Explorer is an open-source tool for displaying biodiversity occurrence data, now used by other countries (Brazil and Uruguay). To meet Canada's priorities for biodiversity science, we seek funding for Canadensys to (1) continue to make biodiversity information openly available with emphasis on specimens and occurrence data from citizen science initiatives; (2) pursue development of the spatial data portal by collaborating with partners across the world; (3) maintain an international reputation in biodiversity informatics through technological tool development and standards conceptualization; (4) deepen international partnerships in biodiversity science. The Canadensys portal is widely used in scientific programs, ensuring consistent use of plant names and has become an essential component for research and HQP training in systematics, taxonomy, and biodiversity science across the country, with broad applications throughout biodiversity sciences.