Biodiversity and Environmental Resource Data System of Belize (BERDS)

The Biodiversity & Environmental Resource Data System of Belize (BERDS) is a community-driven biodiversity and environmental data warehouse and research tool set. What makes BERDS unique is its integrated spatial approach to data analysis, management and dissemination. BERDS merges a wide array of useful data resources (e.g., documents, people, organizations, projects, specimen collections, datasets, multimedia) with an integrated and comprehensive GIS mapping and analysis capability to form a powerful data visualization and investigation toolset for research and monitoring efforts. BERDS is hosted and maintained by Belize Tropical Forest Studies, a Belizean NGO, however, the growth of its data holdings and its long-term financial sustainability are driven by the participation of BERDS' national, regional and international partners. Since its launch in August 2005, BERDS has grown to become the preeminent environmental data resource for Belize. The database has grown by 154%, holding over 39,000 data records and provides visual and text access to over 30 accurate spatial data sets as well as a unique visual-based search facility. There are 5 research case studies explaining how to use the system to solve real-world conservation problems and 11 step-by-step tutorials on using the BERDS facility itself. Nearly 20 national and international organizations have joined as active participants and the system is well on its way to financial self-sustainability.

Data e Risorse

Campo Valore
access_constraints ["Use Constraints: None", "Access Constraints: BERDS System Objectives - The purpose of BERDS is to promote, co-ordinate, design and implement the compilation, linking, standardisation, digitization and dissemination of Belize's biodiversity, environmental and natural resources data, within an appropriate framework of due acknowledgement of data ownership, privacy of sensitive data and promotion of responsible data usage practices by all parties involved. BERDS will work in close co-operation with established programmes and organisations that compile, maintain and use biological information resources. The Participants, working through BERDS, will establish and support an information system that will enable users to access and utilize considerable quantities of existing and new primary data and metadata. Please view BERDS System Objectives document for more details. BERDS Policy on 'Sensitive/Private' Data - BERDS is meant to be an open, public system, but we realise that there are instances where it is necessary to make data 'private'. BERDS recognises and supports the 'sensitization' of data under two conditions: 1. Data relating to a 'species of special concern'; data regarding a threatened or vulnerable species 2. Data that is to be formally published within 12 months and will then be released to the public Being a public and open facility, BERDS cannot be used by its contributing users as a private data storage facility. While BERDS respects the rights of its participants to make data 'private', it retains the right to challenge the delineation of such data, as/when necessary to ensure conformance with BERDS policies and BERDS' data sharing agreements that are in place with other national, regional and international Initiatives. If a contributing user has data which they wish to keep private, but said data does not fall within the two conditions described above, the user is advised not to contribute that data to BERDS at this time. BERDS Policy on Data Access - BERDS strives to make all data publically available and free of charge. BERDS does not sell data nor does BERDS charge for access to any data stored on its systems. BERDS does, however, provide a series of value-added data interrogation tools to those users wishing to provide a financial contribution. Such tax-free contributions enable the long-term sustainablility of BERDS' operations and the growth of its services. Please see the Members Services for more information. BERDS Policy on Data Sharing and Use of Contributions - The goal of BERDS is to provide a comprehensive data warehousing and research facility for use by the conservation community in Belize. BERDS operates within a policy framework which actively enforces due attribution of data ownership, privacy of sensitive data and promotion of responsible data usage practices by all parties involved. Contributing users are expressing, through their participation in BERDS, their willingness to make environmental, natural resource and biodiversity data available through BERDS to foster scientific research and development at the national, regional and international scales and to support the public use of these data. BERDS does not assert any intellectual property rights to the data that is made available through its system. BERDS contributors generally keep the copyright for content submitted to BERDS and they grant BERDS non-exclusive, royalty-free, and full rights to use submitted materials. Upon submission of a contribution (e.g., a document or an image), a BERDS participant can currently choose between two distinct options for contributions. * For use on BERDS only * For use on BERDS and to share with other initiatives * Learn more BERDS uses industry-standard metadata which is attached, 'fused' so to speak, to each data record and follows that data record, regardless of where or to whom that data is shared. This measure ensures that attribution of ownership and copyrights are visible to anyone who views that data record. This is a standard practice amongst such initiatives and is a requirement for data sharing with any regional or international initiatives. BERDS requires each registered user to sign a Data Sharing Agreement, which stipulates the rules and responsibilities for sharing data via BERDS. It also stipulates the level of protection that BERDS offers users regarding the due attribution of data ownership. Please see BERDS Data Sharing Agreement for complete details. All Data Providers and Members are required to sign a Data Sharing Agreement to finalise their registration with the BERDS system. BERDS provides the option to exclude any data record from being shared with external systems (e.g., other national, regional or international initiatives) if a contributing user so chooses. While providing this option, BERDS strongly encourages users to allow their data to be shared with the widest audience possible to better enable research and conservation efforts. BERDS Privacy Policy - Please see BERDS Privacy Policy for complete details. BERDS Policy on Copyrights - Please see BERDS Copyright Policy for more details. Copyright Infringement Complaints - BERDS contributors are expected to respect the intellectual property rights of others and agree to use materials according to the instructions of copyright owners, or get permission in writing for their specific use. If you believe that your work has been used on the BERDS web site in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, you have the option of filing a Copyright Infringement Complaint. Citing BERDS - If you wish to cite BERDS, we recommend the following: Meerman, J. C. and J. Clabaugh (ed.) 2006. Biodiversity and Environmental Resource Data System of Belize. Internet address: http://www.biodiversity.bz"]
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bbox-north-lat 18.00000
bbox-south-lat 17.00000
bbox-west-long -80.00000
contact-email restrepo at gcmd.nasa.gov
coupled-resource []
dataset-reference-date [{"type": "publication", "value": "2007-01-01"}]
frequency-of-update asNeeded
licence ["none"]
metadata-date 2007-04-08
metadata-language eng; USA
metadata_type geospatial
progress underDevelopment
resource-type dataset
responsible-party [{"name": "NASA's Global Change Master directory", "roles": ["pointOfContact"]}]
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-80.0, 17.0], [-86.0, 17.0], [-86.0, 18.0], [-80.0, 18.0], [-80.0, 17.0]]]}
spatial_harvester true
Gruppi
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tag
  • agriculture
  • amerigeo
  • amerigeoss
  • amphibians
  • animal-science
  • animal-taxonomy
  • aquatic-habitat
  • arthropods
  • belize
  • berdsbelize
  • biodiversity-informatics
  • biosphere
  • birds
  • ckan
  • cnidarians
  • earth-science
  • ecological-dynamics
  • environmental-impacts
  • ferns
  • fish
  • flowering-plants
  • forest-science
  • fungi-taxonomy
  • geo
  • geoss
  • gymnosperms
  • human-dimensions
  • insects
  • invertebrates
  • mammals
  • mosses-and-liverworts
  • national
  • north-america
  • plant-commodities
  • plant-taxonomy
  • reptiles
  • terrestrial-ecosystems
  • united-states
  • vegetation
  • vertebrates
  • wetlands
  • zoology
isopen False
metadata_created 2025-11-22T04:41:24.124662
metadata_modified 2025-11-22T04:41:24.124666
notes The Biodiversity & Environmental Resource Data System of Belize (BERDS) is a community-driven biodiversity and environmental data warehouse and research tool set. What makes BERDS unique is its integrated spatial approach to data analysis, management and dissemination. BERDS merges a wide array of useful data resources (e.g., documents, people, organizations, projects, specimen collections, datasets, multimedia) with an integrated and comprehensive GIS mapping and analysis capability to form a powerful data visualization and investigation toolset for research and monitoring efforts. BERDS is hosted and maintained by Belize Tropical Forest Studies, a Belizean NGO, however, the growth of its data holdings and its long-term financial sustainability are driven by the participation of BERDS' national, regional and international partners. Since its launch in August 2005, BERDS has grown to become the preeminent environmental data resource for Belize. The database has grown by 154%, holding over 39,000 data records and provides visual and text access to over 30 accurate spatial data sets as well as a unique visual-based search facility. There are 5 research case studies explaining how to use the system to solve real-world conservation problems and 11 step-by-step tutorials on using the BERDS facility itself. Nearly 20 national and international organizations have joined as active participants and the system is well on its way to financial self-sustainability.
num_resources 2
num_tags 42
title Biodiversity and Environmental Resource Data System of Belize (BERDS)