Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR)

MedOBIS- Ocean Biogeographic Information

System for the

Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

OBIS, EurOBIS, MedOBIS

Census of Marine Life (CoML)

Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) (Information Component / Web portal)

EurOBIS

Fishbase

Cephbase…MedOBIS

Free and simultaneous access

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Objectives

MedOBIS attempts to collect, format, analyse and disseminate

data on the biodiversity of marine life and will function as the

Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea node of EurOBIS.

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Objectives: Data assembly

• Collection of present data• Preservation of historical data• Comparison of data: revealing new

patterns and finding gaps• Promotion of institutes and their

work• Property rights remain with scientists• Level of accessibility determined by

scientist

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Objectives: Data processing

• Database as storage system• Data can be retrieved• Perfomance of quality checks• Documentation of data and

descriptive data (metadata)

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Objectives: Dissemination

• Visualization of the data: web GIS• Web portal: access to the database;

project information• Taxonomic and spatial query

functions• Descriptive data available• Download data• Mailing list• Analyses

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

•MySQL database

•Quality controls

•Metadata management

•Advanced query functions

3rd version

Project evolution

•simple webpage with clickable map

•Original Excel files available for download

1st version

•Access Database

•Java /JavaScript web GIS interface

•Simple query functions

•Data submitted to EurOBIS/OBIS

2nd version

•…

4th version

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Present status

•unformatted

•heterogeneous

•incomplete

•not comparable

•erroneous

Data from various institutes:

Database

Taxonomic search function

species

species

Results

Web interface with interactive map

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Contents

• Focused on three main parameters: taxonomy, location and time

• Taxonomic data• Spatial data (vector data, satellite

images)• Sampling data• Metadata• Environmental data

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Database extent

distribution records: 36522taxonomic records (valid names): 3219

stations from the Aegean Sea: 632 stations from the Adriatic Sea:

417stations from the Black Sea: 106 stations from the Eastern Basin: 97 stations from the Ionian Sea: 71

Time range: 1934 - 2004

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Database extent

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Achievements

• Functional system on the web• Data: available, retrievable,

comparable • over 1000 stations/ 3000 taxa• Data integrated into EurOBIS/OBIS• Datasets completely documented• First analyses within MarBEF are in

progress (Data contributors can claim co-authorship)

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

el-net

MedOBIS HCMR 04/21/23

Current developments & future plans

• Connection to other OBIS databases through DiGIR protocol

• Flexible web access tools for user• Web based data entry interface• Quality assurance for control of

automated database population • Extended functionality of map

interface• Online tools for statistical analyses

http://www.medobis.org