New York Biodiversity Database

One of CERC's exciting new projects is the New York Area Biodiversity Research and Conservation Database (NYBD), an online database of conservation and biodiversity research projects in the New York City region.

The purpose of NYBD is threefold:

1. To establish an understanding of the extent of, and the remaining need for, biodiversity research and conservation efforts in the region.
2. To help foster public awareness of the condition and importance of the local natural environment.
3. To help influence environmentally relevant policy decisions that will affect the health and well being of New York's inhabitants.

NYBD was developed because the many biodiversity and conservation researchers working in the New York City area have until now lacked a way to share research information directly with one another and with the public. Through NYBD, CERC aims to provide a central repository of reference information on biodiversity studies from 1980 to the present that will be easily accessible to both practitioners and lay people in short, a "who's doing what" for New York-area biodiversity and conservation. Although the online database is intended to store reference information and not actual data, Web site contributors can provide links to data that are available online.

CERC anticipates many positive outcomes stemming from NYBD. Thanks to the Web site, researchers will be able to easily locate existing studies and benefit from their findings. By knowing what research has already been conducted, institutions can avoid wasting scarce resources on unnecessary efforts. Like-minded groups can find opportunities for collaboration. The Web site can also provide an overall profile of the health of the region's plant and animal life, serving as an educational tool for teachers and students and as a resource enabling governments and other decision makers to craft informed environmental policies.

The NYBD Web site provides a variety of ways to search for project information. Web site visitors can browse all entries or query projects based on parameters such as keyword or name of the investigator or organization. In addition, a mapping tool allows searching by geographic area.

Many steps have taken place in the past year to get NYBD ready for launch. A technical team created the online database and its Web site, which we then fine-tuned using the results of a beta-test to eliminate glitches and improve user friendliness. Outreach has also begun to area researchers and institutions. NYBD is now open for business, and we look forward to welcoming new visitors and subscribers.

Although the vision and original funding for NYBD originated at CERC, the Web site is a collaborative effort. Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) designed and created the interactive
Web site, online database, and mapping tool, and hosts the service. CIESIN also brought financial support from the National Biological Information Infrastructure Northeast Information Node and its parent program, the Center for Biological Informatics of the United States Geological Survey. Nurture New York's Nature, a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to increasing public awareness of the importance of New York's nature to the health and well-being of the city's residents, is NYBD's other major collaborator.

Visit NYBD at http://beta.nbii-nin.ciesin.columbia.edu/NYBD.