How to become a data provider

Becoming a biodiversity data provider can be relatively easy. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) supports a software protocol called DiGIR (Distributed Generic Information Retrieval) written in PHP. The best place to start is with this DiGIR training module ( presentation, installation, exercise).

Additional information is available on the GBIF website (only available in English). GBIF supports this software through the GBIF helpdesk at: helpdesk@gbif.org

The DiGIR provider software and installation manuals are available for Windows and Linux operating systems downloadable from GBIF. The software is intended for an automatic installation on a new server. However if you already have an Internet server in operation, with a bit more effort the software can be manually installed (see this discussion). Once you have completed the installation and the data is online then register with GBIF (please indicate that you are a Canadian data provider). Note that the DiGIR provider software is intended to run on port 80.