SDMdata

SDMdata automates the collection and validation of species occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to produce high-quality occurrence data for species distribution modeling (SDMs).

Key Features:

• Data collection from GBIF: Retrieves occurrence records directly from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
• Species name verification: Checks species names against authoritative taxonomic databases to ensure taxonomic consistency.
• Coordinate accuracy validation: Validates geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) for precision and accuracy.
• Automation of data curation: Automates or semi-automates collection and validation steps involved in preparing occurrence data for SDMs.
• Implementation: Implemented in Python.
• License: Released under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL).

Scientific Applications:

• Species distribution modeling (SDMs): Provides curated occurrence datasets for building species distribution models.
• Biodiversity assessments: Supports biodiversity and conservation assessments through validated occurrence data.
• Habitat suitability analyses: Enables habitat suitability analyses by supplying georeferenced occurrence records.
• Climate change impact studies: Supplies occurrence data for analyses of climate-driven shifts in species distributions.
• Conservation planning: Informs conservation planning and prioritization with validated occurrence records.
• Data preparation and error detection: Automates detection and correction of errors in occurrence data to improve downstream analyses.

Methodology:

Integrates Python with GBIF datasets to automate retrieval and validation, checks taxonomic names against taxonomic databases, and validates latitude and longitude coordinates.