Welcome to OpenBioMaps documentation!

OpenBioMaps is a platform for collecting, managing, sharing, and publishing biodiversity data.

New users should begin with the introduction and the getting-started guide. Contributors and data managers can continue with the data-collection, data-management, and data-access documentation. Project and server administrators should use the administration sections. Developers and external-client authors can find technical information under integration and development.

Start here

• Introduction
  • Why OpenBioMaps?
  • What is OpenBioMaps?
  • Connecting data collection and data use
  • The OpenBioMaps approach
  • Main properties
  • OpenBioMaps workflow
  • OpenBioMaps Consortium
• Getting started
  • Choose how to use OpenBioMaps
  • Create an OpenBioMaps project
  • Understand the observation data model
  • Set up your data
  • Data management and access
  • Connect to your project
  • Start collecting and managing data

Using OpenBioMaps

• User interfaces
  • Web application
  • Login page
  • Profile page
  • Project administration
  • Map page
  • Geometry tester
  • Data upload page
  • Datasheet page
  • Database summary page
  • Welcome page
  • Other user interfaces
  • Error reporting
• Data collection
  • Planning a data collection
  • Main data-collection approaches
  • Representing a collection in OpenBioMaps
  • Recommended core information
  • Field naming and interoperability
  • Practical checklist
  • Example data collections
  • References
• Data management
  • Database structure and metadata
  • Data quality and validation
  • Data processing and harmonisation
  • Data provenance and documentation
  • Queries and derived data
  • Data export and reuse
  • Data lifecycle
• Data access
  • Retrieving data
  • Controlling access to data
• Mobile applications
  • Offline application for Android and iPhone mobile devices
  • Online application for mobile devices

Integration and external clients

• API documentation
  • OpenAPI
  • PDS API
  • PDS examples
• Clients
  • QGIS
  • R usage
  • PostgreSQL clients
  • Mapserver clients
  • Oauth clients
  • Appsmith
  • Nextcloud
  • API clients

Administration

• Project administration
  • Administrative settings
  • Creating/founding a new database project
  • Data access
  • Opening page
  • Modules
• Server administration
  • Docker environment administration
  • Supervisor

Development and contribution

• Development
  • Developer hints

Help

• Frequently Asked Questions
  • What is OpenBioMaps?
  • What is the OpenBioMaps Consortium?
  • How can I create/find a new database-project?
  • How can I upload data?
  • How can I access data?
  • How can I retrieve data with my mobile phone?
  • How can I sign up for an OpenBioMaps project?
  • Is there a programmable interface for developers?
  • What language support is available?
  • How can I contribute to OpenBioMaps?
  • Should I pay for anything?
  • How and where does the OpenBioMaps store the data?
  • Is there any backup solution?
  • I lost my password. How can I get a new one?
  • Pink squares appear on the map page
  • What is the RUM?
  • Is it possible to assign a DOI to databases?
  • Where can I find the list of the existing OpenBioMaps servers?
  • How to use the OpenBioMaps mobile app?
  • Where can I find the OpenBioMaps R package?
  • What data download options are there?
  • How/where can I access photos taken in the field with the mobile app?
  • How can I delete data?
  • I can’t query/see data which is visible to other users

Offline documentation

Download the documentation as PDF | Download the documentation as EPUB