SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information Network

SCAR-MarBIN (SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information Network) establishes and
supports a distributed system of interoperable databases, forming the Antarctic
Regional OBIS Node, under the aegis of SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic
Research).

SCAR-MarBIN compiles and manages existing and new information on Antarctic
marine biodiversity by coordinating, supporting, completing and optimizing
database networking. This information will in turn be sent to larger
biodiversity initiatives such as OBIS - the information component of the Census
of Marine Life (COML)- and GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility).
SCAR-MarBIN data policy protocols align with the Antarctic Treaty (Art. III.1)
and IPY requirements, as well as data management protocols of GBIF and OBIS.
SCAR-MarBIN integrates these efforts, giving a single and easy access to
relevant marine biodiversity information and maximizing the exploitation of
these resources.

SCAR-MarBIN is the companion-project of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life
(CAML), an ambitious 5-year project which aims at assessing the nature,
distribution and abundance of the Southern Ocean biodiversity. CAML will focus
the attention of the public on the ice-bound oceans of Antarctica during the
International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007/08. SCAR-MarBIN will handle biodiversity
data arising from CAML field projects.

SCAR-MarBIN is implemented within the Belgian Biodiversity Platform (BBPF).
SCAR-MarBIN is supported by the Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO), the Alfred P.
Sloan Foundation (SLOAN) through the Census of Marine Life (CoML) and the
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) (SCAR). SCAR-MarBIN is
International Polar Year Core Initiative #83 (IPY).