Bridging Data and Nature: Connecting Information, Technology, and Biodiversity
In conjunction with the 2025 Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) Annual Meeting, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin will host a public symposium and workshops on April 9 and 10. The event is open to all attendees of the BHL Annual Meeting as well as others from the biodiversity community.
BHL exemplifies the power of collaboration by making biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. This symposium aims to bridge the gap between Data and Nature by connecting information, technology, and biodiversity. It serves as an exchange platform for professionals and users to address shared challenges and strengthen connections.
Save the Date
Mark your calendars for BHL Day 2025. The hybrid event is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Advanced registration is required for in-person and virtual attendance. Registration will open in early March.
Date and Time:
9 April 2025, 12:00-18:00 CEST
10 April 2025, 09:30-13:00 CEST
Location:
Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
Invalidenstraße 43
10115 Berlin, Germany
Program Details
The event takes place over two days, 9-10 April, in a lunch-to-lunch format. The event will begin with a light lunch on 9 April, followed by the symposium and an evening reception. On the morning of 10 April, in-person workshops will be held for participants to discuss selected topics from the symposium speakers and from partners across the BHL consortium. The event ends with lunch on Thursday.
For the symposium, speakers will present 20 minute talks on their use of data from information providers such as BHL, the obstacles faced, and visions for better access to biodiversity knowledge.
The event is directed at four audiences:
- Information professionals who provide the literature and metadata;
- Data professionals who extract, manage and integrate the data;
- Developers who build products; and
- The community that uses the products and data.
See full program details below.
Wednesday 9 April
| Time | Event | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00-13:00 | Check-in and Light Lunch | |
| 13:00-13:15 | Welcome and Introduction | Museum für Naturkunde |
| 13:15-15:00 | Session 1: Innovative Approaches to Biodiversity Data: From Historical Expeditions to AI Integration | |
| Berlin Expeditions in/to BHL – A central resource for research expedition information | Sabine von Mering, Museum für Naturkunde | |
| From Machine-Readable to Machine-Ready: Evolving BHL's Data for the AI Era | Mike Trizna, Smithsonian Institution | |
| Mapping the Phytochemical Landscape using Machine Intelligence on Literature Metadata | Gitanjali Yadav, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) | |
| Using AI to create new interfaces to BHL content | Roderic D. M. Page, University of Glasgow | |
| 15:00-15:15 | Q&A | Moderator |
| 15:15-15:45 | Coffee Break | |
| 15:45-17:30 | Session 2: Advancing Biodiversity Knowledge through Persistent Identifiers and Data Liberation | |
| Project #RetroPIDs: celebrating 5 years & 50,000+ DOIs | Nicole Kearney, BHL Australia | |
| Disentis Roadmap: a decadal plan to liberate data imprisoned in biodiversity literature | Donat Agosti, Plazi | |
| EJT hosted portal on GBIF: how to switch from openness to FAIRness | Laurence Bénichou, MNHN / EJT / CETAF | |
| How many times are my collections cited? The case study of DiSSCo Flanders using the GBIF Hosted Portal | Patricia Mergen, Meise Botanic Garden | |
| 17:30-17:45 | Q&A | Moderator |
| 17:45-18:00 | Closing Remarks | David Iggulden, BHL Chair |
| 18:00-19:00 | Optional museum tours | |
| 19:00-21:00 | Reception in Dinosaur Hall |
Thursday 10 April
| Time | Event | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 09:30-10:00 | Check-in and Light Breakfast | |
| 10:00-10:45 | Concurrent Workshops | |
| Workshop 1A | TBD | |
| Workshop 1B | TBD | |
| 10:45-11:00 | Break | |
| 11:00-11:45 | Concurrent Workshops | |
| Workshop 2A | TBD | |
| Workshop 2B | TBD | |
| 12:00-13:00 | Lunch |
Recordings
Recordings of each symposium session will be made available on the BHL YouTube channel shortly after the event. The workshops will not be live streamed or recorded.
BHL Code of Conduct
By participating in any activity associated with BHL, you agree voluntarily to abide by the BHL Code of Conduct. The goal of the BHL Code of Conduct is to foster an environment, whether virtual or in-person, of genuine and mutual respect among its community members.