GBIF

Name

GBIF

Legal name

GBIF - Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Website

https://gbif.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GBIF is an international intergovernmental open data infrastructure providing free access to over 3 billion biodiversity occurrence records from 2,400+ publishing institutions. It serves researchers, policymakers, and publishers through standardized datasets, a public API, and hosted portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: GBIF is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world's governments. The network operates through a Secretariat in Copenhagen, with annual work programmes approved by the GBIF Governing Board bounded by a five-year strategic framework.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GBIF operates an international open-data infrastructure that aggregates and provides free access to biodiversity occurrence records from museums, research institutions, and citizen scientists worldwide. Its core deliverable is a unified index of 3 billion+ species occurrence records spanning 100,000+ datasets, exposed through a public website, a REST API, and 72 customized hosted portals.

Product overview

GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) is an international network and data infrastructure providing free and open access to biodiversity data about all types of life on Earth. The platform operates as a unified system centered on its core product: the occurrence records database containing over 3 billion records from 100,000+ datasets. GBIF offers supplementary products including hosted portals for customized national/regional/thematic biodiversity sites, the GRSciColl registry for scientific collections, and a public API for programmatic access. The infrastructure supports thematic communities focused on climate change, invasive alien species, human health, and IUCN Red List assessments. Capacity enhancement programmes like BID and BIFA extend the network's reach in developing regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GBIF.org: The primary web platform providing access to GBIF's biodiversity occurrence records, datasets, and data tools.
• GRSciColl
• BID Programme
• BIFA Programme

Products and services

• Occurrence Records
• GBIF Datasets
• GBIF Hosted Portals
• GRSciColl (Global Registered Collections)
• GBIF API

Quantifiable outcome

• Supporting approximately 5 peer-reviewed publications using data per day
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ELIXIRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELIXIR and GBIF strengthen collaboration on biodiversity and life science data, working together to improve interoperability between biodiversity and life science data resources.
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGBIF arose from a 1999 recommendation by the OECD's Biodiversity Informatics Subgroup Megascience Forum, which concluded that an international mechanism was needed to make biodiversity data accessible worldwide. This recommendation received endorsement from science ministers from OECD member states.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS): A UNESCO-affiliated global open-access data infrastructure for marine biodiversity data, operating with the same interoperable, open-data philosophy as GBIF but focused on ocean taxa. It is a direct peer in mandate and governance model (intergovernmental, network-based).
• eBird: Run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird is the world's largest biodiversity-related citizen science dataset, focused on birds. It shares data with GBIF and is directly comparable in mission, contributor-driven model, and scientific impact.
• iNaturalist: A citizen science platform that aggregates biodiversity observations and shares research-grade data with GBIF. It is the most comparable peer in terms of mission (open biodiversity data) and downstream use cases, though it specializes in observer-driven records rather than institutional publishing.
• Encyclopedia of Life (EOL): A free, open-access online encyclopedia aggregating information about species worldwide. EOL complements GBIF by curating species pages rather than occurrence records, making it a directly comparable open biodiversity knowledge platform.
• VertNet: A vertebrate-focused biodiversity data network that uses Darwin Core standards (the same as GBIF) and aggregates museum specimen data. It is a direct peer in technology stack and data scope, though narrower in taxonomic focus.
• Map of Life: A global platform that integrates biodiversity data (including GBIF) to produce species distribution maps and support biodiversity research. Directly comparable in leveraging open biodiversity data for scientific and conservation applications.
• World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS): An authoritative global taxonomic database for marine species, providing the taxonomic backbone that complements GBIF's occurrence records. Comparable as a curated, open-access biodiversity knowledge infrastructure.

Regional players

• Canadensys: Canada's national biodiversity data network and a GBIF Participant node, providing open access to Canadian biodiversity data using the same standards. It is a regional peer in architecture and mission.
• Atlas of Living Australia (ALA): Australia's national biodiversity data infrastructure, sharing the same open-data, Darwin Core-based model as GBIF but serving as a regional aggregator. It is a peer in architecture and standards, and is itself a GBIF Participant node.

Broad incumbents

• IUCN Red List: The world's most comprehensive inventory of species conservation status, which consumes GBIF data for species threat assessments. IUCN is a broader conservation authority that depends on and complements GBIF's data infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GBIF
• Facebookfacebook.com/gbifnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/home

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about GBIF