A curated catalogue of biodiversity and ecology-related Web Services
The BiodiversityCatalogue is an open and curated registry of Web services designed specifically for the biodiversity and ecology community. It offers a wide range of resources to both developers and users, facilitating the discovery, registration, annotation, and monitoring of Web services.
Originally launched in 2012, the catalogue is the result of collaboration between the University of Manchester and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), with ongoing input from biodiversity specialists worldwide.
Finding the right Web Service in the world of biodiversity and ecology can be challenging, with hundreds of databases and services scattered across the globe. The BiodiversityCatalogue simplifies this by providing:
The catalogue aims to be the central hub where users can easily locate well-documented Web Services, saving time and ensuring they access the most relevant tools.
For Web Service providers, visibility is key. The BiodiversityCatalogue offers an easy way to register your Web Services so they are instantly available to a global audience. Service providers can:
By registering your service, you ensure that it is visible to scientists and developers seeking tools in biodiversity and ecology.
Web services are often poorly described or difficult to understand. To solve this, the BiodiversityCatalogue allows anyone to describe and annotate services. This process includes:
This collaborative approach ensures that the catalogue is continually updated and that users can rely on the accuracy and relevance of service descriptions.
Web services can often be volatile, with changes in their availability or functionality. The BiodiversityCatalogue helps by actively monitoring services to ensure users can trust the tools they access. The monitoring system includes:
This feature ensures that researchers and developers can rely on the most up-to-date information when using Web services listed in the catalogue.
The BioCatalogue project began in 2008 as a collaborative effort between the myGrid team at the University of Manchester and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the project aims to build and maintain a comprehensive, curated catalogue of Web Services for the Life Sciences community.
Unlike other registries, BioCatalogue focuses specifically on web services related to bioinformatics and biodiversity. It provides critical documentation and monitoring for these services without hosting them directly. The project has grown to include input from scientists, developers, and service providers across the globe.
If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback, please reach out through their official website or explore their API documentation. For questions related to the site, please contact the webmaster.