Suricata suricatta (Schreber, 1776) observed in South America by lassearp (licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0)

What is VertNet?

We strive to make people who work with biodiversity data more productive.
We provide tools and services to make data easy to find, easy to publish, and easy to use.

VertNet is a collaborative project, formerly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, that makes biodiversity data free and available on the web. VertNet is a tool designed to help people discover, capture, and publish all biodiversity data (not just vertebrates). It is also the core of a collaboration between hundreds of biocollections that contribute biodiversity data and work together to improve it. VertNet is an engine for training current and future professionals to use and build upon best practices in data quality, curation, research, and data publishing. Yet, VertNet is still the aggregate of all of the information that it mobilizes. To us, VertNet is all of these things and more.

What we do

The VertNet Core Team and its merry band of accomplices and confederates and can help you to improve your projects and connect to the broad data-sharing, biodiversity science and informatics communities. Ask us how we can help you with Data Mobilization, Education and Training, Tools Development, Research, Data Standards, and Consulting and Project Support.

The Core VertNet Team

David Bloom, Project Manager ORCiD

John Wieczorek, Information Architect ORCiD

VertNet Accomplices and Confederates

We wouldn’t be who we are without an amazing group of engaged partners and collaborators:

  • Steve Baskauf, Venderbuilt University ORCiD
  • Laura Brenskelle, FLMNH/Univ. of Florida ORCiD
  • Arthur Chapman, Global Nomad ORCiD
  • Peter Desmet, INBO ORCiD
  • Kitty Emery, FLMNH/University of Florida ORCiD
  • Sharon Grant, Guardian Angel, The Field Museum ORCiD
  • Rob Guralnick, Muckraker, FLMNH/Univ. of Florida ORCiD
  • Rafael LaFrance, FLMNH/Univ. of Florida
  • Anabela Plos, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” - MACN-CONICET / GBIF Argentina ORCiD
  • Laura Russell, GBIF ORCiD
  • Ramona Walls, Bio5 Institute, University of Arizona ORCiD
  • Paula Zermoglio, Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, UNRN-CONICET ORCiD
  • Rob Zschernitz, The Field Museum ORCiD

Honorary Pantheon of The Backbone

We wish to recognize all of those individuals upon whose shoulders we now stand. We thank them for their service, effort, humor, and snacks.

  • Carla Cicero, Lead PI, Steering Committee, University of California, Berkeley
  • Hank Bart, PI, Steering Committee, Tulane University
  • Michelle Koo, Senior Personnel, University of California, Berkeley
  • Javier Otegui, Research Scholar
  • Nelson Rios, Co-PI, Barkeeper, Yale University
  • Carol Spencer, Co-PI, Steering Committee, University of California Berkeley
  • Dave Vieglais, PI, University of Kansas/DataONE
  • John Bates, Steering Committee, Field Museum of Natural History
  • David Blackburn, Steering Commmittee, University of Florida
  • Joe Cook, Steering Committee, University of New Mexico
  • Linda Ford, Steering Committee, Harvard University
  • Walter Jetz, Steering Committee, Yale University
  • Steve Kelling, Steering Committee, Cornell University
  • Town Peterson Steering Committee, University of Kansas
  • Nancy Simmons, Steering Committee, American Museum of Natural History
  • Barbara Stein, Lead PI MaNIS, University of California, Berkeley
  • Heather Constable, University of California, Berkeley