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From objects to knowledge
Natural history museums are evolving into international centers of open biodiversity knowledge. At the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), this transformation is driven by the creation of The Center Biodiversity Knowledge Science — a cross-sectional hub connecting all LIB research and transfer centers.
Vision and mission
The Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science will transform the LIB's collections and expertise into a globally accessible knowledge space. By integrating data science, artificial intelligence (AI) and citizen science, the centre combines physical objects with digital knowledge to make biodiversity and its changes understandable and relevant for action.
Strategic goals
- Build a future-oriented, networked collection: Digitize up to 100% of LIB’s holdings, supported by AI, robotics, and FAIR/CARE-compliant data standards.
- Enable impactful biodiversity research: Develop data infrastructures and AI tools to monitor, analyze, and predict biodiversity change.
- Create the LIB Knowledge Space: An open, semantic web-based platform for connecting research data across disciplines and making it accessible to scientists and the public.
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Core areas
- Data Mobilization – Digitization, data integration, and metadata management across all LIB collections.
- Biodiversity Data Science – Development of AI models, semantic knowledge graphs, and analytical tools for ecological and genomic data.
- Citizen Science – Inclusive participation in biodiversity research through collaborative data collection, validation, and analysis.
Implementation and governance
- Cross-location collaboration between the LIB locations Bonn and Hamburg, involving all centers of expertise.
- Flat, participatory governance encouraging open discussion, agile development, and joint decision-making.
- Roles and expertise include AI developers, data scientists, digital collection managers, semantic web developers, and strategic researchers.
Effects until 2035
By systematically digitizing, connecting, and interpreting biodiversity data, The Center Biodiversity Data Science will:
- Position LIB as a globally open object and knowledge hub.
- Strengthen LIB’s leadership in biodiversity informatics and data-driven conservation science.
- Foster innovation and social engagement through transparent, participatory research.
Contact person
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- Head of Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science (zcb)
Phone: +49 40 238317 705
E-Mail: l.vogt@leibniz-lib.de
Contact for enquiries
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Projects
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LEPMON: Recording the biodiversity of moths (Lepidoptera) with AI
Management: Dr. Peter Grobe
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NFDI4Biodiversity
Management: Dr. Peter Grobe
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CaBOL - Caucasus Barcode of Life
Management: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernhard Misof
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FOGS
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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1KITE
Management: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernhard Misof
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GGBN
Management: Dr. Jonas Astrin
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GGBC
Management: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernhard Misof
Publications
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2025/09
The Grammar of FAIR: A Granular Architecture of Semantic Units for FAIR Semantics, Inspired by Biology and Linguistics
2025/09
Ecolink: Towards a Knowledge Graph Schema for Complex Environmental Systems
2025/08
A Framework for FAIR and CLEAR Ecological Data and Knowledge: Semantic Units for Synthesis and Causal Modelling
2025/04
Suggestions for extending the FAIR Principles based on a linguistic perspective on semantic interoperability
Scientific data, 1, 12
2025/03
Towards Machine-Actionable Scientific Knowledge as FAIR Digital Objects
2024/07
Rosetta Statements: Simplifying FAIR Knowledge Graph Construction with a User-Centered Approach
2024/07
Rethinking OWL Expressivity: Semantic Units for FAIR and Cognitively Interoperable Knowledge Graphs Why OWLs don't have to understand everything they say
2024/05
FAIR 2.0: Extending the FAIR Guiding Principles to Address Semantic Interoperability
2024/01
Scalable data pipeline: Ontology-based OPC UA data access for the industrial internet of things
2023/11
FAIR Knowledge Graphs with Semantic Units: a Prototype
2023/11
Building an atlas of knowledge for invasion biology and beyond! 2nd enKORE-INAS Workshop
Research Ideas and Outcomes, 9
2023/07
Converging on a Semantic Interoperability Framework for the European Data Space for Science, Research and Innovation (EOSC)
2023/07
Towards a Rosetta Stone for (meta)data: Learning from natural language to improve semantic and cognitive interoperability
2023/04
Knowledge Graph Building Blocks: An easy-to-use Framework for developing FAIREr Knowledge Graphs
2023/04
Formalizing Invertebrate Morphological Data: A Descriptive Model for Cuticle-Based Skeleto-Muscular Systems, an Ontology for Insect Anatomy, and their Potential Applications in Biodiversity Research and Informatics
Systematic Biology, 5, 72
2023/01
The FAIREr Guiding Principles: Organizing data and metadata into semantically meaningful types of FAIR Digital Objects to increase their human explorability and cognitive interoperability
2023/01
Semantic Units: Organizing knowledge graphs into semantically meaningful units of representation
2022/03
SKG4EOSC - Scholarly Knowledge Graphs for EOSC: Establishing a backbone of knowledge graphs for FAIR Scholarly Information in EOSC
Research Ideas and Outcomes, 8
2022/01
Formalizing Insect Morphological Data: A Model-Based, Extensible Insect Anatomy Ontology and Its Potential Applications in Biodiversity Research and Informatics
2021/12
Phenotyping in the era of genomics: MaTrics—a digital character matrix to document mammalian phenotypic traits
Mammalian Biology, 1, 102
2021/05
ORKG: Facilitating the Transfer of Research Results with the Open Research Knowledge Graph
Research Ideas and Outcomes, 7
2020/11
Improving Access to Scientific Literature with Knowledge Graphs
BIBLIOTHEK Forschung und Praxis, 3, 44
2020/08
Toward Representing Research Contributions in Scholarly Knowledge Graphs Using Knowledge Graph Cells
2019/06
From Data to Knowledge: A semantic knowledge graph application for curating specimen data
Biodiversity Information Science and Standards, 3
2019/06
FAIR.ReD: Semantic knowledge graph infrastructure for the life sciences
Biodiversity Information Science and Standards, 3
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Employees
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Christian Bräunig
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ScientistE-mail: c.braeunig@leibniz-lib.de
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Sheikh Mastura Farzana
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ScientistE-mail: S.Farzana@leibniz-lib.de
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Cristina Therese Garilao
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb Hamburg ScientistPhone: +49 40 238317 707
E-mail: c.garilao@leibniz-lib.de/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/home/Bilder/LIB/Ueber_das_LIB/Mitarbeitende/Bonn/01_20241120_MKB_Portraits_LowRes_GeigerKatharina_FKurceren_6N0A6107.jpg%3F1739190106)
Dipl. Biol. Katharina Geiger
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ztm Lepidoptera & TrichopteraPhone: +49 228 9122 411
E-mail: k.geiger@leibniz-lib.deCarina Goretzky
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ScientistE-mail: c.goretzky@leibniz-lib.de
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Dr. Peter Grobe
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ScientistPhone: +49 228 9122 342
E-mail: p.grobe@leibniz-lib.de/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/home/Bilder/LIB/Ueber_das_LIB/Mitarbeitende/Bonn/01_20250115_MKB_Portraits_PapeLarissa_MGeiger_IMG_5581.jpg%3F1739351732)
Larissa Pape
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb zbm Administrative employeePhone: +49 228 9122 358
E-mail: l.pape@leibniz-lib.de/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/home/Bilder/LIB/Ueber_das_LIB/Mitarbeitende/Bonn/01_20241118_MKB_Portraits_LowRes_QuastBjoern_FKurceren_6N0A3371.jpg%3F1739271927)
Dr. Björn Quast
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ScientistPhone: +49 228 9122 347
E-mail: b.quast@leibniz-lib.de/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/home/Bilder/LIB/Ueber_das_LIB/Mitarbeitende/Bonn/01_20250115_MKB_Portraits_RachBirgit_MGeiger_IMG_5885.JPG%3F1739271961)
Dipl. Biol. Birgit Rach
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ScientistPhone: +49 228 9122 422
E-mail: b.rach@leibniz-lib.deDr. Tobias Spanke
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb ztm Postdoctoral researcherPhone: +49 228 9122 411
E-mail: t.spanke@leibniz-lib.de/leibniz-lib.de/fileadmin/user_upload/home/Bilder/LIB/Ueber_das_LIB/Mitarbeitende/Hamburg/Vogt-Lars_01--LIB_-Pour.jpg%3F1772022151)
Dr. Lars Martin Vogt
Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science l zcb Hamburg ScientistPhone: +49 40 238317 705
E-mail: l.vogt@leibniz-lib.de