MacroBen

Often marine biological data are the result of projects with a limited temporal and spatial cover. By combining the small datasets obtain by such individual projects, massive databases can be created that make large scale analyses possible. Such datasets are especially important when one considers the recent observation of major shifts of marine species due to global change. Within the [www.marbef.org MarBEF] working group Global Patterns of Marine Biodiversity across Ecosystems (Theme 1), an integrated database (MacroBen) on soft-bottom macrobenthos was compiled.

MacroBen datasets

Each dataset was archived and described in detail at the data centre of the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). Describing these datasets in a standardised way made it possible to create a searchable metadata inventory. This helps scientists to discover desired data and also enables them to share their data with other scientist. All metadata descriptions are publicly available. Archiving the datasets prevents them from being lost by ensuring the long-term integrity of the data. All 29 child databases can be found here.