Bridging Biodiversity and Health: The Global Biodiversity Information Facility’s initiative on open data on vectors of human diseases

Abstract

There is an increased awareness of the importance of data publication, data sharing, and open science to support research, monitoring and control of vector-borne disease (VBD). Here we describe the efforts of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) as well as the World Health Special Programme on Research and Training in Diseases of Poverty (TDR) to promote publication of data related to vectors of diseases. In 2020, a GBIF task group of experts was formed to provide advice and support efforts aimed at enhancing the coverage and accessibility of data on vectors of human diseases within GBIF. Various strategies, such as organizing training courses and publishing data papers, were used to increase this content. This editorial introduces the outcome of a second call for data papers partnered by the TDR, GBIF and GigaScience Press in the journal GigaByte. Biodiversity and infectious diseases are linked in complex ways. These links can involve changes from the microorganism level to that of the habitat, and there are many ways in which these factors interact to affect human health. One way to tackle disease control and possibly elimination, is to provide stakeholders with access to a wide range of data shared under the FAIR principles, so it is possible to support early detection, analyses and evaluation, and to promote policy improvements and/or development.