GABIKat

GABIKat is an open-source platform for knowledge management in biodiversity informatics. It provides a modular data model, tools for data curation, and visualization capabilities, all designed to support interoperable and reproducible research. The project aims to simplify how researchers store, share, and reuse complex biological data.

Developed by a consortium of universities and research institutes beginning in 2023, GABIKat emphasizes FAIR data practices. It supports common metadata standards such as Darwin Core and Dublin Core, and offers interfaces for programmatic access via REST and SPARQL, along with client libraries in Python and JavaScript.

Its core features include a pluggable architecture, provenance and versioning, role-based access control, search and discovery tools, and customizable dashboards. It integrates with external data resources and supports data citation, licensing metadata, and export to standard formats for reuse.

GABIKat has been adopted by several museums, universities, and national research programs to manage specimen records, observational data, and genomic metadata. It is designed to interoperate with global infrastructure and data catalogs, including GBIF and major sequence repositories.

Governance is community-driven, with an open-source license (Apache 2.0) and a standing steering committee that manages contributions, releases, and roadmaps. Community documentation and training materials accompany software releases.

Reception has been generally positive, with praise for enabling data interoperability and reuse. Critics note that initial setup and curatorial expertise can be barriers for smaller labs, underscoring the need for institutional support.