Plazi, CODATA & Semantic Climate Training Course on FAIR Biodiversity Data

From literature to living knowledge: transforming biodiversity data into global impact.

From March 24th to 27th, Plazi had the privilege of contributing to the CODATA India Hands-On Workshop on “Liberation, Extraction & FAIR Reuse of Data” — an inspiring journey shared with SemanticClimate, bringing together researchers, educators, and data practitioners committed to advancing open science and biodiversity informatics.

During the workshop, our team contributed by:

• Demonstrating how biodiversity data can be liberated from publications and converted into interoperable formats
• Exploring global repositories and strategies for data integration and reuse
• Showcasing manual and automated workflows that transform fragmented and inaccessible information into connected knowledge systems
• Leading discussions on data validation, annotation, and quality as foundations for trustworthy science

What made this experience especially meaningful was not only the technical exchange — but the people.

We witnessed a growing and vibrant network of researchers and institutions across the Global South, eager to adopt FAIR practices, co-create solutions, and expand the reach of biodiversity knowledge. New collaborations are emerging, the number of engaged users continues to grow, and the scientific community is becoming more connected, inclusive, and empowered.

The workshop also highlighted the importance of capacity building through a learning-by-doing approach — where participants actively engage with tools, workflows, and real-world data challenges. This is how knowledge becomes practice, and practice becomes impact.

We are excited to keep building this future together!

A special thank you to BRIC-National Institute of Plant Genome Research, India and the CODATA Committee, and especially to Professor Gitanjali Yadav, whose vision made this event possible and who warmly welcomed the Plazi team in New Delhi.