The BIEN 4.2 database differs from BIEN 4.1 in two major respects:

1. GBIF content has been refreshed with a download of Kingdom Plantae from 16 November 2020.
2. Major validations have been updated as follows:
   1. TNRS (Taxonomic Name Resolution Service). Taxonomic database updated. See https://tnrs.biendata.org/sources/. Resolves standard taxon names name from verbatim submitted names.
   2. GNRS (Geographic Name Resolution Service). Reference database refactored and content updated to include GADM political divisions names, in addition to the previously-included Geonames. Resolves standard political division name from verbatim submitted names.
   3. GVS (Geocoordinate Validation Service). This new service combines the previous PDGS (Political Division Geovalidation Service) and CDS (Centroid Detection Service) with additional validations, providing a single-point-of-access geocoordinate error detection service. Generates validation flags is_in_country, is_in_state_province and is_in_county, is_invalid_latlong, is_centroid, plus additional quantitative assessments of coordinate error and precision and proximity to known centroids.
   4. NSR (Native Species Resolver). Database updated to include global distribution information from Kew's Plants of the World Online.
   5. CODS (Cultivated Observation Detection Service). Flags observations possibly or likely representing individual cultivated plants using two algorithms: (1) Proximity to locations of herbaria or botanical gardens, and (2) keywords or phrases in specimen and locality descriptions indicating cultivation. A completely rebuilt port to PostgreSQL/PostGIS of an earlier prototype.