{"id":3802,"date":"2026-07-01T13:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T21:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/?page_id=3802"},"modified":"2026-07-03T06:50:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:50:29","slug":"data-and-access","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/data-and-access\/","title":{"rendered":"Data and Access"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Data & Access<\/p>\n

Reach BIEN data the way that fits your work<\/h2>\n

Explore interactively, script in R, or move through a service-specific workflow. The main entry points are the BIEN Data Portal, the BIEN R package, the Species and Traits ShinyApps, and the four services that clean and integrate every record.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Entry points<\/p>\n

Ways to access BIEN<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
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\n BIEN Data Portal<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Browse BIEN data interactively and review products before downloading or querying.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n BIEN R package<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Use BIEN from reproducible scripts, notebooks, and analysis pipelines.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n BIEN Species ShinyApp<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Explore species occurrence summaries and BIEN-backed visualizations.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n BIEN Traits ShinyApp<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Review trait-focused summaries and exploration workflows.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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BIEN 4.2 in numbers<\/p>\n

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284M<\/strong>
plant occurrence records<\/span><\/div>\n
363,258<\/strong>
vegetation plots<\/span><\/div>\n
25.9M<\/strong>
trait observations (54 standardized traits)<\/span><\/div>\n
98,829<\/strong>
species with BIEN range maps<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Enquist et al. 2026 describe BIEN 4.2 as an open, reproducible biodiversity informatics ecosystem. BIEN provides 98,829 curated species range maps plus 289,743 species in the associated open-access range database (Table 3). Records are standardized through TNRS, GNRS, GVS, and NSR; only about half of original records pass strict combined taxonomic and geographic validation, so BIEN attaches quality-control flags for transparent filtering. Counts are version-dependent and change between releases.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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A near-complete inventory of land plants<\/h3>\n

After taxonomic standardization through the TNRS, the cumulative number of land-plant species recorded over time is approaching an asymptote — evidence that the global catalogue of land-plant species is nearing saturation, and that BIEN’s harmonized integration of GBIF and non-GBIF sources adds species beyond any single source.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Figure 5 · Cumulative species, 1750–2020<\/span><\/div>\n

\"Cumulative

Species accumulation approaching saturation.<\/strong> Cumulative unique land-plant (Embryophyte) species recorded 1750–2020 across BIEN (green), GBIF (grey), and other non-GBIF sources (red), after TNRS standardization. BIEN integrates all sources into a comprehensive, harmonized catalogue. Source: Enquist et al. (2026), Methods in Ecology and Evolution<\/em> 17(5), Fig. 5. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Where the data come from — and where they are sparse<\/h3>\n

Sampling intensity is uneven. Coverage is strongest in North America and parts of the Global North, and sparser in biodiversity-rich but underrepresented regions of the Global South. Reading data with this in mind is essential for unbiased inference.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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Figure 7 · Global sampling intensity<\/span><\/div>\n

\"Global

Sampling intensity in BIEN 4.2.<\/strong> Density of botanical observation records per 100 km cell (quantile classes), integrating herbarium specimens, plot surveys, and trait observations. Maps highlight the uneven global distribution of plant-biodiversity data and the need for more sampling in underrepresented regions. Source: Enquist et al. (2026), Methods in Ecology and Evolution<\/em> 17(5), Fig. 7. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Read the data responsibly<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
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\n Versioned data<\/strong><\/p>\n

Record the database version and access date with any analysis or citation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n Query-dependent outputs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Results depend on scope, filters, and validation settings.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n Complementary data types<\/strong><\/p>\n

Occurrence, trait, and range products are not interchangeable.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Use-case caveat.<\/strong> Range products indicate modeled potential distribution, not direct proof of occupancy at all locations. See Methods and Workflow<\/a> for the validation logic.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

Primary citation:<\/strong> Enquist BJ, Boyle B, Maitner BS, et al. (2026). BIEN: A biodiversity informatics ecosystem advancing open and reproducible workflows for plant observation, plot and trait data<\/em>. Methods in Ecology and Evolution<\/em>, 17(5), 1556–1584. DOI: 10.1111\/2041-210X.70274<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Data & Access Reach BIEN data the way that fits your work Explore interactively, script in R, or move through a service-specific workflow. The main entry points are the BIEN Data Portal, the BIEN R package, the Species and Traits ShinyApps, and the four services that clean and integrate every record. Entry points Ways to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3802","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3802"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3802"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3855,"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3802\/revisions\/3855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bien.nceas.ucsb.edu\/bien\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}