2026 Digital Data: Sustaining Collections in a Digital World - Day 1, Sustaining Digital Data

Sustaining Digital Data in Biodiversity Research As iDigBio’s NSF funding cycle comes to a close, the future of the Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the biodiversity informatics and natural history collections communities. Over the past decade, the conference has served not only as a venue for sharing advances in biodiversity data mobilization and research, but also as a vital social and professional hub that fostered collaboration, shared standards, and a sense of community across institutions and projects. While biodiversity data mobilized through iDigBio remain secure within the GBIF infrastructure, sustaining the relationships, collaborative momentum, and shared practices cultivated through the conference will require intentional planning and leadership beyond the project’s current funding horizon. This discussion-focused session will build on conversations initiated during a sustainability workshop held in May, where participants explored potential governance structures, partnership models, and community-supported approaches for ensuring the long-term viability of the Digital Data conference. During the session, attendees will further examine strategies that could provide lasting stability and continued relevance for both the conference and the broader community it serves. Discussion will also consider how the conference could evolve into a focal point for advancing shared ethics, values, standards, and coordinated practices within natural history collections and biodiversity informatics communities. By engaging a broader group in these conversations, the session aims to identify actionable pathways for sustaining and evolving the Digital Data conference as an enduring community resource and catalyst for collaboration into the future. Speakers: Jillian Goodwin, Conference Manager (iDigBio) Libby Ellwood, Director of Education & Outreach and Global Collaborations, (Florida Museum, University of Florida, iDigBio) Pam Soltis, Professor and Curator (FLMNH; Director, UF Biodiversity Institute; Director of Research, iDigBio)