Global Forest Information Service

The Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) provides the framework to share forest-related data and information through a single gateway. It promotes the dissemination and sharing of forest and tree-related information and knowledge among the global forestry community by developing common information exchange standards, building capacity and enhancing partnerships among forestry information providers and users.

GFIS was endorsed in May 2004 at the twelfth meeting of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) by the members of the CPF as a new joint CPF initiative.

GFIS Workshop, Vienna, 4-5 March 2008

At the recent GFIS Workshop in Vienna a series of interesting presentations were given:

Workshop programme

• GFIS Einführung: Weiterentwicklung des Portals, neue Partnerschaften
  Eero Mikkola, GFIS Koordinator, IUFRO
  Powerpoint presentation (980 KB)
  
  
• Einführung in das EUROFOREST Portal
  Andreas Schuck & Tim Green
  Powerpoint presentation (1.500 KB)
  
  
• Einführung in das Waldwissen.net – Informationsplattform für die Forstpraxis
  H. Mauser (BFW) und R. Lässig (WSL)
  PDF (6.700 KB)
  
  
• Einführung in das EFICP (European Forest Information and Communication Platform)
  Dirk Tilsner
  Powerpoint presentation (1.662 KB)

• Einführung in GFIS Informationskategorien und Austauschstandards
  Eero Mikkola, GFIS Koordinator, IUFRO
  Powerpoint presentation (225 KB)
  
  
• Praktische Schulung: RSS 2.0 Workshop
  Peter Preier, BFW
  Powerpoint presentation (527 KB) – Details – Word file (310 KB)
  

• Einführung in GFIS/AGRIS
  Gauri Salokhe, FAO
  Powerpoint presentation (527 KB, Englisch)
  
  

> Picture taken at the workshop (by Mr. Preier)

GFIS offers various benefits for different partners and users. For individual users and the member states of UNFF benefits include easier and more efficient access to world-wide forest information and improved professional networks. Benefits of GFIS information providers include better visibility and recognition of information and less investment required to disseminate information.
 

GFIS is built as a global partnership, across sectors and institutions, and aims to maximize the value of all forest information resources and providers worldwide. Through a bottom-up approach, partners determine the volume, coverage and type of information they would like to share through GFIS. Partnership arrangements will assist in identifying key information resources and in using common formats, means and methods by which the information is made available to GFIS. The underlying assumption behind the development of GFIS is that its partners share a common need for information sharing that can be addressed most effectively through collaboration. Towards this end, GFIS seeks to develop a system of partnership with a variety of organizations and levels of participation that form the GFIS community.

Interested in becoming a GFIS partner and information provider?

GFIS, as a CPF initiative is led by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the UNFF Secretariat. The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) also actively contributes to the initiative.

The new GFIS search service was launched at www.gfis.net at the XXII IUFRO World Congress in Brisbane, Australia, 8 – 13 August 2005. The GFIS gateway catalogued key information resources, such as news, events, publications and job vacancies supplied by information providers.

The upgraded version of the GFIS gateway was opened at the beginning of the year 2007. An improved search tool and windows to the freshest news, events, publications and job opportunities gives more visibility to GFIS information providers. The technical development and maintenance of the current GFIS gateway is being carried out by Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla).
 

The GFIS mailing list is intended to facilitate communication, discussion and information provision within the GFIS information provider partners.

The mailing list service is free to use for all GFIS information provider organizations contact persons, however you will need to subscribe in order to post and reply to messages.

If your organization is currently not a GFIS information provider partner, we encourage you to join in GFIS (https://www.gfis.net/gfis/join.faces).

CONTACT

Eero MIKKOLA, GFIS Coordinator

IUFRO Secretariat, Mariabrunn (BWF)
Hauptstrasse 7, A-1140 Vienna, Austria

Tel: +43-1-877-01-51, Fax: +43-1-877-01-51-50

Email: mikkola(at)iufro.org

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