The GBIF Secretariat has released version 3 of the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT), which extends new data publishing capabilities beyond the Darwin Core Archive format while retaining full backwards compatibility.
First made available for testing in September 2023, IPT v.3 includes support for new and emerging Frictionless Data Packages that eliminate the constraints of the star schema at the heart of Darwin Core. The first supported data package is the Camera Trap Data Package (Camtrap DP), while others—including ColDP, used for sharing taxonomic data to and from ChecklistBank—are undergoing testing for inclusion in the near future.
IPT v.3 fully supports previous functions of the software, enabling any user to continue to accept spreadsheet uploads, connect to databases, perform data validation and create and publish Darwin Core archives. In total, the version 3 release of the IPT resolves more than 140 issues, many raised by members of the GBIF data publishing community.
New or current IPT administrators will want to consult the updated IPT documentation, which contains specific instructions on how to install the IPT or upgrade an existing installation. The IPT source code is freely available under the Apache 2.0 license.
Managers and users of GBIF-hosted IPT installations can already take advantage of the new functionality, as these instances have all been upgraded to version 3.