Prepare and publish to GBIF
Endorse your institution as a GBIF Publisher, set a CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-NC survey license, Prepare a survey package, then either Publish from ArtInStack (hosted crawl) or download the zip and publish it yourself on your IPT—then Track IPT publish to keep survey status in sync.
Publishing a survey to GBIF means your institution becomes the credited Publisher of a harvest-ready Camtrap package, then GBIF crawls that package and can issue a dataset DOI. ArtInStack builds and (optionally) hosts the package; it does not become the Publisher for your data.
Why endorsement and Instant Connect versus Delegated Access matter for institutions: Publishing to GBIF: endorsement first. This page is the click-path how-to.
Export Camtrap DP (partner zip) stays available as a separate action. Prepare for GBIF is the harvest path: it validates license and data, collects explicit choices (omit stubs, fuzz or withhold sensitive coordinates), and stages the package for Download and/or Publish.
Two ways to get on GBIF (after Prepare)
Everyone starts the same way: Prepare builds one harvest zip. Then choose how that zip reaches GBIF:
| Publish from ArtInStack (usual) | Publish on your own IPT (manual) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who hosts the zip | ArtInStack (staged package URL) | Your IPT (or equivalent Installation) |
| What you click | GBIF → Publish | Upload the zip in IPT, then GBIF → Track IPT publish… |
| Settings → Integrations → GBIF | Required (Instant Connect or Delegated Access) | Not required to Download or track |
| Survey status | Crawl requested → Published to GBIF | IPT · tracking → Published to GBIF |
| Credit / DOI | Your Publishing Organization | Your Publishing Organization |
Use Publish from ArtInStack when you want registration and crawl without leaving the dashboard. Use your own IPT when your institution already runs IPT and wants every technical hop inside your walls.
Prerequisites
- Field surveys on your plan (Projects → Surveys visible)
- An institution that can be (or already is) a GBIF Publishing Organization, not a solo photographer without affiliation
- A survey with animal observations that have scientific names (GBIF suggest)
- Survey license set to CC0 1.0, CC BY 4.0, or CC BY-NC 4.0 in Survey details (required before Prepare)
- For Publish from ArtInStack: Settings → Integrations → GBIF configured (see below)
- For your own IPT: an IPT your org already runs. No Integrations setup is required to Download a staged zip or to Track IPT publish
Before you prepare: endorsement and credit
- Register / endorse your organization with your National Node (or Participant process) so you can publish live on gbif.org. Endorsement is outside ArtInStack and can take days, so prepare data in parallel.
- Keep credit clear: the Publishing Organization is always your NGO or lab. ArtInStack may host the zip technically; it never replaces your org as Publisher.
- Use GBIF’s test/sandbox only to practice packaging and crawl mechanics. It does not replace live Node endorsement.
Set the survey license
GBIF requires the dataset license to be one of three open licenses. Fix this in Survey details (not inside the Prepare modal):
| Allowed on the survey | Notes |
|---|---|
| CC0 1.0 | Public domain dedication |
| CC BY 4.0 | Attribution |
| CC BY-NC 4.0 | Attribution-NonCommercial |
Evidence of Impact on your website is a separate public story. A harvest package is an open occurrence dataset, so set the license deliberately before you Prepare.
Instant Connect or Delegated Access
Open Settings → Integrations → GBIF before you Publish from ArtInStack (field surveys must be on your plan). Skip this section if you only publish on your own IPT. Both modes keep your organization as the GBIF Publisher; they only change how ArtInStack authenticates when registering the dataset.
| Connection mode | What you enter | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Instant Connect (BYO, recommended) | Publishing Organization key (UUID) + GBIF service account username + password (or token) | Self-serve; credentials stay vaulted for Publish; no helpdesk wait |
| Delegated Access | Organization key only | Your Node grants editor rights on your org to ArtInStack’s platform username (shown on the Integrations card; copy it for helpdesk). Use only after that grant is confirmed |
Save settings before you Publish. Instant Connect does not wait on a helpdesk grant; Delegated does.
Prepare for GBIF (every survey)
On the survey detail page:
- Open the GBIF menu → Prepare.
- Review the checklist: license badge, included animal rows, stubs/unclassified (omitted from occurrences by default), missing dates, and sensitive IUCN hits.
- If sensitive taxa are flagged, choose Fuzz coordinates (survey default radius) or Withhold lat/lng. Public Evidence redaction is not enough for harvest; GBIF needs usable coordinates or declared uncertainty.
- Choose whether to Include Image Links in Export (off by default):
- Off (default): the package is metadata-only for media. Occurrence rows still publish; photos do not appear on GBIF occurrence pages via your package links.
- On: public media can receive public image URLs so photos may display on GBIF. Sensitive location choices (fuzz / withhold) still apply to coordinates in the tables.
- If the checklist shows private media won’t be linked, review the sample list. Files on private storage (lock icon in Media, including uploads into Private portfolios) never receive public image links—even when Include Image Links is on. Re-upload those assets as public media if you need them linked on GBIF occurrence pages. The row is an Advisory when links are off, and Skipped when links are on.
- Fix blockers (license, empty include set, missing spatial choice) in Survey details or Media, then reopen Prepare.
- Click Prepare. ArtInStack builds the harvest zip and stages it (survey shows Staged).
- Optional: GBIF → Download for a local copy of the same staged package (needed if you publish on your own IPT).
Stubs and unclassified rows stay attached in the survey workspace; they are omitted from harvest occurrences unless you finish identification later and Prepare again.
Image links are optional and separate from coordinate privacy. Turning links on does not bypass fuzz, withhold, or private-storage rules.
Publish from ArtInStack
Use this when you want ArtInStack to host the staged package and register the dataset for crawl:
- Complete Settings → Integrations → GBIF with Instant Connect or Delegated Access.
- Complete Prepare so the survey is Staged.
- Open GBIF → Publish. ArtInStack registers or updates the dataset under your organization key and requests a crawl of the staged package URL. It does not rebuild the zip on Publish.
- If you change observations or Prepare preferences after staging, run Prepare again before Publish so the staged package matches what you reviewed.
Publish on your own IPT
Use this when your institution already runs an IPT (or equivalent Installation) and you prefer to upload the package yourself:
- Complete Prepare, then GBIF → Download for the staged zip.
- In your IPT, create a new resource of type Camera Trap Data Package (Camtrap DP) by uploading that zip as an archive (not metadata-only). IPT imports metadata, tables, and mappings together.
- Confirm Metadata shows Valid, then publish the resource under your Publishing Organization so GBIF can crawl your IPT. Dataset credit and DOI stay with your org.
- Back in ArtInStack, open GBIF → Track IPT publish…, paste the GBIF dataset key (UUID), and save. The survey shows IPT · tracking until occurrences are indexed (Published to GBIF). That step does not re-upload the zip; it only links the survey to the Registry so status (and Evidence) can follow the same dataset.
Avoid when uploading Camtrap packages to IPT:
- Creating a metadata-only resource, then adding CSV sources later
- Replacing Source files on a resource whose Metadata is already Invalid and expecting Metadata to refresh — create a new resource and upload the archive again instead
You do not need Settings → GBIF to Download a staged zip or to Track IPT publish. Keep Export Camtrap DP for partner handoff when you want a raw package without harvest prep choices.
Survey GBIF status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Staged | Package built and ready; not yet registered with GBIF from ArtInStack |
| Crawl requested | You used Publish from ArtInStack; GBIF is fetching and indexing |
| IPT · tracking | You linked a dataset key after publishing on your own IPT; waiting for index |
| Published to GBIF | Occurrences look indexed for this survey |
| Failed | Sync or later ingestion failed. Read the error, fix Integrations or Prepare, then retry |
Prepare vs Export Camtrap DP
| Action | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Export Camtrap DP | Full partner package from the survey (familiar Camtrap tables); no harvest pre-flight modal |
| Prepare for GBIF | Interactive validation + harvest-ready zip with license gate, omit stubs, fuzz/withhold choices, and optional image links; stages for Download / Publish |
| Download (GBIF menu) | Local copy of the staged harvest zip (does not rebuild) |
| Publish (GBIF menu) | Register/crawl from ArtInStack (Integrations required) |
| Track IPT publish… | Paste GBIF dataset key after you published the zip on your own IPT |
Steps (quick path)
- Confirm institutional Publisher endorsement (or proceed on sandbox for practice only).
- Set survey license to CC0, CC BY, or CC BY-NC.
- Finish animal scientific names; decide fuzz vs withhold for sensitive taxa; decide whether image links belong in this harvest.
- GBIF → Prepare (survey shows Staged).
- Either configure Integrations → GBIF and Publish, or Download the zip, upload it to your IPT as a Camtrap DP archive, then Track IPT publish… with the dataset key.
- Wait for crawl/index; claim a live DOI only when the dataset is actually on GBIF under your org.
Verifying your setup
- Survey license shows one of the three GBIF-accepted values in Survey details.
- Prepare checklist reaches Prepare with no blockers; survey shows Staged.
- Include Image Links matches your intent (off = metadata-only media; on = public media may link).
- Private-storage files in the checklist stay unlinked even when image links are on.
- Publish from ArtInStack: Instant Connect or Delegated Access is saved; Publish succeeds; status moves to Crawl requested, then Published to GBIF.
- Your own IPT: IPT Metadata is Valid; resource is published; Track IPT publish… saved with the dataset key; status shows IPT · tracking, then Published to GBIF.
- Sensitive rows follow your fuzz or withhold choice, not a silent auto-rewrite.
- Credit on GBIF is your Publishing Organization, not ArtInStack.
Troubleshooting & common pitfalls
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| Prepare disabled | License not CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-NC; no named animal rows; sensitive taxa need fuzz or withhold |
| Checklist warns private media won’t be linked | Expected for private-storage files. Links require public media; re-upload as public if GBIF should show those photos. |
| Image links on but some photos still missing on GBIF | Those rows may be private storage, or links were off when you last Prepared—run Prepare again after fixing storage or the toggle. |
| Download disabled | No staged package yet. Run Prepare first. |
| Publish fails (auth / rights) | Instant Connect credentials; or Delegated grant not confirmed for the platform username |
| Publish asks you to Prepare again | Survey data or Prepare choices changed after the last Prepare. Run Prepare, then Publish. |
| Status stuck on Crawl requested or IPT · tracking | GBIF crawl/index is asynchronous. Wait, then use Re-check (throttled) or confirm on the Registry / dataset page. |
| Solo photographer blocked at endorsement | Expected. GBIF publishes from organizations; see the endorsement guide. |
| IPT Metadata stays Invalid after upload | Create a new Camtrap DP resource and upload the Prepare zip as an archive. Do not use metadata-only + add CSVs. Replacing Source on an Invalid resource often does not refresh Metadata. |
| IPT Source log says “no rows skipped” but Metadata is Invalid | Expected. That log only covers CSV ingest. Use archive create (above) or open the IPT Validation Report / Metadata form. |
| Want survey status after IPT publish | GBIF → Track IPT publish… with the GBIF dataset key. Status shows IPT · tracking until indexed. |
Next in this flow
Conservation and fieldwork overview