This document summarizes the Nodes Portal Toolkit (NPT), a content management system that provides a common platform for national and regional biodiversity data portals within the GBIF network. The NPT is built on the open-source Drupal platform and allows nodes to customize features, host the portal locally or through another node, and collaborate on developing shared modules. It provides basic website functionality and templates for modules displaying GBIF species data, with the goal of engaging local communities through regional portals with minimal technical requirements.

1. Community Development of
Portals within the GBIF Network
A primer

2. Joint collaboration demonstrates
strength of GBIF network
• Nodes require national/regional portals to
engage their local communities
• Collaboration is cost-efficient
• Common platform supports re-use of
components

3. The NPT is
• A website construction platform
• Extensible to accommodate custom needs
– New features added by Nodes community
– Shared with other Nodes
• Flexible in regard to hosting
– May be installed and run at the Node
– May be hosted by another Node

4. NPT Platform

5. A website construction platform
• NPT is a website building tool
• Provides a foundation for extending features and
capabilities
= NPT

6. NPT is built on an open source platform
• A “content management system” called Drupal
• Drupal is the basis of millions of websites
worldwide
• Actively maintained by over 12,000 developers

7. Drupal is widely used in biodiversity informatics

8. The basic NPT platform provides everything needed
to start a web site
Non-technical staff can
just start adding content!

9. The NPT provides hosting options so that Nodes
who can’t host a web site can still have one

10. NPT Startup
Described as NPT 1 at the 11th Global Nodes Meeting and in some documents

11. NPT can be extended by creating and
installing Modules

12. One module might display a calendar on
your site

13. We will kick-start the NPT process by
developing two modules that access data
from the GBIF portal
These modules are directed towards
Nodes with little web development
capacity

14. One module will display a species checklist
based on occurrence data in the GBIF portal

15. A second module will display a GBIF data map
for each taxon in the species list

16. NPT Startup Summary
This configuration is a starting point for further
development
• Provides a customizable website / portal
• Provides foundation for further modules to be
added
• Displays GBIF portal data as data maps for your
country or region

17. NPT Advanced
To drive the development of your own portal

18. Next: Kick-start the community-
development process
• GBIF funds support development of core NPT
component modules
• These modules are
– identified & prioritized by Nodes community
– developed by Nodes community

19. Nodes Investment in new functionality
• Nodes extend the platform with new modules
A module we all need
A module I need

20. Promote the community-driven
development of NPT
• GBIF promotes training and use of NPT

21. Different nodes may implement different sets of
modules to meet their specific needs

22. Nodes Portal Toolkit
More information at:
http://community.gbif.org/pg/groups/3507/nodes-portal-toolkit-npt/