IUFRO c/o Metla
The reasons why users face problems in their search for forest related information are mainly related to the way institutes organize their online resources. The majority of forest information providers fail to create adequate reference data about their information resources they have placed on the internet. Such reference data are commonly generated by a few general search engines through an automatic scanning process and then placed in huge reference databases that are not domain-specific.
Because of the above described problems with the organization and dissemination of electronic forest-related information resources, the Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) gateway and partnership have been developed.
The GFIS gateway provides access to forest related information through a single entry point at www.gfis.net. Searching among these resources is free and provides direct access to the original information. GFIS is an open system to which information providers, using GFIS information exchange standards for cataloguing information, may contribute metadata on their forest related online resources. The current GFIS information types are based on RSS 2.0 specification, AGRIS/GFIS application profile and the USGS/BIO/FGDC biological data profile.
GFIS is built on the principle of partnership, across sectors and international. Through a bottom-up approach partners control the amount and coverage of information to be made visible and accessible through GFIS.
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