About

Concept is an online service for exploring, accessing and integrating controlled vocabularies maintained by InfoFlora. It provides a unified interface and an API for working with structured terminology used in our services and data.

The service is based on the SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) standard and exposes several ConceptSchemes, each with a specific scope and use case. Concepts can be browsed hierarchically, searched, inspected in detail, and accessed programmatically.

Why this service exists

Working with biodiversity data requires consistent terminology. Geographic units must be aligned, taxonomic entities need stable identifiers, and attributes describing observations must be interoperable. Concept provides a central point to access these shared definitions, improving data quality, interoperability and reproducibility across systems.

What you can do with it

• Browse curated vocabularies through a web interface
• Retrieve machine-readable concepts over an API
• Link your systems to stable concept identifiers
• Explore hierarchical relationships between terms
• Integrate place names, codes and taxonomic entities into your workflows

Target users

The service is intended for:

• Biodiversity informatics systems
• Researchers and ecological data analysts
• National and regional environmental agencies
• Database and API developers
• Anyone needing consistent, machine-readable terminology

API access

All concepts exposed in the browser are also available via a public API. This enables integration in external databases, applications and analysis pipelines. Documentation and examples will be published in our documentation website and Online API definition.

Governance and updates

InfoFlora maintains the vocabularies, ensures the stability of concept identifiers, and publishes updates transparently. Suggestions, corrections or change requests are welcome via our support channels and Feedback page.