{"id":50630,"date":"2026-02-05T11:53:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/a-decade-of-openbirdmaps-obm\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T12:47:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T10:47:39","slug":"a-decade-of-openbirdmaps-obm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/en\/a-decade-of-openbirdmaps-obm\/","title":{"rendered":"A decade of OpenBirdMaps (OBM)!"},"content":{"rendered":"Binoculars and a notebook. Equipped with these, our colleagues have been heading into the field ever since the Milvus Group was founded. The notebook was always with them, as this is where they recorded their bird observations. By 2016<\/strong>, as many as half a million records were stored in these notebooks and in smaller offline databases. This was the year when the decision was made to develop a database that would allow for the storage and management of all our existing ornithological data.\nIt was also important to us that these data should be publicly accessible, thereby enabling their free use by others in science, nature conservation, environmental education and other non-commercial fields. Thirdly, we wanted to create a platform that would allow others to do the same with their own data.\u00a0\nBased on these three guiding principles, OpenBirdMaps (OBM)<\/a><\/strong> was created, which wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the collaboration with the University of Debrecen.

\u201cA very old dream of ours came true when we managed to create an online database into which anyone can upload data using a free application downloadable to their phone, and where these data are stored and made accessible to everyone who wishes to use them for nature conservation purposes. Such a database seemed unimaginable when the association was founded in the early 1990s. At that time, data of this kind were scattered across countless small notebooks kept in desk drawers, and most of them were never used. It is a good feeling to know that now every observation can be put to use; I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity.\u201d<\/i><\/strong> – said <\/em>Tam\u00e1s Papp<\/b>, Executive Director of Milvus Group.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\tOne year later, OpenBirdMaps joined the <\/strong>EuroBirdPortal<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong> whose aim is to present the distribution of bird species and the temporal variation (seasonal, annual) of distribution on European level, largely based on observations collected by volunteer birdwatchers. Furthermore, we continued to improve the database, due to these improvements it became possible to attach photographs, sound recordings or other types of media content to observations.\nBy the end of 2018<\/strong>, the number of uploaded records had approached 700,000 observations<\/strong>, while the number of users regularly uploading data continued to grow.A major milestone in the life of the database was the development of a basic Android application, which allowed us to permanently abandon field notebooks.\u00a0 In the same year, the mammal database OpenMammalMaps<\/a><\/strong> was launched, initially for internal use only.\u00a0\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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We are working continuously to improve the database<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\tThe software was under continuous development, as our goal was to make it easy to use for all birdwatchers. In 2019<\/strong>, for example, the database was expanded with a module supporting nest monitoring programmes, and sampling base units also became queryable. In the same year, we launched the reptile and amphibian database, OpenHerpMaps<\/a>.<\/strong>\nIn 2020<\/strong>, OpenBirdMaps reached another important milestone: in the autumn of that year, we reached one million uploaded records<\/strong>.\u00a0\nFrom 2021<\/strong> onwards, the application also became available to users of mobile phones running the iOS operating system<\/strong>.\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The daily distribution of the uploaded records. The red line shows the moment when the database launched, while the blue line shows the moment the app launched. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\tAs there is always room for improvement, in 2022<\/strong> we continued to develop both the application, which was expanded with new features, and the website, which welcomed users with a new look. It also became possible to display various statistics related to the database and its users.\nOn September 15 2025<\/strong>, the birthday of Petru B\u0103n\u0103rescu, a distinguished figure in Romanian ichthyology, we are launching our OpenFishMaps<\/a><\/strong> database<\/strong> to the general public.\u00a0\nThis year, the OBM database celebrates its 10th anniversary<\/strong>. It now contains more than 2,350,000 records of 407 species from 21 countries and has 588 members<\/strong>. Some users have been using it regularly since the very beginning.\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Evolution of the amount of data over time<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The increase in the number of users over the years. The red line shows the moment when the database launched, while the blue line shows the moment the app launched <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\tEvery record counts!<\/strong> That is why we encourage you to join this community as well and collect data, so that we can form as clear a picture as possible of the status of wild bird species in Romania.\nRegistration for OpenBirdMaps is free and open<\/strong>, but only possible by invitation from an existing user. If you do not yet know anyone from the community, please contact us at openbirdmaps@milvus.ro,<\/strong> the administrators will be happy to help!\nThe free application can be downloaded from Google Play<\/strong> and is available in Romanian, Hungarian and English.\nHere<\/a> you can watch a short introductory video<\/strong> about it.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Binoculars and a notebook. Equipped with these, our colleagues have been heading into the field ever since the Milvus Group was founded. The notebook was always with them, as this is where they recorded their bird observations. By 2016, as many as half a million records were stored in these notebooks and in smaller offline 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