iDigBio

About iDigBio

iDigBio Search API is a RESTful web service, also known as iDigBio API v2, that wraps the Elasticsearch API to provide read-only access to biodiversity specimen data. It supports HTTP GET and POST requests and returns data primarily as JSON documents. The API covers searching for records, media records, and recordsets, retrieving individual items by UUID, and generating maps (as GeoJSON, UTF-8 grid, or PNG tiles) from geographic point data. It also provides endpoints for summary statistics, including record and media counts, modified-date histograms, and metadata field listings.

The API accepts structured search queries (rq for records, mq for media, rsq for recordsets) along with parameters for sorting, field selection/exclusion, pagination (limit/offset), and attribution control. Each response includes an attribution block identifying the recordsets covered by the request.

This service is aimed at developers and researchers building applications or integrations that need programmatic access to iDigBio's aggregated biodiversity specimen and media data.

Key features

• Search biodiversity records, media records, and recordsets via a RESTful JSON API
• Query records using a custom iDigBio Query Format across indexed fields
• Generate interactive maps with geohash or point clustering from search queries
• Retrieve tiled map data as GeoJSON, UTF-8 grid, or PNG
• Fetch summary statistics like record counts, top-N records, and modified-date histograms
• Look up individual records, media records, recordsets, or publishers by UUID

Frequently asked questions