The Fenix platform is a software solution designed for the acquisition, management, and analysis of diverse data sets, aimed at providing data as a public good and ensuring interoperability among systems. Key features include open source software, service-oriented architecture, enhanced data sharing capabilities, and the implementation of user-specific interfaces with analytical modules. Future opportunities involve promoting data consistency, creating data-sharing networks, and offering geospatial information services for environmental monitoring.

1. FENIX platform
OVERVIEW OF THE NEW SOFTWARE
PLATFORM AND SYSTEM SETUP
Fabio Grita
System support officer, FAO
and
Stefania Bacci
Statistician

2. What is FENIX
A collection of software tools, methods and
standards to facilitate acquisition,
management and analysis of large, diversified
and distributed sets of data.

3. What’s the aim of FENIX
• Avail data as “public good”
• Ensure interoperability between IT
systems
• Respond to users’ requirements
• Strengthen the international, regional and
national institutional networks

4. Key features
• Based on Open Source software; no licensing constraints and full
redistribution rights
• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): extensible software  ability to plug-in
new functionalities and applications
• Enhanced data sharing, e.g. through web services (APIs)
• Ability to handle different type of data
• Data search system based on metadata
• Analytical capacities through embedded statistical packages

5. Key features… in a few words
Move from pure data dissemination to analysis and data management
Specifically:
• Build user-specific interfaces
• Implement analytical modules called “thematic modules” (e.g. monitoring of
environmental indicators, trend analyses, real-time display and analysis of data
from mobile devices, etc.)
• Use multiple resources (e.g. datasets and maps) in a desktop-like page
• Flexible configuration of the dashboards and visualization pages
• Link to other FENIX and non-FENIX applications

7. FENIX Metadata Standards
Metadata: Information about data (the ID of the data)
Metadata standards used in FENIX:
• Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX)
• ISO 19115
• Data Documentation Initiative (DDI)
• Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI)

8. Data Synchronization
• Metadata alignment
• Codelist conversion tables and tools
• 2-way transfer of data and metadata
• Definition of a clear data management and updating policy

9. Future opportunities for the
ECO Region
Promote data and metadata consistency across national and regional nodes
and define a set of data standards
Create a network for data sharing and ensure a data flow from national to
the regional and global nodes and vice versa
Provide services availing geospatial information and real-time data for
monitoring environmental parameters and derive breed-related indicators
from remote sensing, GIS and other geo-referenced data