1974
On a proposal from Prof. Ulysses Seal, 55 Zoos in Europe and the United States launch what is to become the International Species Inventory System (ISIS). The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV), Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA-US), and other foundations and governmental departments provide funding and the International Species Inventory System is born.
1975
55 members begin keeping paper records using standardized carbon-copy forms. One copy is sent to be key-punched at the Minnesota Zoo and loaded onto a State of Minnesota mainframe computer; reports are returned on paper printouts.
1984
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Brookfield Zoo and the US National Zoo join the Institute of Museum and Library Science (IMLS) as sponsors for ISIS development of a PC-based institutional records-keeping system.
1985-89
ISIS releases its first PC-based versions of Animal Records Keeping System (ARKS), Medical Animal Records Keeping System (MedARKS) and Single Population Animal Records Keeping Software (SPARKS).
1989
ISIS is incorporated as an independent, member-governed, non-profit, non-governmental entity under an international Board of Trustees, and is renamed International Species Information System.
2011 – 2015
ISIS rolls out the first web-based Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), then releases a new and improved user interface and database for ZIMS and launches the web-based ZIMS for Medical. Also released is a Spanish-language version of ZIMS.
2016
ISIS is rebranded as Species360. Species360 welcomes its 1,000th member, including zoos, aquariums, conservation agencies, educational institutions and regional associations in 90 countries on six continents.
2017
Species360 rolls out ZIMS for Studbooks, a web-based solution for helping collaborative breeding program managers and individual institutions to ensure the longevity, diversity, and welfare of key populations of species.
2018
Species360 forms the Conservation Science Alliance to provide conservation agencies, zoos, and aquariums with new research applying modern data analytics to global species data in ZIMS and other sources such as the IUCN Red List.
2019
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) publishes the first Species Knowledge Index developed by a team of researchers worldwide, including population dynamics and data analytics experts from the Species360 Conservation Science Alliance.
2020
Species360 releases a French-language version of ZIMS. In the first two weeks after releasing the application, more than 40 Species360 member institutions worldwide begin using ZIMS in French.
2021
Species360 releases ZIMS for Medical – Sample Storage to manage the immense amount of data associated with biological samples stored at zoos and aquariums worldwide. Sample Storage reflects input from veterinary specialists at zoos and aquariums around the world; chief among the collaborators is Biobank leaders at the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). ZIMS for Medical – Sample Storage becomes a key component of the EAZA Biobank, a resource designed to help secure, store, and manage at least one sample for every species residing in zoos and aquariums throughout Europe.
2022
Species360 expands its mission to include plants, with the addition of plant record-keeping platform Hortis. In December 2022, the team at Botanical Software joined Species360 as the newly formed Botanical Solutions department.
2023
2024
Species360 celebrates 50 years of data saving species!
Global information
serving conservation.