Our understanding of biological systems is inadequate because our knowledge is based on a very limited spatial coverage. In most biomes, data collection is concentrated in a few sites (e.g. research stations), and this highly aggregated distribution of information limits our ability to understand large-scale ecological processes and to properly manage large areas. Aerial photography and satellite imagery have greatly improved our ability to collect information over large areas. The use of these technologies and Geographic Information Systems software have opened up many new areas of research and have greatly improved our understanding of vegetation cover and dynamics, but for other ecosystem components, particularly the fauna, our information base is minimal. Furthermore, long-term information is needed to understand the implications of land-use change and climate change on biological systems. From both a conceptual and management perspective there is an urgent need to increase biological data collection over large areas and this requires new data management systems and analytical tools. To address this challenge, we created the Automated Remote Biodiversity Monitoring Network.