ABIS stands for Automatic Bee Identification System. ABIS is designed to identify species of bees from images of their wings. Bees play a global key role in the ecosystem because they are the most important pollinating insects. This means that they are important both ecologically and economically. ABIS is the product of an interdisciplinary cooperation of the Institute of Computer Science III and the Institute of Agricultural Zoology and Bee Biology (now: Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation), both of Bonn University.