GLOBALBIODIVERSITYGLOBALBIODIVERSITYINFORMATIONFACILITY Cataloging and using

Taxonomic Data

The Global Names Architecture

David RemsenSenior Programme Officer, ECAT

Asian Regional Meeting and Biodiversity Informatics

Workshop 16-19 Nov 2009

Enable access to information about species

Enable access to information about species

Scientific names label that information

Scientific names label that information

We use names to retrieve species information

We use names to retrieve species information

190M records – 5M distinct “taxon” names

Names make poor identifiers

Names make poor identifiers

Information science & authority files address this.

…even when properly spelled

…even when properly spelled

Information science & authority files address this.

Nomenclatural Databases

Nomenclatural Databases

Provide original orthography and tie names to their originating publications

Taxonomic Catalogues

Taxonomic Catalogues

Name of Taxon

Classification

Taxonomic Synonyms

Circumscription

Taxonomic Status

Terminology

Terminology

Catalogues Monographs Regional Flora/Fauna Primary Sources

Inventories/Species Lists Secondary Sources

Nomenclators No Taxonomy at all

http://code.google.com/p/gbif-ecat/wiki/ChecklistDefinition

Scope Taxonomic Regional Thematic

Global Names Architecture Idea

Global Names Architecture Idea

Mobilise Develop global taxonomic infrastructure

National, Regional, Global, Thematic

Index Create a Global Library of Taxonomic Resources

Link Create a single authoritative “dictionary” of

names Use / them

Develop tools and services that use these resources to facilitate integration and make life easier.

Dynamic Index of Checklists

Dynamic Index of Checklists

2010 Q1 Release

Build Name Dictionary Services

Enables Taxonomic Catalogues to be used to improve data quality in collections

Build Taxonomic Name Services

Save Time Improve

Accuracy Organise

species data Automate

manual tasks

Unorganised/out-of-date Organised/Up-to-Date

Create new checklists

New Derived ProductsNew Processes/Technologies

Use species lists to filter data retrieval

Applied to data access and integration

Support different or preferred taxonomic views

Enable communities to have your data their way

Questions

Questions

Can you benefit from these sorts of services?

Do you want a national Checklist Catalogue?

Should GBIFS focus on providing software for making Checklist Catalogues or services for using them?