Work Package 5

1. Work Package 5 Internet Platform for Cybertaxonomy

2. Rationale Taxonomy has to move into the information age Impediments: • Fragmentation of informatics development • Instable, ephemeral, undocumented tools • Usability unknown to taxonomists • Weak, lacking, and/or inefficient IST infrastructures in many institutions • Duplication of efforts, synergies possible EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

3. EDIT and biodiversity informatics • WP5 – Internet Platform for Cybertaxonomy is strongly linked with WP6 (Revisionary Taxonomy) and WP7 (Inventories) • The platform is to support the taxonomic work process by means of applications and services • Institutional integration through communication and specialisation of IT departments and formal agreements EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

4. Goals of WP5 • Our main aim: increasing the efficiency of the taxonomic work process • WP5’s target user community: taxonomists • Using biodiversity informatics techniques to support, give stability and provide visibility for taxonomy • The EU’s main aim for NoEs: integration of institutional resources EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

5. The Internet Platform for Cybertaxon-omy consists of Platform Components Every platform component may be a (local) Application or a (public) Service A Service may be an Machine Interface (e.g. web service), or a User Interface for humans A service provides either data ( Data Service) (e.g. an Authority Data Service) or some kind of transformation (Transformation Service). Platform terminology EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

6. Platform components, examples • Descriptive components: Key generation; Character analysis; Multilingual structured descriptions; Text markup • Geographic components: Interactive map generation for printed output; Distribution analysis • Bibliographic components: Protologue access and linkage, Reference management applications • Communication components: Email lists; Wiki-like services and applications EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

7. Platform components, examples • Taxonomic core components: Checklist databases; Nomenclators and other authority files; Concept oriented DBSs; Standard transformation services • Specimen components: Access interface for taxonomists; Feedback mechanisms; Nomenclatural type systems • Publication components: Typesetting markup; Automatic webpublication with resource integration EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

8. Building the platform • Build on existing applications and services E.G.: Aluka, Berlin Model, BioCASE, Biota, Delta, Diversity workbench, GBIF portal, Golden Gate, IPNI, JStore, NaviKey, Reference manager, Specify, • Towards decoupled components • Full interoperability through the use of standard interfaces • Multiple components varying in complexity according to user needs EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

9. WP5’s role in creating the platform Analyse the taxonomic work process Listen to the taxonomists: establish an interactive communication process between taxonomic practice and the platform team Strong liaison with TDWG and GBIF for standards-based approach Adapting, interfacing, and certifying existing applications and services Sharing the workload among institutions (formal agreements) EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

10. WP5 in EDIT Provide the coherent background for the platform and the technical specifications needed for interoperability Identify existing functional applications and services that may be adapted to fit in the platform Aid the developers to make these interoperable Support the development of standards (technical, structural, and semantics) used in interfaces Test and document components for taxonomists For Exemplary Groups: suggest solutions to specified needs and influence component development accordingly EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

11. WP5 and CATE • Share resources to develop defined components • Mapping services with Madrid and Tervuren • Descriptive services with Paris • Bibliographic services with London NHM • Share knowledge gained • Modelling the workprocess, User interface • Interfaces to CATE components EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

12. Internal and Interface Structure • Builds on identified steps in the taxonomic workflow (modelling), e.g. • Need of revision and decision to take it on • Gathering of resources (literature, specimens) • Field work • Character analysis (incl. molecular work) • Classification • Writing treatment(s) • Publication EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

13. WP5 and the exemplary groups • Core needs? • Functional system to store, publish and edit data • Communication tools for group building • Interactive development • Continued offer to (preliminary) host data in Berlin Model database • If inter-institutional agreement, than co-development of open source database EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

14. EDIT is an NoE ! • Institutional integration, a “director’s project”, not computerisation of the existing collaboration of individuals • Example EPOCH: results are Agreements, Standards, Common infrastructure, etc. based on institutional agreements and contributing to the ERA (European Research Area) • We need to provide evidence to the EU that our institutions can truly collaborate EDIT WP6/WP5 Coordination Meeting, Berlin, April 17, 2007

15. WP 5 Thank you