IOPI

[Karen Wilson]

     Yes, IOPI is alive and kicking! That's the International Organization
     for Plant Information, for those who are wondering what we're talking
     about.

     Our first project, the Global Plant Checklist, is coming to the end of
     the planning stage - the Checklist Committee produced a detailed
     project plan in February, which includes a data model worked out with
     the Information Systems Committee (this is convened by Walter
     Berendsohn in Berlin). This project plan has been approved by the IOPI
     Council.

     Currently, we are prototyping the data model and contacting potential
     participants in the project, both existing database projects and
     individual plant systematists. All of this activity is being paid for
     by the individual members or their institutions. This leads to our
     other main activity at the moment: seeking major outside funding to
     move into the implementation phase.

     Besides the Checklist project, an interim committee under Dick
     Brummitt has been set up to report to the IOPI Council in late 1995 on
     ways to implement the Species Plantarum Project (SPP).

     IOPI activities will be discussed at various international meetings in
     the near future:

     September 6 - IUBS session on Taxonomic Databases and Biodiversity -
     Paris, France

     September 19, 21 - CODATA sessions on Master Species Inventories and
     Biodiversity - Chambery, France

     October 7,8 - Presentation on IOPI to Latin American Botanical
     Congress and IOPI Annual General Meeting - Mar del Plata, Argentina


     For further electronic information, there is an IOPI list server
     (IOPI at life.anu.edu.au), along with an ftp archive (also at
     life.anu.edu.au in the subdirectory pub/biodiversity/iopi). This has
     been set up by David Green at the Australian National University in
     Canberra, but it will soon be moving (with him) to Charles Sturt
     University - he will post a new address then.

     In addition, members of IOPI receive the newsletter 'IOPI News'. If
     you are interested in joining (the only requirement for membership is
     that you contribute to IOPI activities in some appropriate way),
     contact me at the address below.


     Karen Wilson
     Convener of Checklist Committee, IOPI


         -----------------------------------------------------------------
          Karen L. Wilson
          Royal Botanic Gardens               E-mail: karen at rbgsyd.gov.au
          Mrs Macquaries Road                          Fax: 61-2-251.7231
          SYDNEY  NSW 2000,  AUSTRALIA               Phone: 61-2-231.8137


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: IOPI
Author:  "James P. Bennett" <JPBENNETT at MACC.WISC.EDU> at mailgate
Date:    27/8/94 5:38 AM

        What has happened to IOPI? I never see posts about it anymore. Any news?