Confidence

[Barbara Ertter]

Robert Raven's comment reminds me of the sign I was thinking of having made:
        "Plant Identifications:  10 cents each
         Correct Identifications:  10 bucks each"
Though even this is undoubtedly undervaluing the skill level involved.

Barbara Ertter   ertter at ucjeps.herb.berkeley.edu
University and Jepson Herbaria
Berkeley, CA

>I am presently trying to design an interactive form that will allow
>ecologists who want spiders identified to establish fairly closely how
>much it will cost for various levels of error, eg. I do it all ("0%
>error) to you do it all (80% error). Granting agencies here are funding
>only about 80% of the requested fund on each grant, at best and taxonomy
>is what gets dropped out of these proposals because I think it isn;t well
>enough documented what they get.