databases

[Alan at]

*** Resending note of 03/23/95 16:54
To: EXTERNAL--CMSNAMES


In the latest issue of SCIENCE (17 March 1995, pg. 1609) is an article
containing a number of predictions for the future in science. One such
is of direct relevance to taxonomy:

"By the year 2000 or so ... we will also have a complete database of all
living organisms, including not only taxonomic data, but also
morphological, ecological, biogeographical, and biological data. A
complete census of the living organisms in selected habitats will be
made"

Now, this utopian vision may well be realized for birds and mammals, but
I daresay that for the remaining vertebrates, not to mention the
invertebrates, plants, fungi, protista & bacteria, it will take rather
more than 5 years to have such a complete database! Perhaps our
colleagues in other fields (in this case, genetics) remain unaware of
how much remains to be done in systematics before such a database can be
completed?  --Alan Kabat (Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution).

ÿÿ    databases                                                               3-