(Fwd) Index Kewensis on CD-ROM -Svar

[Gerrit Davidse]

As a user and contributor via two projects (Flora Mesoamericana, Grasses
of the New World) to W3TROPICOS, I would like to make a few comments
about its scope.

It is a project-driven database that makes the data from these projects
available to anyone free  at the URL indicated below. It is not primarily
an indexing service like Index Kewensis or the Gray Herbarium Index.
However, it does have a similar nomenclatural component since all
taxonomic data (synonymy, type information, descriptions, illustrations,
specimen data, distributional data, literature, etc) that are currently
captured in the database are linked through names.

Its data are derived from the many projects active at the Missouri
Botanical Garden (mostly monographic and floristic, but also including
projects such as the Index to Plant Chromosome Numbers), the original and
secondary literature [including large nomenclatural data sets contributed
to various projects by Index Kewensis (e.g., Orchidaceae, names relating
to the Flora of Peru)], and many other databases (e.g., type databases at
the Field Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, to mention just two).
Importantly most of the information is linked to published sources or to
the projects themselves. An important point about the current version of
W3TROPICOS is that it is dynamic, i.e., as projects use the database,
the data that is entered immediately becomes available to the rest of the
world. For instance, if a species for Chiapas, Mexico, is newly published
in a current journal article, it is likely that the nomenclatural, type,
synonomy, distributional, and perhaps some specimen data will be quickly
recorded for use in the Flora Mesoamericana Project, and, thereby, will
immediately be available to the rest of the world.

As a consequence, nomenclatural data in W3TROPICOS is usually less
comprehensive than Index Kewensis (but for certain taxa or for certain
regions may be more complete.).  Accuracy varies from as accurate to more
or less accurate, mostly depending on the source of the data and the
amount of work that has subsequently been performed.

Summarizing, W3TROPICOS is a valuable tool and source of data, especially
for the New World and Africa, where most of the projects are active.
However, it must be used in conjuction with other databases of a similar
nature for complete coverage.

From:          Soren Doygaard
<Soeren.Doeygaard at IMF.KVL.DK>

I do not know if it W3TROPICOS from Missouri Botanical Garden's is as
accurate a s Index
Kewensis, but it is free !!  and can be accessed at
http://mobot.mobot.org/Pick/Search/pick.html

Soeren Doeygaard
Botanical Section, RVAU, Denmark.

>>> Kent Perkins <kperkins at FLMNH.UFL.EDU> 19-12-97 21.43 >>>
Greetings,
The UF Herbarium purchased Index Kewensis on CD-ROM (DOS ver.) in 1994 for
US $1500.
We understood that updates would be made available at a reasonable price.
We registered our copy and provided corrections when we found mistakes.

An updated, MS-Windows version is now available for US $1500.
Oxford Press informs us that we may "upgrade" for US $795.
The new CD covers through 6/96.
A printed supplement (suppl. 20) is available which covers 1991-Dec. 1995
for ca. $140.

We are opting to buy the printed supplement at this time but feel a bit
cheated.
Does anyone know of a better deal for the CD-ROM?

Thanks,
Kent

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Gerrit Davidse, John S. Lehmann Curator of Grasses
Editor, Flora Mesoamericana (see http://www.mobot.org/mobot/fm/)
Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O.Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, USA
Phone: 314-577-9533
Email: gdavidse at lehmann.mobot.org
Fax: 314-577-9596

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