Data sharing

[Hugh Wilson]

How does

 http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/biocise/TheProject/IntroCollab.htm

show how a simple coupling of databases works?  Can I find plant
specimen records by a query to this system?  I might be missing
something, but all I can find is links to info about the collections.
 Is there a functional prototype at this site that allows access to
distributed specimen data?

There is no shortage of 'glossy brochure' depictions of what folks
might *want* to do with web technology and specimen data.  This often
involves a self appointed center that creates standards and protocols
and an assumption that the community of collections managers is going
to buy into the enterprise.  Examples from the U.S. include the
Western Botanical Database Federation at:

http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/wusbad/

and the US-OBI project at:

http://www.biodiversity.uno.edu/usobi/

Both sites represent a considerable investment, very positive
verbiage, and no product, at least that I can find.  I might be
missing something here too.  If so, maybe those involved with
these enterprises can expand.

I see no technical problem with the 'data center as web node'
approach and a real demo is on line at:

http://www.biodiversity.uno.edu/taxonomy/fishsearch.html

but this represents sharing among a small group, using a
common data input system, that are able to establish a local
infrastruture in support of the effort.  If, however, the objective
is to include the maximum number of data resources, large and small,
I - again - don't think that this approach will work.


On 12 Dec 98 at 11:03, Walter Berendsohn <wgb at ZEDAT.FU-BERLIN.DE>
wrote:

> Date:          Sat, 12 Dec 1998 11:03:02 +0100
> Reply-to:      Walter Berendsohn <wgb at ZEDAT.FU-BERLIN.DE>
> From:          Walter Berendsohn <wgb at ZEDAT.FU-BERLIN.DE>
> Subject:       Data sharing
> To:            Multiple recipients of list TAXACOM

> Hugh Wilson wrote:
>
> > next step could involve setting up each local DBMS as a web node
> > with each node responding to a query to the 'merged', 'shared' or
> > 'distributed' data.  This sounds good but it will not work - at
> > least it has not worked and its not likely to work given current 'on
> > the ground' realities.  Or, maybe all contributors could send their
>
> I think this is clearly wrong. For example, the collaboration between the
> BioCISE and the BIODIV projects in Europe
> http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/biocise/TheProject/IntroCollab.htm
> shows how a simple coupling of databases works. There are numerous other
> examples with varying degrees of complexity (see for example the CORBA
> solutions
> in the molecular community, the proposed structures for the Plant Names
> Project, and the use of Z39.50 in the library community).
>
> I don't think this is a philosophical question, however. In some cases a
> procedure as followed for the ASPT records may work well and thus be
> appropriate.
>
> Walter Berendsohn
> WWW: http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/bgbm/staff/wiss/berendsohn+w+g/
>
>
>                           Walter G. Berendsohn
>        Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (B)                  A
>           Koenigin-Luise-Str. 6-8, D-14191 Berlin, Germany
>

Hugh D. Wilson
Texas A&M University - Biology
h-wilson at tamu.edu (409-845-3354)
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/Wilson/homepage.html