: [TAXACOM] ITIS (an explanation of GBIF's data integration activities)

[Meredith Lane]

Rod Page wrote:

    For example, for some
    purposes, all a user needs is a name and a database id.  ...  If I
    have a database id, then I can look up that record and get more
    information. To illustrate, if I have an albatross, all I might
    need is "Diomedea", and "ITIS:174514" -- I have a genus name, and I
    know I got it from ITIS, and if I go to ITIS and look up record
    174514 I can get more details.

Thank you, Rod, for bringing this thread back around whence it started.
The issue you describe above is much more complex than your description,
but the central piece is a globally unique ID marker.  To ensure that
providers of data (any sort of data) can be accredited within a global
information environment that encompasses specimen databases, names
databases, data-matrix databases, trees (or whatever), a mechanism of
tracking is needed.  Each data item needs an ID (including the ITIS
record).  GBIF is beginning to try to address this issue.

We are interested in having feedback on a short concept paper written by
Donald Hobern.  You can get to the paper through
http://www.gbif.org/News/NEWS1087475152.


Meredith A. Lane, PhD
PR & Scientific Liaison
GBIF Secretariat
Global Biodiversity Information Facility
mlane at gbif.org
www.gbif.org <http://www.gbif.org>