TAXACOM] ITIS (an explanation of GBIF's data

[Richard Petit]

I had already replied off line to Rod Page's note.  I will repeat my short
message here:

"There is one thing wrong with your illustration using an albatross and an
ITIS number.  If the listing under that ITIS number gives only NODC as a
source you have a dead end.  There is no published work to which one can
refer.  I think that using an albatross was very appropriate."

Dick
------
Richard E. Petit

----- Original Message -----
From: "Meredith Lane" <mlane at GBIF.ORG>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 10:00 AM
Subject: [TAXACOM] : [TAXACOM] ITIS (an explanation of GBIF's data
integration activities)


> 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>
>