[Taxacom] Who uses biodiversity data and why?

[Faunaplan at aol.com]

Dear All,
Arthur Chapman's argument is exactly what I'm thinking of, but Bob Mesibov's 
question also touches what I'm concerned about, - and why I believe it's more 
realistic to envision something like "unlocking" data, rather than making all 
details freely accessible for all users and uses. Not only because of the 
"sensitive data" argument but also because of a couple of other reasons, the 
expectation to 'have-it-all-online' is far far away from today's reality and 
probably will never be more realistic in future. However, services like GBIF can 
play a very powerful role as a generator of synergy across country borders - 
something that we never had before - which can open doors to knowledgeable people, 
point to sources, and unlock treasures that are sofar hidden in our 
collections and in literature. Isn't it one of our main problems that we don't even 
know what we know and where we have to search for existing knowledge?
I fear that support for GBIF will stop when expectations are set too high and 
achievements continue to be so frustratingly low. My hope is that GBIF will 
strengthen the focus on realistic first-step solutions, - e.g., in context with 
the 2010 target, - that could motivate more data holders to join and convince 
those who will have to decide on future financial support... 
(By the way, the link to Matt Ball's article in GeoWorld can be found via <
www.biogeomancer.org>)

Best wishes,
Wolfgang
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Wolfgang Lorenz, Tutzing, Germany