[Taxacom] Differences in thinking between TDWG and LinkedData groups about data sharing / integration

[Bob Mesibov]

For those of us on the fringes of the debate, could you briefly state
the two positions? I'm not sure that the REST article does that.

In any case, it's not entirely clear to me how LinkedData can contribute
to the generation of *new* information. If all you're interested in from
the world of biodiversity research is the taxonomic output
(descriptions, revisions, classifications, keys, etc) and real-world
instances (locality records, images, etc), then you don't really need a
lot more than a search engine.

It would be nice to see online communities generating *new* biodiversity
information through collaborative, distributed taxonomy and
collaborative, distributed 'instancing', but IMO to get that happening
will require gingering-up of a much larger and more conservative
establishment than the one served by TDWG...
-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
and School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
Ph (03) 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Webpage: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/mesibov.html