[Taxacom] Biodiversity websites

[Cynthia Parr]

It would be cool if the TDWG project database also allowed for ratings and
reviews.  I think that's what Michael is asking for.

Michael Galperin summarizes the state of molecular databases every year in
the journal Nucleic Acids Research:
http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/36/suppl_1/D2

We discussed doing something like this at an ATOL meeting a couple of years
ago. It would take a bit of cash to set up. At EOL we've got some
annotations we've made to the TDWG project database that we'd be happy to
share. Whoever take this and runs with it would be sure to have a highly
cited review article every year.

Cyndy

On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 10:03 AM, Jim Croft <jim.croft at gmail.com> wrote:

> http://www.tdwg.org/biodiv-projects/
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 6:27 PM, <michael.heads at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > There now seem to be hundreds of so-called 'biodiversity' sites that list
> names and not much else, and are practically worthless (unless you want to
> make another list...). Some have additional information for a few taxa,
> sometimes even maps, but often of a very low standard.
> >
> > There are some truly awful sites out there - I won't name names but I
> wish someone would! Has anyone written a review of the most significant
> sites, with a few lines giving their strengths and weaknesses - something
> like Frodin's invaluable book 'Guide to the standard floras of the world'?
> (Tony Rees' 'metasite' is a great step in this direction but doesn't
> actually review the sites it lists). Or does everyone just have to figure it
> out for themselves? Sites like GBIF and EOL have major flaws and blind spots
> as well as strengths, but it takes a while to work out just what they are.
> (Of course groups such as the birds of the US are always covered
> brilliantly, but that information is easily available anyway).
> >
> > Michael Heads
> >
> > Wellington, New Zealand.
> >
>

-- 
Cynthia Sims Parr
Director of the Species Pages Group
Encyclopedia of Life http://www.eol.org
Office: 202.633.8730
Fax: 202.633.8742
parrc at si.edu

Mailing address:
National Museum of Natural History
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