[Taxacom] biodiversity databases

Sun Feb 7 15:51:25 CST 2010

Dear all,

Actually there is a subtle distinction which Stephen's email does not spell out - wikiXXX is indeed not a repository of "new" information i.e. not available elsewhere, but the distinction is that there is a manual effort - arguably "creative" or at least resource intensive in terms of sourcing the relevant information, precis-ing and sometimes weighing conflicting published views, following literature threads for recent changes or issues affecting taxonomy, and then creating a (manual) "balanced" text summary (wikipedia) or "current" classification (wikispecies) which could in general not be created by automated / "mashup" means (the main operating principle underlying the EOL). This is in part the reason why EOL can easily create a million + "skeleton" pages, so long as at least the basic name information is accessible e.g. via Cat. of Life and elsewhere, while wikiXXX's proceed at a slower pace, but potentially with a greater degree of manual review as well as sourcing from non-digital or at least non-standardized digital resources. It seems to me that now EOL may be addressing the lack of machine addressible resources by creating their own mechanisms i.e. the LifeDesks where such manual labour can be done as a preparatory step to feeding into EOL. So the issue becomes one of harmonizing such manual efforts and reducing duplication of effort, rather than directly comparing the two models (which are in fact different beasts).

Just my 2 cents' worth...

Tony

________________________________________
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Stephen Thorpe [s.thorpe at auckland.ac.nz]
Sent: Monday, 8 February 2010 7:06 AM
To: David Patterson
Cc: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] biodiversity databases

Wikispecies was not set up to generate information.   It was set up to index information and to make available information visible via 'species pages'.

> It [EOL] does not compete with WikiSpecies (or any other taxonomic web site) as a creative environment

It is at best "unclear" what advantages EOL has over Wikispecies viz. indexing information and making available information visible via 'species pages'? If there are advantages, do they justify the costs?

In what sense do you see Wikispecies as a "creative environment" as opposed to an available index of information?

Can you elaborate?

As I see it: EOL caters more to its contributors and employees, whereas Wikispecies caters more to the needs of the end user. I'm NOT saying that EOL has a blatant disregard for the end user, or anything so dramatic!

Stephen

________________________________________
From: David Patterson [dpatterson at eol.org]
Sent: Monday, 8 February 2010 7:47 a.m.
To: Stephen Thorpe
Cc: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] biodiversity databases

EOL was not set up to generate information.   It was set up to index information and to make available information visible via 'species pages'.  It does not compete with WikiSpecies (or any other taxonomic web site) as a creative environment.

If the concern is that relevant content is not visible through EOL, then the fix lies in thinking as collaborators and not as competitors.  The indexing and visibility of content is achieved by becoming a content partner with EOL - see https://www.eol.org/content_partner/reports/login?method=get.  Similarly, EOL will respond to pressures to extend its array of APIs so that others can use the information that EOL indexes.

The taxonomic elements inside EOL are those that come from Catalog of Life and a few other sources.  It is now possible to navigate EOL by alternative classifications.  If anyone wishes to add their classification to EOL, then, at this time, the solution is to open up a Lifedesk (lifedesks.org), put the classification there and export it so EOL can use it. Later this year there will be a 'postbox' through which classifications can be submitted without the need to create an associated LifeDesk.

David Patterson

From: "Stephen Thorpe" <s.thorpe at auckland.ac.nz>
To: gread at actrix.gen.nz, taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2010 2:18:21 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] biodiversity databases

As unusual as it may be, I can see Geoff's point on this one, and I would even like to develop it a little! Today, on Wikispecies, I was working on a taxon of beetles called Stereomerini (http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stereomerini), and I haven't finished yet adding all the species details. Comparing this to EOL:
(1) EOL doesn't recognise a taxon called Stereomerini;
(2) of the 9 genera, EOL has pages on all of them except the recently described Cheleion and Rhinocerotopsis;
(3) if we look at one of them, Bruneixenus for example, all we get are the names and author/year, no other content! Not even citations to the original description references, let alone subsequent publications that may deal with the taxa. It is pretty obvious that these pages are created automatically from some sort of feed from other biodiversity databases;
(4) the format of the pages is such that they are full of irrelevant "stuff", that detracts from the main information (if there was any!);
(5) lists of subtaxa by themselves mean little without an indication of whose taxonomic opinions are being followed, which sources have been considered, which followed, and which rejected...

Even if payment for contribution isn't the norm on EOL, we still have a great deal of money going to support an infrastructure with very little actual content, and with an obvious free alternative (i.e., Wikispecies) with plenty of straightforward, useful content and links ...

Stephen

________________________________________
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Geoff Read [gread at actrix.gen.nz]
Sent: Sunday, 7 February 2010 6:33 p.m.
To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] biodiversity databases

David,

Just to be a teeny bit critical, I wonder again (as I did first time I
looked) how does one find a speciality on your site? Shouldn't you put
some structure into the display at  http://www.lifedesks.org/sites/ ?
Group by phyla would be good. And if there's just a more or less empty
shell for an item I don't really want to waste time checking it out, do I?
Like ... Hmmm, what's this? Any good? Oh, it's only embryonic. Damn.
(repeat ad tedium). Can these be flagged?

Geoff

>>> On 7/02/2010 at 4:47 p.m., "Shorthouse, David" <dshorthouse at eol.org>
wrote:
> I am an EOL champion and have taken a very bottom‑up approach to
> assisting folks get their wares online. Not only am I a champion of
> EOL, I am championing and developing LifeDesks,
> http://www.lifedesks.org. Folks create and own their own sites,
> develop their own community of contributors, and content flows out to
> EOL as a byproduct of their efforts (optional).

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--
David J Patterson
Senior Taxonomist, EOL
CoPI Life Sciences, Data Conservancy

Biodiversity Informatics
Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA.

(+) (1) 508 289 7260
dpatterson at mbl.edu
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