Web Accessible Taxonomic Expertise in MarBEF: PROviding an e-Platform for the European Taxonomists
Parent project: Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning - EU Network of Excellence, more Acronym: PROPE-taxon Period: December 2005 till December 2008 Status: Completed
University of Salento; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali; National Interuniversity Consortium For Marine Sciences; Laboratory of Zoology and Marine Biology (LZMB), more, partner
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Institut National de Science de l'Univers; Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille; Station Marine d'Endoume, more, partner
Objectives
1. To provide the European taxonomists with an community driven e-platform that acts as a web accessible depository for integrated taxonomic knowledge systems (databases, keys, biogeographic data) based upon existing software and technologies;
2. To use this mechanism to open up relevant taxonomic expertise to the MARBEF community and to establish interaction with the European taxonomists and the corresponding Network of the Natural History Museums for needed (absent) expertise
3. To train specialists and students
Description of work
Task 1. Review of the existing know-how: (a) a workshop will be organized centrally (Amsterdam) to identify, present, test and review relevant softwares and technologies currently available to establish a community driven e-platform that acts as a web-accessible depository for integrated taxonomic knowledge systems (databases, keys, biogeographical data). Potential technical gaps or short comings will be identified and a tentative list of the basic components to be included in the e-platform will be drafted in a report; b) using the output of the workshop a practical solution for an e-platform for Web Accessible Taxonomic Expertise will be selected, and if needed and where possible adapted to previously-identified needs.
Task 2. Development of the e-platform: (c) subsequently, a demonstrator project with a single taxon will be carried out, which will then be tested in the MARBEF community (user feedback report); (d) the eplatform for Web Accessible Taxonomic Expertise will further adapted/developed based on the user feedback. Also, a questionnaire will be used to identify taxonomic knowledge gaps and prioritize needs (‘needed’ taxa) in the MARBEF community.
Task 3. Availability of the system: (e) second and final test with the application of the tools for the e-platform on a second single taxon; system broadly available on the web, taxonomic information publicized on the web; final training workshop
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