EDIT WP5 Platform for Cybertaxonomy

The EDIT team in Brussels (former in Madrid) is pleased to announce that the currently developed EDIT mapViewer (http://edit.br.fgov.be/edit_wp5/geo/mapviewer/maps.html) already allows not only the upload of user point data, but also its filtering and symbolization. This is an essential and important difference between the last announcement (dated in 02/15/2008). The next step will be the integration of tools to make easier the printing of the resulting maps. The insertion of user data must be in a comma-separated-values text file format (CSV extension).

On the 7th of February 2008, EDIT team leaders were contacted with the following call for cooperation for ViTaL (Virtual Taxonomic Library):

Dear EDIT team leader,

I am sure you will be aware that EDIT WP5.3 is currently creating the Virtual Taxonomic Library (ViTaL), which will be a key component of the EDIT platform.

ViTaL will make available three main services to taxonomists.
1. ViTaL's metasearch component will allow searching across a

The notes of the Taxonomic Editor workshop held in Berlin, February 21-22, 2008 are now available at http://dev.e-taxonomy.eu/trac/attachment/wiki/ConceptWorkshop/2008_02_21....
The results of the workshop are currently in the process of being integrated into a design document for the first version of the Taxonomic Editor. The current draft of the design document can be found at http://dev.e-taxonomy.eu/trac/wiki/TaxonomicEditor, at the bottom of the page under "Attachments".

In order to compare the most objectively as possible some of the taxonomic tools selected in a previous component (C5.47), 2 knowledge bases, one in zoology and one in botany have been translated into 4 taxonomic programs: Delta-Intkey, Linnaeus, Lucid and Xper2. These bases are available here: For the Delta-Intkey felin knowledge base click here. For the Delta-Intkey pinus knowledge base click here. Just click on the .ink file to open the knowledge bases.

The current report summarizes the main facts of the WP5.6 workshop 5.48 from the 7th of February entitled "Workshop report on strategy for descriptive data tools as cross-cutting instrument for revisionary taxonomy".
Please download the report here

In the EDIT context a questionnaire has been filled in by 12 taxonomists using or not taxonomic tools. It can be downloaded here
The results of this questionnaire will be used in order to suggest advices and recommendations for taxonomic tools. For the results click here
These interviews have been taken in charge by Jozef Plachy from Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University of Bratislava.

An essential part of EDIT Work Package 5.4 (Geospatial Component) is the development of a free available and easy to use tool able to produce maps for those taxonomists not experienced in the use of GIS programs. Geographic information is nowadays an important part of the information associated with any collected or observed specimen, and this information constitutes an important source of data for basic and applied purposes. At present, this web based application is free available in the EDIT Geoplatform mapViewer (http://edit.csic.es:8080/edit_geo/prototype/edit.html) for the use of all taxonomist community. To divulgate its existence, this text is also published in the new issue of the EDIT Newletter (http://e-taxonomy.eu/files/newsletter7_0208.pdf)

The workshop will be held at the BGBM to discuss on how best to design a new generation of Taxonomic Editor software improving the taxonomic work process and in particular the management of taxonomic concepts. Attendees will be users of the current Berlin Model Web Editor who deal in concept relations, namely Karol Marhold (Bratislava), Rudi May (BfN), Gerhard Ludwig (BfN), Walter Berendsohn (BGBM), Pepe Ciardelli (BGBM), Markus Döring (BGBM), Marc Geoffroy (BGBM), Andreas Müller (BGBM), and Eckhard Raab-Straube (BGBM).

http://dev.e-taxonomy.eu/trac/wiki/ConceptWorkshop
Interested parties please contact Anton Güntsch

Predictive modeling and modeling algorithms.
Report compiled by Magda Zytomska, MIIZ PAS, Warsaw, Poland, with input from the EDIT WP5.4 geospatial component task group and EDIT WP5 developer group.

The Common Data Model (CDM) is at the heart of the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy – based on the hard-won lessons from more than 10 years of modeling taxonomic data, it describes the information taxonomists process within the Platform.