Transcript Slide 1
Biodiversity Information Standards
(TDWG)
http://www.tdwg.org
Lee Belbin
Member, TDWG Executive Committee
Director, Blatant Fabrications Pty Ltd
[email protected]
October 1, 2008
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Biodiversity Information Standards
Previously: Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG)
…is an international not-for-profit group that
develops standards and protocols for sharing
biological data…
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…and where all outcomes are fully in
the public domain…
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TDWG’s first meeting was at the
Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques in
Geneva in 1985.
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…members and supporters are diverse mix
of biologists, computer scientists,
bioinformaticists, taxonomists, ecologists,
librarians, geoscientists…
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TDWG Standards
• Used by organizations or individuals wanting to
discover or share biological data (GBIF, EoL, ALA...)
• Raise institutional profiles through the discovery and
delivery of biological data
• Enhance research, conservation and management by
access to biological data from diverse sources and
systems
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TDWG Groups
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Biological descriptions
Geospatial
Global identifiers
Imaging
Invasive species
Literature
Observations and specimens
TDWG access protocol for
information retrieval (TAPIR)
• Taxon names and concepts
• Technical Architecture
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TDWG Products
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LISD Applicability Statement (2008)
NCD (2008)
ABCD Extension for Geosciences (2007)
TDWG Access Protocol for Information Retrieval—TAPIR (2006)
Applicability Statement for the Deployment of Life Science Identifiers (LSIDs) in Bioinformatics (2006)
Access to Biological Collection Data (ABCD) (2005)
Natural Collections Descriptions (2005)
Structure of Descriptive Data (2005)
Taxonomic Concept Transfer Schema (2005)
Delta 3 (2004)
Darwin Core (2003)
Distributed Generic Information Retrieval DiGIR—2 (2003)
International Transfer Format for Botanic Garden Plant Records –2 (2003)
HISPID3 - Herbarium Information Standards and Protocols for Interchange of Data (1996)
Economic Botany Data Collection (1995)
Plant Occurrence and Status Scheme (1995)
Plant Names in Botanical Databases (1995)
Authors of Plant Names (1992)
World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (1992)
Botanico-periodicum-huntianum/supplementum (1991)
Index Herbariorum. Part I: The Herbaria of the World (1990)
Users Guide to the DELTA System (1986)
Architecture Model
Exchange
Protocols
TDWG
Ontology
Globally
Unique
Identifiers
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Standards Architecture
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Principle 1: TDWG standards apply to
shared data
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Enables interoperability of providers and
consumers with radically different internal
implementations
Does not dictate internal structures on data
providers or consumers
‘Format’ matters when data crosses boundaries
Standards Architecture
• Principle 2: Biodiversity data will be modelled
as graph of identifiable objects
– Objects are defined by an ontology: Understandable
by humans and computers
– Requires globally unique identifiers to link objects
across the network
– Requires a transport protocol to ‘wrap’ the
biodiversity data for transport
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‘Oobie Doobie’ Model
Service 1
Data 1
Service 2
Universal Biodiversity Data Bus
Client 1
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Client 2
Data 2
Technical Model
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Slide by Roger Hyam (TIP & TAG)
TDWG Seeks
• Individual members to help us to develop more
effective standards for sharing biological data
– As we embrace new Internet technologies, we are keen to
recruit people with computing skills
– We always need people with any biological, environmental,
geological, conservation background to keep us remain honest
to our users.
– US$75/year
• Institutional members to ensure that as clients, our
standards more than meet their needs
– Our institutional members are a mix of museums, herbaria,
universities and consultants whose business involves biological
information
– US$500/year
• Feedback
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http://www.tdwg.org
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