Project 6 - Biodiversity Information Management Framework

In collaboration with taxonomic researchers, staff from this project are documenting the taxonomic process to identify areas of activity amenable to technology application and design information architecture for the management and delivery of taxonomic information. Project staff provide information technology support for data collection, research and information delivery in Taxonomy Hub projects.

Challenges

The present information management and delivery environment for taxonomists in Australia offers limited tools to record, use and re-use the taxonomic data, such as specimen records, nomenclature, descriptions, keys, publications etc. The time taken for taxonomic information to become generally available to other scientists, government, NRM agencies, legal instruments and members of the public etc. is generally longer than most clients would like. There is a perception that new technology will offer the taxonomic community increased productivity. Accelerating threats to biodiversity, such as climate change and habitat destruction, add to the urgency of this task.

Seeking solutions

• Communicate, consult and collaborate with Hub participants and external collaborators.
• Provide web-based technologies (e.g. Wikis, mail servers) to facilitate communication.
• Evaluate, devise and implement technologies to assist with taxonomic workflow and information management.
• Consult and collaborate with staff of the Atlas of Living Australia.
• Keep up-to-date with the activities of other biodiversity informatics groups and projects in Australia (HISCOM, FCIG etc.) and internationally (GBIF, TDWG, EDIT etc.).
• Identify and promote biodiversity information standards and protocols.

Benefits

• Effective communication and collaboration between widely dispersed groups of researchers working on diverse taxonomic groups.
• Documentation of the taxonomic process and the use of technology in this process.
• Open-source solutions for taxonomist's immediate and longer term needs.
• A change from traditional approaches to the management and delivery of taxonomic information using modern, web-based, open-source solutions.
• Efficient and effective information management where taxonomic data are entered only once to be available always to a broad range of users.
• A collaborative environment with an informatics framework which delivers information content compatible with anticipated and actual infrastructure and technologies.