The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists from around the world. On more than 3000 World Wide Web pages, the project provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their evolutionary history (phylogeny), and characteristics. Each page contains information about a particular group of organisms (e.g., echinoderms, tyrannosaurs, phlox flowers, cephalopods, club fungi, or the salamanderfish of Western Australia). ToL pages are linked one to another hierarchically, in the form of the evolutionary tree of life. Starting with the root of all Life on Earth and moving out along diverging branches to individual species, the structure of the ToL project thus illustrates the genetic connections between all living things. ... [Information of the supplier]
INOTAXA ('INtegrated Open TAXonomic Access') is a web workspace in which taxonomic descriptions, identification keys, catalogues, names, specimen data, images and other resources can be accessed simultaneously according to user-defined needs. It will allow access to data held in multiple servers, and will use a distributed data model. If, in the future, the various nomenclatural Codes permit web publication of new taxonomic names and acts, INOTAXA will be able to integrate single descriptions placed on servers worldwide, so long as they are indexed through a registry such as operated by GBIF. INOTAXA is built on an XML schema, taXMLit, that is interoperable with similar data from other sources (e.g., taxonomic names, concepts and specimens). INOTAXA is working with TDWG to ensure that standard schemas are used. These will allow external interoperability with GBIF and access to GBIF-mediated data. INOTAXA is also working with ZooBank, and has the potential to serve data in the format required to submit data directly. INOTAXA will provide seamless access from the content to other systems, including GBIF, TROPICOS and Flora Mesoamericana. In this pilot site, there are only limited data sources (Sharp & Champion 1889-1911, Biologia Centrali-Americana (BCA), Coleoptera Volume 4, Part 3 and Hamilton, 2007, Omolabus Jekel in north and central America (Coleoptera: Attelabidae)). These works overlap taxonomically and, in addition, specimen data and some images from the Natural History Museum (London) have been added for some taxa, including all of those which overlap. A gazetteer of insect localities from the BCA has also been included. This pilot has only part of the functionality planned for INOTAXA. Currently that means only simple search functionality, although screens have been 'mocked up' with real data to show the functionality planned for development by June 2008. Future plans will soon be available at www.inotaxa.org. ... [Information of the supplier]
Biologists who classify new species normally publish in specialized journals, which has led to an overwhelming amount of information with nobody keeping an overview. Even experts in very specialized fields often don't notice if a species has been formally recorded twice, three times or even more often. Therefore, it is not known how many species are known – and this is just as ridiculous as it sounds. We are not talking about all species that exist on earth - but simply the total number of species that have already been recorded in scientific publications. Nobody knows how many there are. Expert 'A' might think that there are 17 000 annelids known, but expert 'B' believes to know about 20 000. This is because there is no central registration process and no database or reference directory to browse information about the current state of knowledge on a particular species. This situation can be summarized with the statement: A central, extensive database for taxonomy is urgently needed. And this is what Wikispecies should become: an open, extensive database for scientists and non-scientists to reflect the diversity of life on our planet Earth. Because life is public domain! ... [Information of the supplier]
