The modularized Diversity Workbench (=DWB) represents a virtual research environment for multiple scientific purposes with regard to management and analysis of life sciences data. The framework is appropriate to store different kinds of bio- and geodiversity data and facilitates the processing of ecological, molecular biological, observational, collection and taxonomic data. It is capable and flexible enough to be applied as data storage unit for institutional data repositories. The DWB is set up on a xml-enabled relational database system. Clients of every database of the Workbench are used as stand-alone applications and provide supporting functions to clients of corresponding databases. This results in a high flexibility with regard to the conceptual design, enabling sophisticated user administration and a rapid setup of project-specific and user-adapted entry forms. Further, it facilitates the dynamic integration of web services and external data resources. The DWB is work in progress, aiming at developing a set of information models and application components that collaborate through agreed software interfaces. That is, each component of the Workbench applications uses services from other applications, but at the same time does not need to know about the internal design and implementation of them (encapsulation principle). The goal is increased reuse and collaboration across project and national borders. ... [Information of the supplier]
