Recent work on names is fragmented into individual and isolated project efforts. There are now more terms than concepts, more definitions than terms. Many, more-or-less, similar vocabularies, alternative frameworks and non-interoperable, application systems.
This may well be the natural process of evolution but we do need to make time now to discuss synthesis and a more collaborative approach to development of a workable standard for names. Can we work together to fill the gaps, and to resolve the competing requirements of aggregation and science, data and knowledge, product and research, Code-compliance and interoperability.
To raise awareness of the importance of names to biodiversity informatics and to re-invigorate a more collaborative phase of standards development with names within the TDWG umbrella.
This workshop will aim for consensus around the idea that we can work together within TDWG to evolve a pragmatic replacement for the existing names standards, and a map to get us there.
- Reconvene the Taxonomic Names and Concepts Interest Group
- Membership
- GitHub, tdwg/tnc
- Standards maintenance.
- Agreement on a plan for a replacement of the Taxonomic Concept Transfer Schema (TCS) that:
- is compliant with the TDWG Standards Documentation Standard and Vocabulary Maintenance Standard.
- provides for the needs of the various types of users and use cases of Taxonomic Names in the biodiversity informatics space
- as much as possible synthesises and takes benefit of the work that has been done in the TDWG community so far.
Simple checklists, aggregators: GBIF, ALA, CoL
Species Information Systems
Floras, Faunas etc.
Systems that capture historical (as well as current) name usages: NSL, APNI, AFD
Systems that try to capture phylogenetic relationships
*TCS 1.01 Schema Documentation* can be found at http://tdwg.github.io/tcs/schema/1.01
*Darwin Core* terms can be found at http://tdwg.github.io/dwc/terms/
Expectation reversal, but
- Taxa change - AFD = taxonomic (opinion) product, not a Nomenclator, not a taxon store. - @rdmpage: WTAF
- Taxonomic Names are stable.
- Inappropriate use of taxon.
No "Names" standard.
- Darwin Core RDF Guide recommends separate vocabulary.
- Ad hoc Darwin Core extensions.
- Inappropriate use of the taxonomic concept
TCS
- XML too esoteric: - Okay at the enterprise level - Not being used, or ... - used anyway.
- Application schema - Interchange of literature based concept definitions
- Difficult to distill, harder to extend. - Syntax (XML) → path to RDF … JSON. - Over engineered for normal usage:) - Relationship object - Path to RDF, JSON-LD
How does tcs:TaxonConcept relate to dwc:Taxon?
How does tcs:TaxonConcept relate to NameUsage and nsl:Instance?
Darwin Core ambiguous
- Overloaded definitions - Many interpretations.
- Overloaded usage.
- Classification terms.
- Ranks.
- Path to RDF …
Many different application profiles
- Simple vocabulary required.
- A Domain Model?
Agreement on definitions
- Classes
- Code compliance
???
- Bisby
- APNI
- Berlin Model
- IPNI
- ITIS, CoL
- Flora of Australia
- Tropicos
- LinneanCore (SDD)
- DwC, ABCD
- TCS
- TDWG ontology
- ALA-NSL (2008)
- txn:deVriese
- GBIF Checklist
- DwC RDF
- Nomen
- WFO
- OpenBiodiv
- BCO
- ColPlus
- TaxRef
- +++
A new standard or update/replace/extend existing standards?
Restart with ideas in Linnean Core (J.Cooper)
- A Basic vocabulary for the interchange and use of Taxonomic Names and "names". - Darwin Core extensions > NFB < TCS. - Controlled vocabularies! - Recommend classes. - Guidelines.
Darwin Core
- leave "convenience" terms and internal links.
- remove external links (id terms) ?
- Add new terms?
- Darwin Core RDF Guide
A Domain Model or List?
- Normative or Guide?
- API specification for: - Name - Instance (name occurrence) according - Usage ( potential/taxonomic concept) - Taxon - Taxonomic Tree ? - Arrangement
(Core competencies / Functional Requirements / Use cases)
Generic metadata model
- Vocabularies
Full Code support
- ICN, ICZN, ... - Code maintenance - Domain owners?
Interoperability
- Every name - Every instance (name usage) - Every relationship - Every point of view - Every version - Every syntax - Every application profile - Common interchange format - Support for publication - Extensible
Obey the the TDWG laws for standards and vocabularies
Independent of serialization
Concise vocabulary RDF support Application Profiles Simple enough for …. Anything
A name is a "name", a designation, a label, a string used as a name: in any context.
A taxonomic name is a name used in a taxonomic context; often a scientific name formulated (or attempted to be) according to some rules of nomenclature.
A reference is a citable work: a publication, a resource, ...
A taxonomic name instance is the occurrence of a name in a reference. A fact. One usage of a taxonomic name establishing context: establishment of a name, a concept, a synonym, an assertion, a relationship; tax. nov., comb.nov., … , a misapplication, or assertion; a common name.
A taxonomic concept is a taxonomic name instance establishing or circumscribing a taxonomic entity - often linking synonymic inclusions and adding annotations, description…
A taxonomic tree is a hierarchical arrangement of taxonomic concepts
A taxon is a reusable branch or leaf of a taxonomic tree.
Bibliographic pattern: Where a name is found and how it is used in that place.
- Every taxonomic name instance. -Just about names and taxa: - Authors, References detail elsewhere -> external resources
Model
* Name
* Name Strings
* Code
* Type of name (scientific, vernacular, informal, cultivar…)
* Rank !
* Status !
* Authorship
* Primary reference ( incl. basionym) !
* Reference
* Type of reference !
* Part of Reference !
* dc:title, dc:creator, dc:created:...
* CitedAs
* External resource !
* Instance
* Type of instance !
* Name !
* Reference !
* Page citation
* Citing instance !
* Cited instance !
* Taxon
* Instance !
* Parent taxon !
* Included taxa !
* Taxon !
* Taxon !
* ...
* Annotations
* Profile
* Taxonomic arrangement
* Root
* Taxon !
* Vocabularies
* Code of Nomenclature
* Status of a Name
* Code !
* Status
* Description
* Type of Name
* Type of Instance (usage/relationship)
* The system of Name Ranks
* Type of Reference
* Type of external Resource
* Type of taxon
* Type of arrangement
Appropriateness
- RDF Guide - "Convenience terms"
Extension of Darwin Core - New/missing terms - "Names" guide - RDF Guide - GBIF Checklist?
Cull Darwin core (TaxonConceptID)