Sustainability of EDIT Informatics Activities

BoD working group on sustainability

Executive Summary, 20th July 2009:

“… set of themes we are sure we want to have sustainability ...

Science (e-science) […] e-infrastructure ISTC (core)Elements of the Cyber platform (core) but depends on

decision on platform (use by the community)CDM data store & portal: Supported for 5 years.Scratchpads: will continue (project funding ?). EDIT could part

support it.” [agenda point 4f]

EDIT’s Information Science and Technology Committee (ISTC)

Information Science and Technology Committee

The short and medium term goals of the ISTC (until 2011) are to:

1. Define the key areas for integration that will assist EDIT researchers and developers in creating a [cyber]taxonomic platform.

2. Participate in establishing an integrated platform by changing or adapting resources in order to reach a common goal.

3. Advise on the annual revision of the WP5 work plan.

The new ISTC

The purpose of the ISTC is to:Further cross-institutional integration through formal

agreements on sharing hardware and other basic infrastructure joint software development joint development of web services

Exchange information with regard to participants’ IST projects Identify opportunities for collaboration with “external” IST-

projects Joint applicationsSupport standardisation efforts

The new ISTC

MoU revision cycles: June 20: MoU Draft

submitted to EDIT Coordinator and Network Steering Committee

July 20: Comments, received, integrated in new Draft; circulate draft to BoD, CETAF, ISTC for comment

November 30: Comments discussed and integrated; circulation of MoU to EDIT and CETAF directors for signature.

The EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy (and the Common Data Model – CDM)

EDIT’s Biodiversity Informatics Strategy

Scope: from data discovery to web and print publicationof monographs, floras, faunas and checklistsIndividuals, institutions, collaborative groups and networks

The EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy• A data quality-oriented software environment

supporting the entire taxonomic workflow.• Based on the Common Data Model (EDIT CDM), with

an extendible open-source Java programming library. EDIT Scratchpads

• User-defined web publication, communication and integration of multiple information sources.

• Based on a hosted multi-site open source content management system (Drupal).

The EDIT Common Data Model (CDM)

Core of the EDIT Platform for CybertaxonomyCovering the entire taxonomic data domainBased on existing standards / models / exchange formats

The CDM Programming Library

The EDITor (EDIT Taxonomic Editor)

A new editor for the new data modelOffers CDM Library import/export functionality to end users.A key tool for data integration.

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Data Entry & Import/Export

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Excel

Structured Descriptive Data (TDWG standard)

Access to Biological Collection Data (TDWG st.)

RIS Reference Format

Apps: community, EDIT, commercial, individual

Access to GBIF occurrence data (Specimens & Observations)Based on BioCASE/ SYNTHESYS portal softwareConfigurable query expansion using taxonomic checklists

Search results can be imported into the CDM

EDIT Specimen & Observation Explorer

• Application of Drupal Content Management System

• Feature-rich• Integrated with existing

biodiversity infrastructure• Configurable through

administrative interface• Customizable through Drupal

interface templates (“themes”)

CDM Dataportal

Web Publishing

Software Download Site

wp5.e-taxonomy.eu/cdm-setups/

Ongoing Software Development Work

Generic print publication serviceIntegration of descriptive informationFull support for structured specimen dataPoint map support Integration with the Biodiversity Heritage

LibraryTo be finalised by the end of the EDIT Project

Pan European Species Inventories (PESI)

Anton Gürntsch, BGBM Berlin-Dahlem

CATE (Creating a Taxonomic e-Science)

Two exemplar web-revisions: Araceae Juss. – Aroid Lillies

~ 3,500 taxaLed by Simon Mayo, RBG Kew

Sphingidae Latreille, 1802 – Hawkmoths~ 2,000 taxaLed by Ian Kitching,

NHM London

Fully CDM-based Integrates key-generation

softwareScratchpad for

communicationsBen Clark, RBG Kew

Further Project Support for the Platform

PESIBHL EuropeSYNTHESYS 2ViBRANTi4Life(e-Monocots)LifeWatch (!)

Why collaborating in IT developments?

Taxonomic domain is highly collaborative Example: Flora projects, Checklists, Digitisation efforts

Previous domain-specific efforts in biodiversity informatics Numerous individual and some institutional implementations Few working software products, only covering parts of the domain Investments: 100’s of million Euro world-wide

Joint modelling and standard-building Efforts for 20 years now Excellent knowledge of the information structures

New Investment EDIT, EDIT-spin-offs, CATE etc. already represent new soft money

commitments of about 11 Mio Euro from EU- and national sources Aiming at a sustainable, collaborative, comprehensive solution We all face similar problems in taxonomic computing