Precision in accessing the descriptions, keys and other

contents of digitized taxonomic literature: the INOTAXA prototype

Chris LyalThe Natural History Museum, London

&Anna L. Weitzman

National Museum of Natural History, Washington

Trends:• Increase in digital internet search power• Increasing digital access to legacy and new

taxonomic literature • Increasing user expectations of finding

required information – With precision– Rapidly

Things are changing:

Requires: • Means of finding and extracting precise

information / data needed– highly atomized content– efficient storage– powerful and flexible interface– tailored to meet user needs

Realising potential & meeting expectations

Highly atomised content allows

• reconstruction of taxonomic text in various formats (species pages, keys, checklists, monographs, etc)

• construction of checklists for geographic areas and taxa

• automatic links to updated to taxonomy because of interoperability with name authority files

• automatic links to updated place names because of interoperability with gazetteers

• linkage to all available related databases

INOTAXA Prototype recently placed on web to investigate potential of interface for:

• Simple search• Simple search term restricted by context• Image search• Advanced search with Boolean logic• Browse taxonomically, geographically or by person• Comparison of retrieved text with original• Extraction and download of specimen data from

literature

INOTAXA Prototype

Simple Search• Search any string in the content • Data from all works may be searched or browsed

simultaneously • Each work may be searched alone• Allows context-sensitive searching of data

– Geography– taxon, collector, author etc)

INOTAXA Prototype

INOTAXA Prototype

Simple Search• context-sensitive searching of data

(geography, taxon, collector, author etc)

INOTAXA Prototype

Results list display: INOTAXA Prototype

INOTAXA Prototype Treatment display:

INOTAXA Prototype Key display:

Advanced search • Searches across 53

indexed fields

INOTAXA Prototype

Advanced search • Uses Boolean logic• allows sorting of

specimen data retrieved

INOTAXA Prototype

Advanced search • Returns treatments,

keys, specimen data

INOTAXA Prototype

Search history available

Advanced search • Returns treatments,

keys, specimen data

INOTAXA Prototype

Atomised specimen data

• Compatible with automated georeferencing programs• Map specimens over time• Correlate with collectors’ itineraries to improve natural

language locality information• Compatible with DwC & ABCD, so that they can be

made available to GBIF and others• Identifications more reliable than those from specimens• Literature offers more data, especially in some fields

(especially Entomology)

INOTAXA Prototype

GBIF data for all Attelabidae

INOTAXA Prototype

GBIF data for all Attelabidae + INOTAXA data from a single 1995 paper on the genus Omolabus

Browse Taxon hierarchies: (extracted from each work digitized)• classifications in which taxon appears • treatments • keys • images • specimen records • geography (distribution statements) • people (collectors, authors) • publications

INOTAXA Prototype

INOTAXA Prototype

INOTAXA Prototype

Browse Geographic hierarchies:

• Specimen records• Gazetteer• People• Publications

INOTAXA Prototype

• Accepted names • All names• Keys• Images

INOTAXA Prototype

INOTAXA Prototype

INOTAXA Prototype

Browse People hierarchy

• Person detail• Specimens collected• Specimens

determined• Collecting sites

• Publications• Treatments• Keys• Images of• Images by

INOTAXA Prototype

INOTAXA Prototype

Prototype at http://www.inotaxa.orgFeedback sought from all – please see demo

Next steps• Multiple classification comparison• Improve automation with:

– Additional mark-up scripts– Automated intelligence