Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 12:54:10 +0530
From: Subbiah Arunachalam <arun(a)mssrf.res.in>
Friends:
> Here is something of interest to information scientists. From the latest
> issue of Science (AAAS). All Indian Biodiversity databases should join
> this world initiative.
>
> For years, experts have dreamed of a single Web site that would unite all
> knowledge of the world's living things. Last month, an effort to do just
> that debuted: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility's (GBIF's) new
> Biodiversity Data Portal. The site lets users simultaneously search over 1
> million taxonomic records from museum collections, botanical gardens, and
> global storehouses such as FishBase. Whether you're curious about a
> mushroom, a newt, or the bacterium that causes tetanus, the portal
> provides the latest on classification and nomenclature. Some of the
> 30-plus linked data sources allow you to browse collection and observation
> records and use them to map species' distributions. Others, such as
> CephBase, also list details such as diet and size for creatures like the
> white-spotted octopus (Octopus macropus). GBIF, a consortium of more than
> 30 countries, hopes that more museums and other organizations will connect
> their databases.
> <http://www.gbif.net/portal>
> Regards.
> Arun
> [Subbiah Arunachalam]
>
>
