Different reasons for different GUIDs

Donald Hobern dhobern at GBIF.ORG
Wed Sep 14 06:44:34 CEST 2005


I think that in practice the potential taxon sensu Berendsohn (1995) is
precisely what TDWG has primarily been addressing in recent discussion of
taxon concepts.  TCS can accommodate expression of other mechanisms for
defining taxon concepts but does not (at least yet) do much to allow us to
reason about them.

I agree that we should be aiming to create tools that wherever possible can
give us an assessment of which taxon potential taxa cluster closely enough
that we can treat them as a 'granule'.  That is a further challenge and one
that will probably largely depend on what sort of information taxonomists
and others are really prepared to put into a standard like TCS.

I also note that the subject I raised in my previous e-mail was well
addressed (with support on both sides) by earlier posts from Rich and Peter.
My fault for responding to something while still reading.

Donald

---------------------------------------------------------------
Donald Hobern (dhobern at gbif.org)
Programme Officer for Data Access and Database Interoperability
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat
Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45-35321483   Mobile: +45-28751483   Fax: +45-35321480
---------------------------------------------------------------


-----Original Message-----
From: Taxonomic Databases Working Group GUID Project
[mailto:TDWG-GUID at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU] On Behalf Of Nozomi Ytow
Sent: 13 September 2005 13:58
To: TDWG-GUID at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU
Subject: Re: Different reasons for different GUIDs

Donald and all,

> However there is probably insufficient benefit for
> us to gain from having a system where strong GUIDs are assigned to every
> taxon concept that any provider wishes to reference.

Exrepssion "every taxon concept" implies that we can establish identity
of taxon concept.  I don't think it is possible execpt potential taxon
sensu Brendsohn (1995), i.e. combination of name string and publication.
What we need for the benefit 3 is not GUID of 'each' taxcon cocnept
but a mechanism to give an approxiamtion of a taxon concept/taxon
concepts (I'm not convince how can I count taxon concepts) can be used
as a granule.

JMS
--
Dr. Nozomi "James" Ytow
Institute of Biological Sciences / Gene research center
University of Tsukuba
Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572
Japan




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