Hello,
I had several people respond to my query about what kinds of things we should discuss in this list. Overwhelmingly, the interest seemed focused on defining some of the key terms that we are bantering about. To that end I'd like to initiate the first discussion on this list by asking, what is an observation? What follows is some information that I gleaned from the Internet, discussions that I have had with others, and with the ENBI reports. I'd appreciate your comments, in our goal to create a good definintion of observation for our purposes.--Steve
Princeton University's Wordnet (http://wordnet.princeton.edu/http://wordnet.princeton.edu/) defines an observation as the act of making and then recording a measurement. Basically, something is watched, and notes are taken about it. In the study of biology and astronomy careful observations made by trained observations and amateurs alike, is the foundation of information gathered for these disciplines.
With regard to biodiversity informatics, particularly as to how observations relate to the existing infrastructure, the above definition is too general, because it encompasses all facets of biology. Consequently, we need to begin to qualify the definition of observation. First, we restrict our definition to only those observations made of organisms in the environment. Second, the location at which the observation was made is an integral component of the observation. Third, an observation is exclusive of museum voucher specimens. Finally, information collected during an observation includes additional attributes such as: protocol, measure of abundance, extent of occurrence, demographic, ecological associates, and environmental conditions.
To discuss and ultimately added to the definition:
Advantages of observational data. Disadvantages of observational data Observational data providers (amateurs/professionals) Detectability and data quality Location specificity Integration of observational data Definition of a collecting event and its significance others?
Steve Kelling Cornell Lab of Ornithology 607-254-2478 (work) 607-342-1029 (cell)