Call: Taxonomic Data Provider Tool Developer --------------------------------------------

GBIF is seeking to simplify the integration of data relating to nomenclature (scientific names) and taxonomy (classification of organisms using scientific names) by developing tools to connect such data more easily to the GBIF network.

GBIF is addressing this issue in several ways:

1. Working with the Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life partnership (http://www.sp2000.org/) to promote the development of a network of global species databases 2. Enhancing the GBIF data portal (http://www.gbif.net/) to index nomenclatural and taxonomic resources served over the web as tab-delimited data sets 3. Developing a data provider tool based on TDWG (http://www.tdwg.org/) data standards to support dynamic query of nomenclatural and taxonomic data sets over the web (more complex for data providers than 2. above, but offering a search interface)

GBIF is seeking the services of a software developer to develop the data provider tool (item 3 above).

The tool should have the following features:

1. Relational database (two version of same model in Access and MySQL) corresponding to TDWG Taxon Concept Schema (TCS) v. 1.01 (http://www.tdwg.org/subgroups/tnc/tcs-schema-repository/) 2. Customised provider tool using either the Python implementation (pyWrapper, http://trac.pywrapper.org/) or the PHP implementation (forthcoming) of the TAPIR protocol, with five endpoints configured, one for each class of data obect in TCS (Specimen, Publication, TaxonName, TaxonConcept, TaxonRelationshipAssertion) 3. Customisation of TAPIR configuration interfaces as required 4. Interface to import tab-delimited file formats adopted by GBIF (see item 2, above) into the TCS relational database

The developer should have the following skills:

1. Experience in web development using PHP or Python. 2. Experience in modeling data structures using a relational database (specifically MySQL and/or Access) 3. Familiarity with TAPIR or one of the earlier TDWG data access protocols (DiGIR, http://digir.sourceforge.net/, or BioCASe, http://www.biocase.org/products/protocols/index.shtml) 4. Ability to plan and organise development work

Familarity with the TDWG Taxon Concept Schema and general understanding of the principles of nomenclature and taxonomy will be an advantage.

The GBIF Secretariat expects to place a contract for a period of approximately four months’ work.

How to apply ------------

Interested applicants should send the following by e-mail to Donald Hobern, GBIF Deputy Director for Informatics (dhobern@gbif.org) by 30 November 2006:

1. Curriculum vitae 2. Description of relevant experience and skills 3. Details on availability 4. Expected remuneration

------------------------------------------------------------ Donald Hobern (dhobern@gbif.org) Deputy Director for Informatics Global Biodiversity Information Facility Secretariat Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark Tel: +45-35321483 Mobile: +45-28751483 Fax: +45-35321480 ------------------------------------------------------------