[tdwg-content] proposed term: dwc:verbatimScientificName

[Richard Pyle]

I think this is *exactly* the right solution. I would go further to make it
clear that:

 

-          verbatimScientificName is the required field (with scientificName
and scientificNameAuthorship as optional)

-          When a source database maintains separate fields  corresponding
to scientificName and scientificNameAuthorship, they should be concatenated
(with a single space between them) to form the required
verbatimScientificName

 

Aloha,

Rich

 

From: tdwg-content-bounces at lists.tdwg.org
[mailto:tdwg-content-bounces at lists.tdwg.org] On Behalf Of David Remsen
(GBIF)
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 6:10 AM
To: tdwg-content at lists.tdwg.org List
Subject: [tdwg-content] proposed term: dwc:verbatimScientificName

 

Markus and I wanted to try to consolidate the issues related to the current
use and definition of scientificName that have been the focus of last weeks
discussion in as simple a way as we can and leave it with a simple proposal
which we will add to the issue tracking on the project site.

 

1. We propose that a new term, dwc:verbatimScientificName carry the existing
definition for dwc:scientificName and 

2. dwc:scientificName follow the more accepted convention that is better
represented by the earlier proposed definition for Canonical Name

 

The intention is to enable data publishers to distinguish unparsed, complex
scientific names from more cleanly separated scientific name data.   This
will relieve consumers of these data from testing each instance of a name
for one of these two conditions.

 

Here are the definitions for the two existing terms that have been part of
the discussion:

 

dwc:scientificName  - The full scientific name, with authorship and date
information if known. When forming part of an Identification, this should be
the name in lowest level taxonomic rank that can be determined. This term
should not contain identification qualifications, which should instead be
supplied in the IdentificationQualifier term.

 

dwc:scientificNameAuthorship - The authorship information for the
scientificName formatted according to the conventions of the applicable
nomenclaturalCode.

 

Here are terms and definitions used in the following 5 source data
configurations we came up with.   They don't have to be exact for this
purpose.

 

canonical name - The nomenclatural components of a scentific name without
authorship information.

authorship - the authorship information that follows a scientific name

verbatim name  - the verbatim text stored in a source database when it
differs from or combines the two definitions above.  This is a bit more
broad than the def for scientificName.

 

We identified the following configurations in a source database and how they
would be mapped to the existing terms.  In cases 4 and 5 we also propose how
we would map these were there a 3rd available term (called 'mapping b:')

 

When a source database contains:

 

1.  canonical names only

 

Mapping:  canonical name -> dwc:scientificName 

 

2. canonical name and authorship in two fields

 

Mapping: canonical name -> dwc:scientificName /
authorship->dwc:scientificNameAuthorship

 

3. verbatim name only

 

Mapping:  verbatim name -> dwc:scientificName

 

4. all three: canonical name, authorship, and verbatim name in 3 diff.
columns 

 

Mapping a:  verbatim name -> dwc:scientificName  /
authorship->dwc:scientificNameAuthorship

 

Mapping b:  canonical name -> dwc:scientificName  /
authorship->dwc:scientificNameAuthorship / verbatim name ->
dwc:verbatimScientificName

 

5. a mix of canonical and verbatim names in a single column

 

Mapping a:  verbatim name + canonical names -> dwc:scientificName  

 

Mapping b:  verbatim name + canonical names -> dwc:verbatimScientificName  

 

Summary - with the current two terms are left with no choice but to support
both canonical and verbatim names in a single term, which makes consuming
these data difficult.   

 

We propose that a new term, dwc:verbatimScientificName carry the existing
definition for dwc:scientificName and that dwc:scientificName follow the
more accepted convention that is better represented by the definition for
Canonical Name

 

Best,

David Remsen / Markus Döring

 

 

 

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