[tdwg-content] Background for the Individual class proposal. 3. Should an Individual also be a Collecting Unit?

[Steve Baskauf]

Richard Pyle wrote:
> Damn.  Sent that too soon.  Here's the rest: 
>
>   
>> Having made a decision about this based on functional need 
>> and shared properties, it is still helpful for me to try to 
>> develop a mental image of what these two things are.  In my 
>> mind, I imagine the ResamplingUnitHavingDetermination (which 
>> I will henceforth return to calling dwc:Individual) to be an 
>> entity having a homogeneous taxonomic identity.  
>>     
>
> I know that your original point for establishing the Class Individual was to
> allow for Resampling of things -- and I think that's a key value to having a
> class for Individual.  But I don't think a class Individual that is
> *restricted* to things that are resampled (or resamplable) is a wise
> approach.  A broader approach that serves the needs of resampled things
> *and* things sampled only once would, I think, represent a better compromise
> between consumer needs and provider needs.
>
>   
>> If the entity is removed 
>> and preserved in its entirety (fish killed and put in a jar 
>> of formaldehyde), it ceases to exist as a dwc:Individual and 
>> begins to exist as an AccessionedUnit.  
>>     
>
> If you're talking about these as two separate classes in DwC, I'm getting
> very nervous.  There is very little ambiguity between an instance of
> "Locality" and an instance of "Taxon".  Same can be said for the other DwC
> classes (except, maybe, Event and Occurrence -- but I think most people
> would not have any trouble deciding what those two things are).  However, I
> see a lot of ambiguity between were an Individual ends, and a
> BiologicalObject(=AccessionedUnit) begins.  To me that says that dividing
> them into separate classes is inviting confusion and inconsistent
> application of DwC to existing (and most future) datasets.
>   
Forget that I ever tried to try to describe how I "think" about 
Individuals.  Retract all of that and say that the thing I want is a 
class for the object of the Darwin Core term individualID, whatever that 
thing is.  If anybody else can figure out how to make it other things by 
nifty tricks of subclassing or domain definitions, have at it.
>   
>> I agree with the point that was made previously that no 
>> specific taxonomic level should be placed in the definition 
>> of Individual.  That would allow for the possibility that 
>> Individuals could contain several different lower level taxa 
>> as long as the Individual is homogeneous at the taxonomic 
>> level at with the determination is applied.  I am open to 
>> suggestion for how this could be accomplished.  Somehow there 
>> needs to be a value for a term like "individualScope" that 
>> allows one to make the kind of inferences about duplicates 
>> that I described previously.  
>>     
>
> Agreed.  I think there does need to be a dwc:individualScope term, and there
> should be a recommended Controlled Vocabulary to go along with it.
>
>   
>> THE BOTTOM LINE
>> I believe that the proposed definition for the DwC class 
>> Individual should stand as it is (i.e. as a node to connect 
>> multiple Occurrences to multiple Identifications).  
>>     
>
> Unfortunately, we don't seem to be any closer to consensus on this point.
> Perhaps others who have been following this dicussion can weigh in?
>
>   
>> If we 
>> can do these things, I think we could say that a general 
>> (i.e. denormalized enough to satisfy everyone who is 
>> dissatisfied at the present moment) Darwin Core model is 
>> "complete" to the "left" of Identification on the 
>> http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/pages/full-model.jpg diagram. 
>>  I'm not going to touch the Taxon side right now.
>>     
>
> I agree with everything in this diagram *except* the box labelled "multiple
> tokens and types".  I'm still unclear on what this thing is, and what sorts
> of properties it would have.  However, if it represents what I think it
> reprersents, then I would hang it off the "Individual" class.
>   
It means that in a single Occurrence you can take a picture, record, a 
sound, and collect several specimens if you want.  You can't hang if off 
of the Individual class if you come back a year later and do it again.  
Some people actually do that kind of thing (me, whale people, bird 
people).  If you want to keep Darwin Core as the "one specimen-one time" 
club that it was when it started, then forget about the Individual class.
>   
>> Whether or not action is taken on creating a class for what 
>> I'm calling "AccessionedUnit", there is no reason to hold up 
>> action on my Individual class proposal if people agree with 
>> the points I've made here.
>>     
>
> Well, including you and I, there is at least 50% agreement! :-)
>
> Maybe others can wiegh in?
>
> Aloha,
> Rich
>
>
> .
>
>   

-- 
Steven J. Baskauf, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer
Vanderbilt University Dept. of Biological Sciences

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