Call: Technical Author for GBIF Data Portal documentation
---------------------------------------------------------
The GBIF Data Portal (http://www.gbif.net/) is a central component of
the GBIF network and is currently being replaced with a new
implementation (test version on-line at http://newportal.gbif.org) which
will offer richer functionality for users.
GBIF is seeking the services of a technical author who has an
understanding of biodiversity data to develop online documentation and
tutorial materials for this portal. In addition, this person will
contribute to the development of an explanatory video loop based on the
documentation materials.
The following deliverables are required (all as on-line web pages):
1. Quick introduction to using the portal (includes GBIF data use
agreement, http://www.gbif.org/DataProviders/Agreements/DUA).
2. A set of three to five short “how-to” guides to performing useful
tasks with the portal (portions of these will also be used for
demonstration videos).
3. Instructions for other web sites on making links to the portal or
embedding elements from the portal.
4. Guidance for new data providers (includes GBIF data sharing
agreement, http://www.gbif.org/DataProviders/Agreements/DSA).
5. Technical documentation for software developers that explains how to
use the web service interfaces offered by the portal, and develop new
visualization and analysis tools to be linked to the portal.
The key skills required for this role are:
1. Capability to explain technical tasks and instructions in clear,
simple, highly understandable English.
2. Experience in developing online documentation and text for
demonstration videos.
3. Understanding of biodiversity data (in particular, species occurrence
data and taxonomic information).
A pre-existing working background knowledge of the GBIF mission would be
a significant benefit.
The GBIF Secretariat expects to place a contract for a total of
approximately four months’ work (the majority in late 2006/early 2007,
but part-time throughout the first half of 2007), including some time
working with staff at the GBIF Secretariat in Copenhagen.
How to apply
------------
Interested applicants should send the following by e-mail to Donald
Hobern, GBIF Deputy Director for Informatics (dhobern(a)gbif.org) by 30
November 2006:
1. Curriculum vitae
2. Description of relevant experience and skills
3. Details on availability through June 2007
4. Expected remuneration
------------------------------------------------------------
Donald Hobern (dhobern(a)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
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Taxacom friends,
It's just to inform a URL where I've put together a bunch of
Biodiversity Informatics references, with emphasis on Data Quality:
http://www.taxondata.org/referencias/
Contributions are very welcome.
Regards,
--
Eduardo Dalcin
eduardo(a)taxondata.org
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(a)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(a)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
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear TDWG'ers
At the recent 2006 Conference of TDWG the new structure of Interest Groups and Task Groups was accepted. One of the proposed new Interest Groups was for Agents, which is the term used to cover persons, organisations and software acting in some specific role or roles.
These are generic, in that information about agents is useful in conjunction with many of the other TDWG standards and making this available in a standard way that can be picked up by any of them would be a valuable aid to consistency.
At the moment, there is only one Task Group that may be attached to the AIG and that is the one developing Natural Collections Descriptions (NCD). This emerging standard can already be used to describe organisations, in a "level 1" sort of way by viewing them as "collections of collections". It also acknowledges the strong link between collections and persons by providing hooks to biographical databases which provide rich information about persons and may be based on BiogML or EAC.
Providing information about agents in a standard form, in effect building a directory of organisations and persons engaged in natural history activity, could be one of the objectives of the AIG.
If you are interested in joining (or leading) an Agents Interest Group and helping to define the relationship between agents and the TDWG data standards and ontology then please send me an email at mailto:n.thomson@nhm.ac.uk
With thanks,
Neil
-------
Neil Thomson
Head of Data & Digital Systems
The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5294,
Fax: +44 (0)20 7942 5559,
Email: n.thomson(a)nhm.ac.uk
http://www.nhm.ac.uk
