This page is under construction and subject to significant revision.

• Introduction
• Catalogue of Life
• TDWG
• PESI
• EDIT
• Work Package 5 (Taxonomic Cyberplatform)
• Work Package 6 (Scratchpads)
• ITIS
• 3I

Introduction

The Global Names Architecture is intended to serve as a simple, extensible, and common mechanism for publishing, discovering and accessing information about names. The GBIF workplan includes undertaking activities to promote the use of the GNA infrastructure among partnering and relevant initiatives and organisations.

Catalogue of Life

In June 2009 at the E-Biosphere meeting, GBIF staff presented the GNA workplan to technical and executive representatives of the Catalogue of Life Partnership. Our goal was to provide an overview of the GBIF architecture and it's application within the physical infrastructure of the GNA. The presentation was well received and GBIF is eager to extend our work to ensure collaboration and concordance in technical developments.

As part of our work, we provided an evaluation of the GNA data exchange format with the current Catalogue of Life Standard Dataset. The intention is to demonstrate that the GNA format can accommodate the current CoL standard with high fidelity and is positioned to accommodate future refinements.

TDWG

In August 2009 we are positioning the GBIF vocabularies server to host the TDWG vocabularies. This will provide a platform for the annotation and discussion of TDWG vocabularies as well as leverage the GBIF global scope to provide internationalised alternative terms to enable the utilisation of the TDWG vocabularies more easily and widely in native languages and encodings.

PESI

PESI has been promoting the development of the Global Names Architecture. Shared Nomenclatural workshops and a planned workshop on developing regional species checklists form part of the ongoing collaboration.

EDIT

Work Package 5 (Taxonomic Cyberplatform)

GBIF ECAT has been in discussion with the developers of the Taxonomic Editor in regard to supporting input and export of the GNA format. Pending stablisation and ratification of the Darwin Core terms.

Work Package 6 (Scratchpads)

The GBIF ECAT workplan includes activities to integrate GNA processes into the EDIT taxonomic scratchpad work. This includes:

1. Use of the Scratchpad platform as the basis of the GBIF vocabulary and extensions server
2. Supporting the use of the GNA data exchange format within the scratchpads
3. Enabling the publication of taxonomic checklists originating in the scratchpads to Checklist Bank
4. Developing and testing taxonomic validation services with the Scratchpad system.

ITIS

Integrated Taxonomic Information System has developed a web-based Java version of the Taxonomic Workbench to create a taxonomic Checklist editor. GBIF is in discussions with ITIS to support the GNA format for input and output and have defined a checklist development workflow to support the creation of Global Species Datasets using additional GNA tools and services.

3I

3I is a set of software tools for creating on-line identification keys, taxonomic databases, and virtual taxonomic revisions. GBIF is working with the author to support the output of DarwinCore Archive files in the GNA format as part of a collaboration with Alexey Solodovnikov of the Zoological Museum who is adopting I3 for managing data on Staphylinidae.