This page is under construction and subject to significant revision.

See the GNUB project report (PDF) for the most complete description.

Introduction

Global Names Usage Bank (GNUB) refers to a project supported by GBIF that is based on the outcomes of the Nomina III meeting held in October 2008.

The objectives of the GNUB are to create a single, virtual, and authoritative names dictionary that consolidates the publication details of scientific names that are currently curated by an array of different databases. These details include details of the originating publication, metadata relating to the adherence to the relevant nomenclatural codes, and the correct orthography of the name itself.

The initial funding of GNUB focuses on developing the common nomenclatural data model, populating it with an intial set of data resources and developing the web service interfaces to provide access. The GNUB will provide nomenclatural services for the GNA via multiple primary nomenclatural databases.

Initial datasets targeted for indexing in the first phase of the project include:

• Index Fungorum for all fungal names (360,000+)
• ZooBank for all newly registered animal names
• Sherborne's Index Animalium (over 400,000 zoological names published 1800-1850)
• Hymenoptera (via HNS)
• Fishes (via Catalogue of Fishes)
• Hawaiian Insect Taxonomy
• Diptera

These support the ambitions of the Global Names Architecture work by providing access to sources of authoritative data on scientific names of organisms and critical linkages to information on the original publications. One goal of the GNUB work is to partner with the Biodiversity Heritage Library to provide linkages from the original publication citation of a nomenclatural act to the full-text of the document.

Links

• Nomina III Agenda
• Nomina III Rationale
• Nomina Meeting Background
• GNUB Development Interim Report