Where now for the taxon transfer schema and related work: collaboration possibilities? Jessie Kennedy

TDWG Taxon schema plan… International Collaboration.. –Get buy-in from the community –Owned by the community not any one group….. Finish consultation phase –APNI/IPNI –To ensure all names based taxonomy issues addressed Assimilate the feedback from Taxon group session into schema Setup Wiki page or other mechanism to manage the general consultation process Evaluate schema against protocols from taxonomic database groups Present the “final” transfer schema to the TDWG meeting Christchurch, New Zealand October 2004.

Collaboration Opportunities… Still have lots of outstanding questions concerning taxon concepts –Co-operate on standard terminologies… What is the minimum for a taxon concept? What is required to define a taxon concept? What other useful information about concepts need to be captured? –Who owns concepts? Development of GUID server for taxon concepts Development of Tools to utilise the transfer schema and promote integration/exchange etc. –Development of Visualisation Tools…. ITIS/SEEK/Species 2000/GBIF –Other tools?

Questions….. Can we talk about names independent of concepts? –When, what does it mean? Are Common names important? –In what sense? –Not important in scientific work Therefore not so important to deal with concepts related to common names Is it possible to change the definition of an existing concept? –Can we add more information to the description of a concept –E.g. extend the Geographic range? –Add additional characters We know the definition of a name evolves and changes but when are we really talking about a new concept –when a new revision has been done? –Every time someone says something new about a concept?

Questions…. There is a difference between identification (and description) according to an already described taxon and definition (and description) of a (possibly) new taxon –Attributing new knowledge to a taxon should not be considered part of the definition of a taxon. Who owns concepts? –Who gets the rights to them?