GBIF - ECAT  Electronic Catalogue of Names of Known Organisms  Program Officer;  Per de Place Bjørn 

Catalog of Life: STAG Recommendations  Common Goal for ITIS, Species 2000, GBIF is a Global Checklist of Names of Known Organisms = at least 1.75 Million accepted names  Functions  Locate a species by name or in a hierarchy  Provide lists of species, synonyms  Provide links to data bases, nomenclators, and hierarchies  Track changes in taxon concepts and applications of names  Provide automated access for electronic systems

Catalog of Life: STAG Recommendations  Content  Essential: Accepted scientific name and reference, source data base, latest taxonomic scrutiny  Essential, if available: Synonyms, common names, parent link, and geography  System Architecture  Network of global and regional data bases  Targets  2002: 300 K species; 2003: 500 K species; 2011: 1.75 M species

Overall Goal: 1.a reference to the taxonomical community and common users at large 2.an authority file for taxonomic names 3.a core dictionary file for the GBIF Network – GBIF Name Service Create a catalogue of names of all known organisms to serve as:

This is done by:  Partnering with existing and future names gathering institutions – collaborating on indexing of life  Working specifically with the Catalogue of Life Consortium to establish Catalogue of Life  Using the Catalogue in the internal GBIF data structure

Assess the state of the indexing universe  Review existing syntheses (e.g., Species 2000, ITIS), call for contributions from indexing organizations and individuals.  Report/graphical representation on available resources, summarizing the indexing of life

Short Term Goals: To do within the next year

Invite already existing indexes and organisations – partner with CoL  Call for participation, specifying that indexes needs not have world-wide coverage in order to participate  Form participation agreements with geographically based indexes  Work shop

 Create Name Service to serve the GBIF Network and the world.  First implementation will contain mainly data from regional indexing initiatives and CoL  Hierarchies…  ¡STANDARDS! GBIF Name Service

Promote and sustain large and small indexing activities.  Use seed money to speed up or finish existing projects  Initiate regionally oriented names-gathering organizations (comparable to ITIS or Fauna Euopaea) in relevant parts of the world  Call for participation + develop invitations  Develop procedures for application, review, cost sharing

Mid Term Goals To do within the following one to two years

Encourage working groups of experts on non-indexed organism groups and geographical areas  Calls for proposals from the taxonomical communities, larger institutions, scientific societies  Support the communication infrastructure of these communities by providing web sites, discussion fora etc.  Seed money for limited activation initiatives, workshops

Ultimate Goals To do within five to ten years

Complete Catalogue  Goal  Catalogue in use and containing the majority of scientific names  When  Ultimo 2005: 40% of all scientific names indexed  Ultimo 2013: 90% of all scientific names indexed

Inclusion of Common Names  What  Reasonable share of the world’s common names included in the Catalogue  How  Contractor to establish proposal for polices  Contractor or ECAT to collect and incorporate names  When  Ultimo 2005: 15% of all common names indexed  Ultimo 2013: 40% of all common names indexed

ECAT Budget 2003 Assess the state of the indexing universe Invite already existing indexes and organisations GBIF Name Service Promote and sustain large and small indexing activities $ $ $ $ $