1. UK-based developments in online thesauri for taxonomic information Copp, C., Grant, M., Hewzulla, D., Hussey, C., Robinson, J., van Breda, J. & White, R.

2. Why do we need a thesaurus?  Improve indexing  Standardise query terms for better retrieval  Links to synonyms and overlapping terms  Expand or narrow queries  Links to other information systems  Potential to build knowledge-bases  Potential to provide checklists for data entry UK National Biodiversity Network The Recorder Project BioCASE

3. Recorder 2002 - NBN Taxon & Biotope Dictionaries

4. Submit search terms Master Thesaurus On-line Thesauri Static Lists Maintained Lists Published Standards Agreements to copy terms & updates Copy basic Terms Check for and Add Terms Copy terms Check for term Possible links by indexing or data access and reporting software to check for terms not in master thesaurus or get added value data User Interface Thesaurus Interface Wrapper, API or copy of Master? Other potential products derived from or using Thesaurus Derive equivalent and related terms Users SourcesManagementApplicationsUse Supply search terms Partner Databases Data access and reporting software Indexing software Central Metadatabase The Role of the BioCASE Thesaurus

5. Term Term Version Fact Term Version Term Version Relation Term in Item List Item Term Language List Version ListList Type Related List Item Hierarchy Term Type List Item Fact Table includes broader term & narrower term relations Table includes Synonyms, common language forms and preferred status Related terms in other lists List Item in List Version Edit Session Linked to all tables Term Word Single word index of terms in Term Table Associates terms with different versions of lists Basic logical model The BioCASE Thesaurus

6. The BioCASE Thesaurus API DBMS DB Manager Thesaurus Broker Thesaurus Server Thesaurus Client Application RMI (HTTP tunnel) JDBC List Importers Term Lists Thesaurus Thesaurus Tools

7. Thesaurus editing tools

8. A Modified logical model Principles  Terms fall into various ‘domains’  Within domains there can be many different lists  Lists may exist in several versions and some are dynamic (always changing)  Lists may be in various languages and may use a wide range of diacritic and other characters  There is no single correct list of terms  Terms frequently have synonyms, variants and language versions both in and between lists.  Terms commonly fall into hierarchies but may also be arranged in more complex ways (networks, ancestor & descendant trees etc.)  Terms can be related to terms in other domains

9. The logical model can be expressed in many ways We may change the physical model as we learn more or for performance reasons. We use an API (Application Programming Interface) to shield users from underlying complexity and change. ‘The BioCASE/Luxembourg Model’

10. Recorder 6 & Collection Manager

11. The New Recorder Thesaurus Browser

12. The Thesaurus Editor