Accepted Poster Session: Primary Biodiversity Data Records in Legacy Literature Databases

Title: Primary Biodiversity Data Records in Legacy Literature Databases

Authors: Arturo H. Ariño, Museum of Zoology and Ecology of the University of Navarra
Estrella Robles, Museum of Zoology and Ecology of the University of Navarra

Abstract: Automated extraction of primary biodiversity data records (PBDR) (i.e. the basic triad of taxon/location/time) from existing literature is desirable as a way to help fill gaps and increase fitness-for-use of global repositories of biodiversity data digitally stored from specimens and observations. Current efforts at extracting taxonomic data and their context from legacy literature through digitizing and OCR, such as Global Biodiversity Information Facility’s (GBIF) Global Names Architecture (GNA), TaxonX, Innotaxa, Plazi, Fieldjournal, and other automated XML markup and tagging procedures applied to digitised literature increasingly available at BHL, are yet to produce unambiguous PBDR. Existing historical literature presents a high degree of formal variation which makes modelling in an XML schema quite difficult, so we still rely on manual parsing and digitization or markup for each complete PBDR.

This labor-intensive effort entails selective digitization because of its associated cost, and therefore may result in patterning of the acquired data, with high potential for gaps in knowledge. We explore some of these potential gaps by looking at patterns resulting from manual digitization of primary biodiversity data records into Zootron 4, a vintage taxonomic database including about 200,000 worldwide occurrence records of fauna manually captured from scientific literature over a period of more than two decades by biodiversity researchers according to their own selective interests.


Four broad classes of patterns were found: Taxonomic, geospatial, human-dependent, and chronological. However, these may reflect both intrinsic patterns existing in the examined literature and biases introduced by the researchers’ selective processes. Incremental analysis involving other similarly recorded PBDRs, as well as comparisons with other patterns resulting from alternate sources of PBDRs such as collections and observations, may help recognize the main source of each pattern. For that, a standardization of datasets, for example through an extension of Darwin Terms, may be desirable.

Life and Literature Speakers: Abel Packer

Abel Packer

Abel L. Packer is Advisor on Information and Communication on Science at the Foundation of the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, since June 2010. Previously he was Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences (BIREME) of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization for 11 years. Brazilian, of nationality, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master’s degree in Library Science from Syracuse University in New York. He participated pro-actively in the conception, management, operation and dissemination of major Latin American and Caribbean multilingual scientific information networks, such as the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and the Scientific Electronic Library Online). He leads the implementation of the BHL-SciELO network in Brazil.

Title: Biodiversity literature in Europeana

Authors: Lizzy Komen*, Jonathan Purday**, Jana Hoffmann***

Abstract: Europeana.eu provides online access to the digital resources from Europe's museums, libraries, archives and audiovisual collections. Europeana currently provides access to over 19 million items from 27 EU countries. BHL-Europe adds substantial value to Europeana by making available a great amount of biodiversity literature. Europeana is the EU's most visible expression of our digital heritage. [...] Europeana has established itself as a reference point for European culture on the Internet. It reflects the ambition of Europe's cultural institutions to make our common and diverse cultural and scientific heritage more widely accessible to all.

Affiliation:

* Lizzy Komen
Business Project Coordinator
Europeana

** Jonathan Purday
Senior Communications Advisor
Europeana

*** Jana Hoffmann, Dipl.-Biol.
Project assistant BHL-Europe
Museum fuer Naturkunde

Accepted Poster Session: BLE - BHL-Europe's virtual exhibition

Title of Poster Session: BLE - BHL-Europe's virtual exhibition

Authors: Jiri Frank*, Jiri Kvacek**, Jana Hoffmann***

Abstract: The Biodiversity Library Exhibition (BLE) is a virtual exhibition of the digital content in the Biodiversity Heritage Library for Europe. It is a dissemination and e-learning tool which highlights specific biodiversity content and makes it accessible for a wider audience. The first two exhibitions will feature BHL-Europe's content on "spices" and "expeditions", presenting beautiful illustrations and informative text in old and rare books. It will also provide useful information for the visitor, e.g. recipes. The attractive design and easy to use interface of BLE has a great potential to show that historical literature on biodiversity can be interesting to a wide audience.

Affiliation:

* Jiri Frank, Mgr.
National museum in Prague

** Jiri Kvacek, Dr.
WP5 leader BHL-Europe
National museum in Prague

*** Jana Hoffmann, Dipl.-Biol.
Project assistant BHL-Europe
Museum fuer Naturkunde