Global Compositae Checklist : Integrating, Editing and Tracking Multiple Datasets

1. Global Compositae Checklist: Integrating, Editing and Tracking Multiple Datasets Christina Flann, Aaron Wilton, Kevin Richards and Jerry Cooper

2. Global Compositae Checklist • Checklist database integrates existing data sources • Largest flowering plant family in the world • 10% of worlds flowering plants • Estimated 25000 species • Provide definitive nomenclatural information • Integrated taxonomic concepts • Updated information returned to data providers • Data integrated and edited traceable

3. Checklist Software • Designed and developed by Landcare Research • Contributed datasets prepared and imported • Provider records matched against existing records • Consensus records created • Matching rules balance • Pessimistic versus Optimistic

4. Checklist Software • Provider record unchanged by linking process • Consensus record based on majority agreement • Editing of consensus record creates an editor’s record which has priority • All differences can be tracked • Validation levels can be set for each field • Taxonomic concepts included when present

5. Author Matching Tool

6. Example

7. Datasets • 14 datasets of global to national scale • Contributed from major botanical institutes • Backbone recent tribal treatment • First integration IPNI (158,000 records) • Currently ~195,000 records • Guesstimate 300,000+ records • Imported using the Taxon Concept Schema • Or defined fixed MS Access format

8. Online Access and Feedback • Pre-release version of website ready • Official launch later this year • Searching, reporting and feedback • Webservices providing TCS • The International Compositae Alliance (TICA) • Importance of experts in the validation process • Through website and reports • Still to be tested

9. Future of the project • Working prototype • Start of data content validation stage • Full references and distribution planned for inclusion • Needed for this project: digitised resources and publication data standardisation • This tool should eventually be available for other projects for populating biodiversity databases

10. Acknowledgements • GBIF Seed Money Grant • Systematics Association • Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) • Data Providers • Ilse Breitwieser, Landcare Research, NZ • Vicki Funk, Smithsonian Institute, USA • Nicholas Hind, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK • Chuck Miller, Missouri Botanical Garden, USA • Walter Berendsohn, BGBM, Germany • Andreas Müller, BGBM, Germany

11. Thank you