Developments in floristic data bases at RBGE

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Developments in floristic data bases at RBGE
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Brief History

• RBGE active in floristic data base development
  for the last 14 years
• PANDORA
• PADME
• Prometheus

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Problems with PANDORA

• Not SQL compliant
• Not directly accessible through the internet
• No possibility of remote data entry
• All data sets separate large amount of
  repetition
• DOS based outdated and difficult to maintain

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Aims of a new system

• Must provide at least the same functionality as
  PANDORA
• Should provide as far as possible an integrated
  system for RBGE floristic data
• Should allow multiple types of access to the data
  including standard Windows desktop access and
  access via the web
• Should directly support the day to day working
  practices of floristic taxonomists

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Aims of a new system
Data base
Raw data
Data output
Data output
Raw data
Data base
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Aims of a new system
Data base
Raw data
Data output
Data output
Data output
Raw data
Data base
Data output
Data output
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Design principles and methods

• Use case driven design
• Users inform developers of the behaviours they
  expect from the system
• Developers use the information gained to design
  appropriate interfaces and underlying data
  structures
• A highly process oriented approach very
  different from data centric application design

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A multi-tier design
Data base
Business logic
Interfaces
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Key features

• Flora management module
• Separation of core data from flora specific data
• Annotation based information storage

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Flora management module

• Control access to different parts of the flora
  data depending upon user rights
• Controls scheduling and allocation of
  responsibilities for account editors and account
  writers

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Separation of core data from Flora specific data
Core Data
Flora specific data
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Separation of core data from Flora specific data
Core data
Flora specific data

• Taxon name
• Rank
• Epithet
• Basionym
• Authority
• Place of publication
• Validity
• Legitimacy

• Taxon
• Rank
• Taxonomic status
• Higher taxon
• Name

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Separation of core data from Flora specific data
Flora specific data
Core data
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Separation of core data from Flora specific data
Flora specific data
Core data
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Annotation based information recording
Taxon
Annotation definition
Annotation
Text for the annotation (XML)
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