[SEEK-Taxon] RE: GBIF and TCS-LC for data exchange

Mon Feb 28 19:26:09 PST 2005

Based on the subsequent comments from others on this CC list, there seems to
be sufficient critical mass of "Aye"s to warrant the creation of an email
list.

Matt -- if you wouldn't mind creating a list, I think that would be the best
route.  I suspect that the volume of traffic could get large enough (in
pulses), that it's probably best to have a separate list from seek-taxon.  I
think that it should also be scoped to "LC" in general, rather than specific
to the LC-TCS issue.  I imagine that the LC-TCS discussion will be one of
the most consistently voluminous, but it should also be open to topics
specific to LC.

I fully agree that there should also be a Wiki, where major postings, files,
and other stuff could be archived.  I would recommend, though, that anyone
who makes substantative changes to the Wiki should also send a "heads-up"
and/or summary note to the list so that the non-Wiki folks can stay abreast
of developments. At the very least, the email list address should be
subscribed to receive automated edit announcements from the Wiki.

I will not weigh-in on the delicate issue of which of the various candidate
Wikis should be "the" designated Wiki -- but I would like to reiterate that
we should pick *one* [and perhaps consider migrating the content of the
other(s) to the chosen one].

I'll try to find some time this week to get caught back up on the
developments of the past several months (both from the LC perspective and
the TCS perspective).

Aloha,
Rich

Richard L. Pyle, PhD
Database Coordinator for Natural Sciences
Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum
1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817
Ph: (808)848-4115, Fax: (808)847-8252
email: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
http://www.bishopmuseum.org/bishop/HBS/pylerichard.html

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Matt Jones [mailto:jones at nceas.ucsb.edu]
> Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 9:40 AM
> To: Richard Pyle
> Cc: Nozomi Ytow; dhobern at gbif.org; G.Hagedorn at BBA.DE;
> franz at nceas.ucsb.edu; J.Kennedy at napier.ac.uk;
> CooperJ at landcareresearch.co.nz; ghw at anbg.gov.au; lblaine at atcc.org;
> p.kirk at CABI.ORG; bti at dsmz.de; garrity at msu.edu; R.Kukla at napier.ac.uk;
> C.lyal at nhm.ac.uk; yjong at science.uva.nl; weitzman at si.edu;
> rlmoe at uclink4.berkeley.edu; cwilson at usgs.gov; sblum at CalAcademy.org;
> seek-taxon at ecoinformatics.org; S.Hinchcliffe at kew.org;
> sci.staff at gbif.org; ict.staff at gbif.org; roger at hyam.net;
> gbif-dadi at roles.circa.gbif.net; gbif-ecat at roles.circa.gbif.net
> Subject: Re: [SEEK-Taxon] RE: GBIF and TCS-LC for data exchange
>
>
> Hi Rich,
>
> I agree that email lists are far easier to follow, so I think an email
> list for this discussion is a good idea.  Personally I think seek-taxon
> is a fine place for these sorts of discussions, as the main emphasis of
> seek-taxon is producing the TCS and the relationship between LC and TCS
> is so tight.  However, we also run many email lists and I could easily
> set up a list specifically for LC in a few minutes if that were deemed a
> better alternative.  Please just let me know.
>
> I do think wiki's play a role though (we use them in SEEK).  With a
> Wiki, I think it is easier to consolidate information and present the
> 'current' view of an idea or topic.  We use them to distill the essence
> of emailand other conversations into design documents.  I think it woud
> be positive if somebody kept abrest of the issues and kept one of the
> wikis (SEEK-taxon, TCS, LC, or other) up-to-date with the current
> thought.  This allows greater forward progress, as email threads
> eventualy are lost and forgotten.
>
> Cheers,
> Matt
>
> Richard Pyle wrote:
> >>Rich wrote:
> >>
> >>>However, if Wiki it is to be, I think it
> >>>would be tremendously more efficient for making progress if we could
> >>>designate ONE Wiki as the location where the LC/TCS integration
> >>
> >>issues are
> >>
> >>>discussed.
> >>
> >>Well, one Wiki would contain many similar pages, each contains the
> >>same dicrussion.
> >
> >
> > True -- but I was referring mostly to the two (or more?)
> entirely different
> > Wiki sites on which disccussions of LC and its connection with TCS have
> > historically occurred.
> >
> >
> >>Following Wiki is also harder than reading e-mail especially over
> >>time difference, in my experience.
> >
> >
> > Emboldened by Paul's and James' comments, perhaps I could suggest
> > establishing an email list dedicated to LC, including its
> relationship with
> > TCS.  The seek-taxon list could be a forum for this sort of
> discussion, but
> > I have a hunch that it might represent too much clutter for that list
> > (SEEKers? Your thoughts?)  The ICZN list is hosted here at
> Bishop Museum --
> > if nobody else has a convenient way to establish an email
> discussion list, I
> > could inquire about setting up one here for LC.
> >
> > Of course, the email lists and Wikis are not mutually exclusive
> mechanisms
> > for discussion.  They can complement each other rather nicely,
> I think. I
> > understand the theoretically improved efficiency and archivability and
> > flexibility offered by a Wiki over a straightforward email list; and the
> > "Wiki-Warriors" could take it upon themselves to transfer
> significant email
> > list posts over to the Wiki (I would be willing to serve in
> this capacity).
> > The Wiki could also serve as a repository for downloadable
> files.  However,
> > if the absence of an email list means a significant reduction
> in discussion
> > input from certain highly insightful folks (like Paul), then I think it
> > would be a mistake not to establish such an email list.
> >
> > Also, there's nothing like an email message in an indbox (especially one
> > that includes content, rather than simple links to updated Wiki
> pages) to
> > keep a discussion moving forward.
> >
> > Aloha,
> > Rich
> >
> > Richard L. Pyle, PhD
> > Database Coordinator for Natural Sciences
> > Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum
> > 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817
> > Ph: (808)848-4115, Fax: (808)847-8252
> > email: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
> > http://www.bishopmuseum.org/bishop/HBS/pylerichard.html
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > seek-taxon mailing list
> > seek-taxon at ecoinformatics.org
> > http://www.ecoinformatics.org/mailman/listinfo/seek-taxon
>
> --
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> Matt Jones                                     jones at nceas.ucsb.edu
> http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/    Fax: 425-920-2439    Ph: 907-789-0496
> National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS)
> University of California Santa Barbara
> Interested in ecological informatics? http://www.ecoinformatics.org
> -------------------------------------------------------------------