[tcs-lc] Poa acroleuca var. ryukyuensis H.Koba & T.Tateoka

[Roger Hyam]

In specific response to Sally's "How to return a trinomial?" question:

> 
> A) To return three linked TCS records for every (unambiguous) 
> trinomial, and let the questioner work out which was the record 
> they want
> B) to return a single TCS record with an ambiguous trinomial (i.e. 
> no genus or specific epithet ids included)
> C) to return a single TCS record with externally referenced Genus 
> and specific epithet ids in the LC element, which the questioner 
> can follow up if they want to
> D) to return a single TCS record with three LC records using 
> transient ids for the Genus and specific epithet ids

I think the schema should be capable of handling returns of all four 
types. The schema has to handle data providers who have different 
amounts of data. The data source may not know how to cite the genus 
correctly (it may only have a record of a trinomial or the taxonomist 
may not have got round to linking them together yet) so we can't force 
it to expand it. Ambiguity is an option on the menu if the data is 
ambiguous. On the other hand for those few data sources that have fully 
linked data we have to allow them to give us the lot.

Quite how agents will ask for the data is for another day - a link depth 
may need to be supplied.

My current thinking is that the schema should make use of internal AND 
external links in two separate systems. Any schema instance should be 
consistent as regards internal references but may or may not want to 
link to external sources. I could expand on this but won't do so here as 
it is not directly related.



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