What are use cases for our OBKMS? What are questions, services we can “only” provide because we have the OBKMS? about openbiodiv HOT 2 CLOSED

Dear Donat,

I think this is indeed a central issue and I believe we’ve had several iterations of it. This is why I think we should have a separate GitHub ongoing discussion on it at the OBKMS GitHub website (which is for now the TaxPub2RDF repo).

#5

My latest thinking on this issue is what I summarized in the TDWG abstract

https://mbgserv18.mobot.org/ocs/index.php/tdwg/tdwg2016/paper/view/1009

There, I wrote:

The system is intended for different groups of users. Biodiversity scientists can use it, for example, to retrieve all taxonomic information associated with a name. Ecologists can use geographic search to locate taxon information associated with a region on a map. Collection managers can track if and where their specimen data have been published. Data aggregators can use the system to extend their stores. Biomedical scientists can make use of the linking of taxon and gene information.

The second question of “only” being able to use our system is a bit trickier to answer. I think our main value proposition would be not that it is uniquely capable of answering those questions, but that it is easier to answer them using LOD and OBKMS, and that provenance is being tracked, so that answers are more trustworthy. I suggested we move this discussion to GitHub.

Regards,
Viktor

from openbiodiv.

Hi Viktor
Thanks for this. Clearly, there are the questions that are within out domain, such as what species – where does it live, which collector collected most species.

But the LOD – especially the O in it, has also a bit a different connotation. Open as allowing asking cross domain questions. How would such a system enhance research on Zika virus? What about studying the traits involved in the success of invasive species? How does biodiversity relate to agricultural production? How big is the chance, that shipping containers bring in new disease via rats traveling in them?

Cheers
Donat

from openbiodiv.