Difference between revisions of "EScience-Compliant Standards for Morphology"

Revision as of 18:06, 21 May 2014

Increasing the Sustainability and Accessibility of Morphological Data through Ontology-based Standardization of Morphological and Taxonomic Descriptions and Graphical Image Content Annotations

Summary

Within the last decades, research in life sciences has changed considerably. Today, many scientists use computers for data exploration, compile new datasets from openly available data and analyze them under new premises. This eScience approach requires data to be openly available through the Internet and utilizes applications of the Semantic Web. Unfortunately, morphology and morphological taxonomy do not take part in eScience yet, because 1) accessible morphological content is restricted to published literature, and corresponding sources of data and raw data (serial sections, images, etc.) often get lost; 2) to date, morphological descriptions cannot be deposited in general data repositories, because respective eScience-compliant standards are nonexistent. The solution to both problems involves the use of semantically transparent terminologies, i.e. ontologies.

Applying a user-centered-design approach and in close coordination with four use case studies, we will develop eScience-compliant standards for morphology and three new ontology-based modules for the morphological data repository Morph•D•Base: 1) for morphological descriptions, 2) graphical image content annotations, and 3) for taxonomic descriptions and automatically generated dynamic multiple entry identification keys. Based on the four use case studies, we will test their usability regarding increasing the accessibility of morphological data for non-experts, eScience-compliant standardization of taxonomic descriptions, the digitization of natural history collections, and for studies of comparative morphology.

Project Participants

Lars Vogt, Dr. (coordination) Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Zooökologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

Peter Grobe, Dr. Biodiversity Informatics, Foundation Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig; Leibniz Association

Jan Decher, Dr. Theriology, Foundation Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig; Leibniz Association

Peter Fratzl, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Abteilung Biomaterialien, Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung

Michael Ohl, PD Dr. Museum fuer Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut fuer Evolutions- und Biodiversitaetsforschung

Stefan Richter, Prof. Dr. Allgemeine & Spezielle Zoologie, Institut für Biowissenschaften, Universität Rostock