A Schema Library for Biological Collection Databases

生物收藏品（自然历史博物馆和草药馆）中的数百万标本是对地球生物群的广泛、高质量的记录。 然而，馆藏数据在不同的数据库管理系统下以不同的数据结构存储，因此综合起来也不同。 在这个项目中，博物馆数据专家计算机科学家正在合作，从一个网络访问的模式库和一套广泛的科学管理工具（由劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室的OPM项目开发）建立一个联合查询服务器。 模式库记录了各个集合数据库的结构和共享概念的参考模型。 数据管理工具使用模式间映射在参考模型和本地数据库之间转换查询和数据。 生物收集数据可用于确定物种分布;多物种分布和多样性模式;以及环境因素（例如，气候）和土地使用做法。 该项目将通过自动化查询不同收集数据库的重复性和复杂性，使收集数据更容易获得，并将有助于将收集数据提供给新兴的国家生物信息基础设施。 查询服务器将补充圣地亚哥超级计算中心正在开发的分析、可视化和预测工具（为美国生物多样性组织和我们对全球气候变化的理解）。 这项工作得到了BIO董事会数据库活动计划的支持。

The million of specimens contained in biological collections (natural history museums and herbarial) represent extensive, high-quality documentation of the Earth's biota. Collection data are stored, however, in different data structures under different database management systems, and are consequently different to synthesize. In this project, museum data specialists computer scientists are collaborating to build a federation query server from a web-accessible schema library and an extensive suite of scientific management tools (developed by the OPM Project, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories). The schema library documents the structures of individual collection databases and a reference model of shared concepts. The data management tools use inter-schema mappings to transform queries and data between the reference model and local databases. Biological collections data can be used to determine species distributions; multi-species patterns of distribution and diversity; and how distributions are influenced by environmental factors (e.g., climate) and land-use practices. This project will make collections data more accessible by automating the repetition and complexity of querying different collection databases, and will help deliver collection data into the emerging National Biological Information Infrastructure. The query server will complement the analysis, visualization, and prediction tools that are being developed at the San Diego Supercomputing Center (for the US-Organization for Biodiversity and our understanding of global climate change. This work is supported by the Database Activities program in the BIO directorate.