SGER: An Experimental Z39.50 Information Retrieval Protocol Test Bed for Biological Collection and Taxonomic Data

这项工作代表了一个潜在的高回报生物多样性信息学测试床项目在一个广泛的社区合作。 这项工作的目标是展示基于标准的生物标本和物种管理局记录的有效性，以支持机构标本持有，收集编目，分类研究，以及生物多样性数据的各种管理和教育应用的互联网发现。 该项目将为标本和分类权威数据库实施ANSI/NISO Z39.50信息检索协议。 可供选择的内容包括：（1）用于标本和物种（分类单元）数据类的Z39.50应用程序配置文件;（2）用于两类数据的共识元数据词典;（3）用于两类数据的记录语法;以及（4）用于标本和物种数据库的原型Z客户端应用程序和Z服务器。 用于生物收藏的客户端-服务器Z39.50信息检索架构将包括以下益处： 1.多个标本或物种数据库将通过一个单一的界面同时查询，并从结果集中返回结构化记录，供本地应用程序（如数据库或分析程序）立即使用。 2.在其他知识社区的Z服务器中的数据之间的查询和检索将被集成。 这将允许，例如，（1）标本目录和地图档案的同时空间查询，（2）从生物学权威文件中集成检索物种（分类）记录与图书馆目录中标记有分类主题词的书目记录，以及（3）从多个来源同时查询和检索分类权威记录，分类图像和标本凭证记录。 3.生物收集机构可以参与基于标准的数据访问和检索社区架构，而不会放弃其独立性，以定制本地模式和记录结构，以满足本地需求。 Z39.50架构对于生物学收藏品和物种数据的普遍访问、物种和标本数据与非生物学信息的整合以及作为所有未来生物学收藏品数据联网的社区框架的潜在影响是深远的。 这一原型和试验台项目将是第一次将生物收集和物种信息纳入一个信息标准框架，由更广泛和活跃的信息检索社区共享。

This work represents a potentially high-reward biodiversity informatics test bed project in an expansive community collaboration. The goal of the work is to demonstrate the effectiveness of standards-based access to biological specimen and species authority records in the support of Internet discovery of institutional specimen holding, collection cataloging, taxonomic research, and various management and educational applications of biodiversity data. The project will implement the ANSI/NISO Z39.50 Information Retrieval Protocol for specimen and taxonomic authority databases. Deliverables will be (1) Z39.50 application profiles for specimen and species (taxon) data classes, (2) a consensus metadata dictionary for both classes of data, (3) a record syntax for both classes of data, and (4) prototype Z-client applications and Z-servers for specimen and species databases. A client-server Z39.50 information retrieval architecture for biological collections would include the following benefits: 1. Multiple specimen or species databases would be queried simultaneously through a single interface and return structured records from result sets for immediate utilization in local applications, such as database or analysis programs. 2. Query and retrieval among data in Z-servers in other intellectual communities would be integrated. This would allow, for example, (1) simultaneous spatial queries of specimen catalogs and map archives, (2) integrated retrieval of species (taxon) records from biological authority files with bibliographic records tagged with taxon subject headings from library catalogs, and (3) concurrent query and retrieval of taxonomic authority records, taxon images, and specimen voucher records from multiple sources. 3. Biological collections institutions could participate in a standards-based community architecture for data access and retrieval without surrendering their independence for the customization of local schema and record structures fo r local needs. The potential impact of a Z39.50 architecture for universal access to biological collections and species data, for the integration of species and specimen data with non-biological information, and as a community framework for all future biological collections data networking, is profound. This prototype and test bed project will be the first time biocollections and species information will be brought into an information standards framework shared by much broader and active information retrieval communities.