The Tree of Life Project: Creating an open phylogenetic database of biodiversity information

该项目将把“生命之树”从一组包含生物多样性和系统发育信息的静态网页转变为一个使用关系数据库的动态系统。生命之树项目是300多名生物学家共同参与的全球性项目。该项目的目标从非正式的科学教育到满足系统生物学家以及其他生命科学家的研究需求，这些科学家的工作得益于对生物体的特殊特征和系统发育关系的了解。为了将树转换为数据库驱动的系统，该项目将设计数据库以及相关的显示和数据输入模块。然后，树的当前页面的内容将被移入该数据库，并将创建可定制的开放源码工具，用于动态显示信息和有效地将新数据输入系统。该数据库的构建将允许树与其他生物数据库之间的通信。树的新格式的主要好处是通过与其他数据库共享数据来扩大项目的覆盖范围，以及在信息呈现方面的新颖灵活性，使我们能够更好地服务于不同用户的需求。

This project will transform the Tree of Life from a collection of static web pages containing information about biodiversity and phylogeny into a dynamic system using a relational database. The Tree of Life Project is a global, collaborative effort of more than 300 biologists. The project's goals range from informal science education to serving the research needs of systematic biologists, as well as other life scientists whose work benefits from an understanding of the special characteristics and phylogenetic relationships of organisms. In order to convert the Tree into a database-driven system, the project will design database and associated display and data entry modules. The content of the Tree's current pages will then be moved into this database, and customizable, open-source tools will be created for the dynamic presentation of information and for efficient entry of new data into the system. The database will be constructed to allow communication between the Tree and other biological databases. The major benefits of the Tree's new format are expansion of the project's reach through data sharing with other database efforts and novel flexibility in presentation of information allowing us to better serve the needs of diverse users.