GEOINFORMATICS: Morphobank, Web-Based Systematics Software and Archive for Transforming the Study of Fossils in Contemporary Geoscience Research

地理信息学：Morphobank，基于网络的系统学软件和档案馆，用于改变当代地球科学研究中的化石研究。O'Leary和大卫L.利用现代方法重建化石和现存物种的生命树是古生物学研究的核心部分。 为了做到这一点，古生物学家研究和描述解剖学（形态学），并将他们的观察记录在由物种和形态特征组成的矩阵中。 这些矩阵包含同源性陈述：假设在不同物种中发现的相似特征是从共同祖先遗传而来的。 矩阵用于生成系统发育树，使古生物学家能够调查大规模的问题，如主要群体的起源时间。古生物学家越来越多地在地理上分散的合作者团队中进行这种研究。 然而，他们还没有使用数据库和网络技术使这类研究（形态系统学）的数据收集过程现代化。 PI已经开发了一个原型Web应用程序和协作工作区www.MorphoBank.org，作为古生物学家和其他系统学家在世界任何地方通过Web进行协作的工具。 MorphoBank是一个开源的数据库，用于存档和显示生物体（化石和活的）的图像，用于系统学和分类学研究。 它为希望使用网络作为1）系统学研究的协作，密码保护的工作空间，或2）作为与出版物中的研究相关的图像存档的科学家（特别是团队）提供研究工具。 这包括上传、编辑和下载多种格式的文件的能力，包括系统学研究常用的格式，以及将化石生物的图像和描述与同源性声明相关联的能力。 专业人员建议以几种方式进一步开发MorphoBank软件的第一版。 首先，他们打算通过实现改进的导航、搜索功能、分类群、字符和状态的上下文图像显示以及增加的注释功能来优化基于Web的矩阵编辑器。 其次，他们计划构建一个离线数据矩阵编辑器，该编辑器将与他们的在线工具无缝协作，并实现从桌面（古生物学家现在收集数据的地方）到网络（数据收集的未来）的过渡。 他们还建议将其图像和遗传学浏览和存档功能与几个存档时间数据的地理信息学倡议相结合。 随着形态学、分类学和时间在网络上的整合，需要遗传学和时间数据的古生物学项目将大大增强信息学资源。

Geoinformatics: Morphobank, Web-based Systematics Software and Archive for Transforming the Study of Fossils in Contemporary Geoscience ResearchMaureen A. O'Leary and David L. FergusonEAR-0622359ABSTRACTReconstructing the Tree of Life of fossil and living species using modern methods is a central part of paleontological research. To do this, paleontologists study and describe anatomy (morphology), and record their observations in matrices that consist of species and morphological characters. These matrices contain homology statements: hypotheses that similar features found in different species have been inherited from a common ancestor. Matrices are used to generate phylogenetic trees that allow paleontologists to investigate large-scale questions such as the time of origin of major groups. Paleontologists increasingly conduct this kind of research in teams of geographically dispersed collaborators. They have yet, however, to modernize the data collection process for this type of research (morphological systematics) using databasing and web technologies. PIs have developed a prototype web application and collaborative workspace, www.MorphoBank.org, as a tool for paleontologists and other systematists to collaborate over the web from anywhere in the world. MorphoBank is an open source database on the web that archives and displays images of organisms (fossil and living) for systematics and taxonomic research. It provides research tools for scientists (particularly teams) who wish to use the web as 1) a collaborative, password-protected workspace for systematics research, or 2) as an archive for images associated with research in their publications. This includes the ability to upload, edit and download files in many formats, including commonly used formats for systematics research, and to affiliate images and descriptions of fossil organisms with homology statements. PIs propose to develop further the first versions of the MorphoBank software in several ways. First, they intend to optimize the web-based matrix editor by implementing improved navigation, search features, contextual image display for taxa, characters and states, and increased annotation features. Secondly, they plan to build an offline data matrix editor that will work seamlessly with their online tools and enable the transition from the desktop (where paleontologists now collect data), to the web, where the future of data collection will be. They also propose to integrate their image and phylogenetics browsing and archiving features with several geoinformatics initiatives that archive temporal data. With morphology, taxonomy and time integrated over the web, paleontological projects that require data on phylogenetics and time will have greatly enhanced informatics resources.