Digitisation / Cataloguing of non-textual objects: eScience-compliant standards for morphology

在过去的几十年里，生命科学的研究发生了很大的变化。今天，许多科学家使用计算机进行数据探索，从公开可用的数据中汇编新的数据集，并在新的前提下进行分析。这种eScience方法要求数据通过互联网公开可用，并利用语义网的应用。不幸的是，形态和形态分类学还没有参与eScience，因为1)可访问的形态内容仅限于出版的文献，以及相应的数据来源和原始数据(连载部分、图像等)。2)到目前为止，形态描述不能存放在一般的数据存储库中，因为各自符合eScience的标准是不存在的。这两个问题的解决涉及到语义透明术语的使用，即本体的使用。我们将采用以用户为中心的设计方法，并与四个用例研究密切协调，为形态数据库Morph·D.Base开发符合eScience标准的形态标准和三个新的基于本体的模块：1)用于形态描述，2)图形图像内容注释，3)用于分类描述和自动生成动态多条目识别关键字。基于四个用例研究，我们将测试它们在增加非专家形态数据的可访问性、分类描述的eScience兼容标准化、自然历史收藏的数字化以及比较形态研究方面的可用性。

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.