Vincent S. Smithwith Dave Roberts, Mauro Gonzalez, & Simon Rycroft

Scratchpads - a space for your data on the web

The problem

• Technical ability of these communities is limited- Solutions must be easy to use

• Many data providers- Each with their own user community

• Information heterogeneous- Often specific to each community

• Resource are limited- Solutions must scale to different communities

How to manage, share & integrate digital information…

The goal

What do you want to achieve with your digital information…

• Managing: somewhere to…- Store your data- Structure to your data (helps integration)- Customized to your data and needs

• Sharing: demonstrates your value because…- Makes you visible- Allows others to use your data

- Facilitates collaboration

• Integrating: mixing data adds value because…- Provides broader context for your specialized work

- Facilitates queries- Many levels of integration with different costs & benefits

…different users have different priorities

The solution

No one solution but… use the web!

• Generalized Content Management Systems (CMS)- Easy to set up and use (no expert help)- Quick to populate with your data (you can do this)- Low level data integration - most content unstructured

• Natural Language Processing (NLP)- You don’t use this - we do- Makes digital content machine readable to facilitate integration

- Rather “experimental” for biosystematic data

• Taxonomic Content Management Systems (TCMS)- (Very) hard to set up and use (need expert help)

- (Very) difficult to populate (need expert help)- Facilitates high levels of data integration

The solution

No one solution but… use the web!

• Generalized Content Management Systems (CMS)- Easy to set up and use (no expert help)- Quick to populate with your data (you can do this)- Low level data integration - most content unstructured

• Natural Language Processing (NLP)- You don’t use this - we do- Makes digital content machine readable to facilitate integration

- Rather “experimental” for biosystematic data

• Taxonomic Content Management Systems (TCMS)- (Very) hard to set up and use (need expert help)

- (Very) difficult to populate (need expert help)- Facilitates high levels of data integration

http://vsmith.info/EDIT

What is a Content Management System?Like the system for the APR or FJP - but more fun!

What is a Content Management System?More like mySpace, or Wikipedia or flickr - but for taxonomists

Drupal CMShttp://drupal.org/

What is a Content Management System?More like mySpace, or Wikipedia or flickr - but for taxonomists

Drupal CMShttp://drupal.org/

Complex Database mounted on the web

What is a Content Management System?More like mySpace, or Wikipedia or flickr - but for taxonomists

Drupal CMShttp://drupal.org/

Complex Database mounted on the web

Customize look and functionality

What is a Content Management System?More like mySpace, or Wikipedia or flickr - but for taxonomists

Added taxonomic tools (modules)

Creating templates (“Scratchpads”) for you & your community to mount your digital information on the web

Scratchpad screenshots

Licehttp://phthiraptera.org

Flieshttp://www.milichiidae.info

Fungus Gnatshttp://www.sciaroidea.info

African Dung Beetleshttp://www.dungbeetle.co.uk

Creating your Scratchpad

How to apply for, customize and use a Scratchpad

1. Sign the terms & conditions form

4. Book an initial appointment with Simon

3. Wait for your e-mail messages

2. Fill out an electronic registration

…it is that simple!

5. You and your collaborators add content

Useful Links

• Scratchpads- Info: http://www.editwebrevisions.info/scratchpads - Signup: http://www.editwebrevisions.info/application- Help: http://www.editwebrevisions.info/help

• EDIT- Workpackage 6: http://www.editwebrevisions.info/- Workpackage 5: http://wp5.e-taxonomy.eu/- EDIT: http://www.e-taxonomy.net/

• Me: http://vsmith.info/

Where to find more information…