Data Integration and Annotation Services in Biodiversity

DIAS-B

This project consists of two related sub-projects that are of immediate benefit to NCRIS 5.2.3, the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and more widely to NCRIS 5.2 Integrated Biological Systems (IBS). However, the services developed for these sub-projects are expected to have much broader applicability, and may eventually be offered as general services by ANDS. This project will act as a test case for the application of these services to a particular discipline area.

In order to provide integration across many and varied biodiversity data sets, the ALA needs to maintain a Metadata Repository to enable metadata registration and harvesting for all available digital resources of biodiversity information.

• The first sub-project relates to the development of such a repository and the processes and tools required for data providers and consumers to make use of the service.
• The second sub-project will develop authenticated data annotation services that will enable users or automated data analysis tools to provide feedback on data quality by annotating data records and resource metadata with comments on data quality and structured corrections.

The original data providers will be able to connect to the service to retrieve and process annotations to their data, and provide their own comments.

Available documents include:

• DIAS-B proforma - agreed by NeAT (April 2008)

• DIAS-B business plan summary - Reviewed by AeRIC (May 2008)

• DIAS-B project plan - Implemented by ARCS, ANDS and Atlas of Living Australia