Biodiversity Data Model: Taxonomy

The following diagram illustrates the mapping of the TaxonRecord, RawName, TaxonName, TaxonConcept, RelationshipAssertion and VernacularName objects from BiodiversityDataModel into a relational model. The key changes relative to the object diagram in BiodiversityDataModel are:

• inclusion of a fuller model for Agents (see also BiodiversityDataModelAgents)
• inclusion of some DataRecord elements in TaxonRecord and OccurrenceRecord (remaining elements merged into ManagedData)
• addition of NameMapping table to support many-to-many mappings
• addition of tables to represent controlled vocabularies (RecordBasis, TaxonRank, Language, RelationshipType and TypeStatus)

Here is a quick overview of what the tables represent in this diagram.

• TaxonRecord – an extension of DataRecord to represent a record providing taxonomic or nomenclatural data (when the DataRecord corresponds to a TCS or Species 2000 CDM record)
• RawName – scientific name in form found in source record
• TaxonName – structured representation of scientific name normalised in accordance with a nomenclatural code, including any author and publication data; associated with a Publication (representing the first publication of the combination)
• NameMapping - many-to-many mapping between RawNames and TaxonNames
• TaxonRank - controlled vocabulary of taxon ranks
• TaxonConcept – taxon concept relating use of a taxon name to a taxonomic publication; associated with a TaxonName and a Publication (e.g. taxonomic revision, catalogue)
• Publication – identifiers for a publication, including author and year, heavily simplified for this diagram (may be represented as Agents?)
• VernacularName – vernacular name including language; associated with a TaxonRecord and a TaxonConcept (the taxon to which the vernacular name relates)
• Language - controlled vocabulary of languages
• RelationshipAssertion – representation of any asserted relationship between two TaxonConcepts (synonymy, hierarchy); associated with a TaxonRecord and two RelationshipAssertions (a “from” and a “to” assertion for each side of the relationship)
• RelationshipType - controlled vocabulary identifying the nature of a relationship between two TaxonConcepts
• Typification – a link between a TaxonRecord and an OccurrenceRecord (normally both based on the same source record) and providing data on a type specimen for a published name; associated with a TaxonRecord and an OccurrenceRecord
• TypeStatus - controlled vocabulary to indicate status of a type specimen
• OccurrenceRecord - an extension of DataRecord to represent a record providing taxon occurrence data (specimens, observations, etc.)
• ManagedData – base representation of a unit of web data (either a data record or metadata record, with record interpreted somewhat flexibly according to different data standards)
• GeographicArea - countries in which DataProviders are based
• Agent – a generalised representation of the contact information for an individual or organisation
• DataResource – a set of data records with its own metadata, all accessed through a WebService; extends ManagedData (and so includes all of the ManagedData attributes)
• Identifier – a generalised representation of an identifier which may be used to identify a biodiversity data element
• RecordBasis - controlled vocabulary of underlying reasons for a biodoversity record (e.g. specimen, observation, nomenclator, revision)

Categories

CategoryDataIndex