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Work package activities

EDIT’s work is split into 7 work packages.

Work Package 1: EDIT Coordination and Management

Leader : Simon Tillier (MNHN)

EDIT is a network of many major partners, which all wish to integrate their activities. This requires both bottom-up and top-down approaches, with the cooperation of people at the scientific, management and technical levels. EDIT partners plan to establish a lasting structure beyond the funding from the European Commission.

Activities:

  1. Establishment and operation of the administrating structure, incl. coordination of the work packages
  2. Orientation, sustainability and development of exploitation strategies for EDIT
  3. Communication
  4. Stakeholder liaison programme
  5. Gender Action Plan
  6. Developing science policy for taxonomic research
  7. Liaison between research and users of taxonomic information

Work Package 2 : Integrating and Reshaping the Expert and Expertise Basis

Leader : Henrik Pedersen (UKBH)

The expertise basis in Europe is very fragmented, and this is a major obstacle to taxonomic science. EDIT aims to help integrate the workforce, both in professional institutions and amateur networks, as well as to help stakeholders identify relevant scientific partners.

Activities:

  1. Information service on taxonomic experts, their expertise and ongoing and planned taxonomic research projects
  2. Involving non-professional taxonomists, taxonomic societies and networks
  3. Supporting new joint research among EDIT partners through exchange of researchers
  4. Promoting integration and interdisciplinary research

Work Package 3 : Integrating and Reshaping the Infrastructure Basis

Leader : Leo Kriegsmann (NNM)

EDIT institutions represent around 30% of the world’s taxonomic collections. They are at the forefront of the development of databases, information networks, and large-scale instrumental facilities (remote microscopy, DNA barcoding)… Integrating these strengths will unlock massive power for taxonomy. Activities:

  1. Network of the physical taxonomic infrastructures
  2. The taxonomic information infrastructure network
  3. Sustaining infrastructures
  4. Large-scale networked instrumental facilities
  5. Liaison with international infrastructures

Work Package 5 : Internet Platform for Cybertaxonomy: Tools, Sharing, Networking and Integration

Leader : Walter Berendsohn (FUB-BGBM)

New technologies provide new power to taxonomy. The amount of data that can be marshalled has recently grown exponentially thanks to computer-aided tools. EDIT will create a platform for cybertaxonomy, easily downloadable on any desktop, gathering several useful tools for the daily work of scientists.

Activities:

  1. Integration of IST departments
  2. Creating the internet platform for cybertaxonomy
  3. Virtual library of Taxonomic Literature and Documentation as a platform component
  4. Geographical platform components
  5. Taxonomic-core platform components
  6. Descriptive and identification platform components
  7. Security Infrastructure for platform data exchange and communication
  8. Publication support as platform document
  9. Specimen access platform component

Work Package 6 : Unifying Revisionary Taxonomy on the web

Leader : Dave Roberts (NHML)

Taxonomic revisions are a fundamental part of our science, and it is still the most time-consuming, difficult aspect to overcome. Thanks to new technologies, knowledge can be shared and work distributed to speed up taxonomic revisions, make them more reliable and more powerful. EDIT provides websites and communication channels to speed up and strengthen collaborative revisions.

Activities :

  1. Content building
  2. Community building
  3. Content delivery

Work Package 7: Applying Taxonomy to Conservation

Leader : Christoph Häuser (MfN)

Taxonomy is the fundamental science of biodiversity, a science whose contact to the real world is unparalleled. To use our taxonomic knowledge in the preservation, use and management of biodiversity, we need practical application programmes. EDIT organises All Taxa Biodiversity Inventories and Monitoring on a scale unprecedented in Europe, marshalling the strength of our scientists and collections for practical purposes.

Activities:

  1. Assessing biodiversity inventory and monitoring needs, evaluating relevant taxonomic capacities and raising stakeholder awareness
  2. Mobilising taxonomic resources and establishing the ATBI+M task force network
  3. Developing standards, protocols, and tools for conducting an ATBI+M programme
  4. Operating the ATBI+M task force and evaluating relevant methods and technics
  5. Sustaining the European ATBI+M task force and long-term studies

Work Package 8: Training and Public Awareness

Leader : Thierry Backeljau (RBINS)

Training the next generation of taxonomists is of paramount importance. We need to avoid the loss of expertise, of specific skills, as well as disseminate the new technologies and methodologies of taxonomy. EDIT supports large-scale and one-on-one training, and integrates the partners’ powerful public awareness resources.

Activities :

  1. Assessing the training resources for taxonomy in Europe
  2. Mobilisation of European training providers into the Distributed European School of Taxonomy
  3. Establishment of pilot schemes for integration
  4. Implementation of the Distributed European School of Taxonomy
  5. Public Awareness for the promotion of taxonomy