Edinburgh Napier University

  A graphical user interface is presented that allows users of taxonomic data to explore concept relationships between conflicting but related taxonomic classifications.
Ecological analyses that use taxonomic metadata depend on accurate naming of specimens and taxa, and if the metadata involves several taxonomies, care has to be taken to match concepts between them. To perform this accurately requires expert-defined concept relationships, which are more complex yet more representative than the simple one-to-one mappings found through simple name matching, and can accommodate nomenclatural changes and differences in classification technique (cf ‘lumpers’ versus ‘splitters’). In the SEEK-Taxon (Scientific Environment for Ecological Knowledge) project we aim to help users of taxonomic datasets untangle and understand these relationships through a prototype visual interface which graphically displays these relationship structures, allowing users to comprehend such information and more accurately name their data.