[Zoobank-list] ZooBank

[Weitzman, Anna]

First, I don't think that anyone is proposing to type all this in.  We are proposing to extract from the literature using technology.  Humans will, of course, have to interpret most of the taxonomic and nomenclatural acts, but that would be true in any case.
 
I don't think that anyone suggested that Zoobank should want all the vernacular names (I certainly did not), but there have been many very loud calls for them (in all languages and alphabets) for GBIF at least.
 
If we extract using computer programs from digitized literature, why would we not want vernacular names (and other things) indexed someplace?  I certainly have heard a lot of people say that they would.  Just because we, as taxonomists rarely use vernacular names, we should not exclude others who may want to use them to find out what the species name is or any of a thousand other uses.
 
Cheers,
Anna
 
Anna L. Weitzman, PhD
Informatics Branch Chief, ITO
Informatics, Botany and Biodiversity Research
National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
 
202.633.0846
weitzman at si.edu

________________________________

From: zoobank-list-bounces at afriherp.org on behalf of Arie W. Janssen
Sent: Tue 06-Mar-07 4:32 PM
To: 'Zoobank Discussion List (ICZN)'
Subject: [Zoobank-list] ZooBank


Well, gentlemen .... and ladies of course (if there were any),
 
I've been reading the discussion, so far. There's been a lot of idealism, a lot of discussion on details, on format etc. etc. 
 
I just wonder .... if we really want to build a ZooBank as seems to be needed ... who the heck is going to pay the more than a thousand (qualified) clerks/typists we will  need to actually DO the job, within 20 or more years ? Idealism is nice, but for heaven's sake, let's be practical .... vernacular names ???? Why, why, why ??  Do you really want the 'tractorwieltje' (wordlwide known as Armiger cristata) included in ZooBank ? Or similar ridiculous names in Dutch or other languages ?
 
I, for my sake, I am happy with the ICZN rulings and lists .... everything additional might be nice, but again ... who's going to do the job ? Not me, for sure ! Are we going to make something like Wikipedia, where everybody is allowed to improve somebody else's input ? Where's the value then ? What we need is authority, and THAT's exactly what ICZN provides us with ! Everything else to me seems superfluous, and confusing !
 
Best regards from a small Mediterranean island !
 
 
Arie W. Janssen, Gozo, Malta
ariewjanssen at waldonet.net.mt
 
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