+ <para>The Common Data Model (CDM) is the domain model for the core EDIT
+ cyberplatform components. The CDM is primarily based on the <link
+ linkend="???"
+ xlink:href="http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/TAG/LsidVocs">TDWG
+ Ontology</link> and in most cases there is concordance with relevant
+ TDWG standards such as <link linkend="???"
+ xlink:href="http://www.tdwg.org/standards/117/">Taxon Concept Transfer
+ Schema (TCS)</link>, <link linkend="???"
+ xlink:href="http://www.tdwg.org/standards/117/">Structured Descriptive
+ Data (SDD)</link> and <link linkend="???"
+ xlink:href="http://www.tdwg.org/standards/115/">Access to Biological
+ Collections Data (ABCD)</link>.</para>
+
+ <para>The CDM differs from the TDWG standards in its purpose: it is
+ intended to serve as the basis of software applications in the
+ cyberplatform (e.g. the taxonomic editor, the CDM Dataportals) rather
+ than being a standard for data exchange between any resource containing
+ biodiversity information. Whilst it is certainly possible to exchange
+ data as CDM domain objects serialized as XML or JSON (the CDM Server and
+ the CDM Dataportals do this), the common data model is not intended to
+ replace existing TDWG standards as a general purpose exchange standard.
+ It is possible to convert data held in a CDM store into a relevant TDWG
+ standard for exchange and in some cases this may be the desired route
+ for data held in the CDM (e.g. for exchange with an application that is
+ not part of the cyberplatform, but which is capable of understanding
+ data in a TDWG standard).</para>
+
+ <para>Thus the CDM is intended for use as</para>
+
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>A domain model for applications, particularly those that
+ enable taxonomists to do revisionary taxonomy and taxonomic field
+ work</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>A standard for exchange between applications that are part of
+ the EDIT Internet Platform for Cybertaxonomy</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+
+ <para>In terms of scope, the CDM covers information core to the vision
+ of the cyberplatform i.e. descriptive and revisionary taxonomy,
+ including taxonomic fieldwork :-</para>
+
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Taxonomic names and nomenclature, typification</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Taxonomic concepts and relationships between accepted names
+ and synonyms, including the placement of the same taxonomic concept
+ in different taxonomic hierarchies.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Specimens and Observations of individual organisms, their
+ collection, location, processing and taxonomic determination.</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Structured and unstructured information about names, taxa, and
+ specimens.</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+
+ <para>In addition to this core area, the CDM covers some related domains
+ that are important:-</para>
+
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Literature</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>People, teams of people and institutions in various roles
+ (i.e. as authors, collectors, artists, rights holders etc)</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Media (images, video and audio files, plus more
+ taxonomy-specific media such as phylogenies and compiled
+ keys)</para>
+ </listitem>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>Molecular data, such as DNA sequences and loci</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+
+ <para>As you might expect, there are also a number of data entities
+ representing controlled vocabularies, identity of users (and their roles
+ and permissions), and ancillary data common to all major classes such as
+ multilingual text content, annotations and markers.</para>
+
+ <figure>
+ <title>A UML Package diagram showing the CDM packages and their
+ members.</title>
+
+ <mediaobject>
+ <imageobject role="html">
+ <imagedata fileref="resources/images/ModelOverview20.gif" />
+ </imageobject>
+
+ <imageobject role="fo">
+ <imagedata contentwidth="160mm"
+ fileref="resources/images/ModelOverview20.gif"
+ scalefit="1" />
+ </imageobject>
+ </mediaobject>
+ </figure>
BGBM BDI Projects / cdmlib.git / blobdiff