NETWORK
SCIENCE
Fauna Portal
Australia.
In collaboration with Murdoch University, Perth.
Unknown
Australia.
About 70 to 80 % of Australia's invertebrate fauna is still undescribed. For example, about 4,000 spider species are currently described there, the actual number is estimated at 8,500 to 20,000 species.
For Murdoch University in Perth, psbrands has developed the web portal www.faunaportal.org together with project partner Dr. Volker Framenau. This project makes an important contribution to the documentation of the still undescribed fauna of Australia on the web.
In 2022, the project was introduced by the project partners at international conferences in Europe and Asia and presented to the professional audience.
Document
the unknown.
In the system, previously unknown species are deposited with data from museum reference specimens, described and digitally documented.
Systematic classification, diagnosis, collections, images, barcode data, etc. are stored in a database and made available to the scientific community for new descriptions.
Finding
the unknown.
Extensive dynamically generated filter functions for images enable a systematic, morphological, and geographical limitation of the life forms provided in the system.
Morphological filter categories are read out directly from the image properties and output individually adapted.
An individual map polygon search allows you to narrow down the desired distribution area. Thus, only those taxa are output that have actually been recorded in the area.
Existing collections can also be compared and classified with previously undescribed species documented in the system.
Differentiate
the unknown.
The geographical distribution of species is an important component of ecological and taxonomic questions. Based on the discovery reports available, a maximum possible distribution of species is dynamically displayed. These distribution areas can be visualised in an interactive map for several species. Thus closely related species can be geographically delimited from each other.
Data management.
The Fauna Portal is technologically based on the web enterprise CMS TYPO3, which is structurally ideal for the implementation of complex, extensive web applications.
Data enrichment in the system is done manually via role- and rights-based maintenance access by various project partners and via various automated imports via CSV, XML or REST API links. All data in the system can be exported and made available to other applications automatically.
The output of all taxon-related data is category-driven. Scientific projects of partners from industry and academia can be realised in an access-protected manner until publication, without having to store valuable data in advance in a way that can be found on the internet.
Info
Framenau, V. & Metzner, H. (2022): The Fauna Portal Australia - a web-based diagnostic platform documenting undescribed species. Online at www.faunaportal.org
You want to see more?
You have questions?
Contact us, we will be happy to help you.
Your contact person:
Dr. Heiko Metzner
Account Manager