Abstract Detail

Teaching Section

Schulz, Katja [1], Hammock, Jennifer [1], Dewey, Tanya [1], Parr, Cynthia [1].

Encyclopedia of Life: Current Content Status and Plans for the Future.

Since its launch in February 2008 with 30,000 founding species pages, the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL, eol.org) has continuously expanded and enriched its content. On the EOL site, text and data from multiple sources are integrated and complemented by photographs, video, maps, etc. Expert curators ensure the quality of the core collection by authenticating materials submitted by diverse projects and individual contributors. Now in its fourth year, EOL has engaged well over one hundred data partners. Content is available for over 500,000 taxa, and more than 400,000 taxon pages feature materials that have been vetted by experts. Also, there are over one million taxon pages with links to literature, made available through the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). Using topical or taxon-focused themes, we seek to galvanize communities to achieve specific content development goals. In addition, we are working with international institutions to establish region-specific encyclopedias, which will serve materials in their own languages and share local content with the rest of the world through the EOL main site. We always seek new collaborators, and we are continually adapting our policies and practices to meet user needs. We are confident that our approach will scale to meet increasing demands for biodiversity information, and we hope that increased access to online knowledge about taxa and biological systems will transform the science of biology and the public's understanding of life on Earth.

Broader Impacts:

Related Links:
Encyclopedia of Life

1 - National Museum of Natural History, Encyclopedia of Life, 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20560, USA

Keywords:
Biodiversity
informatics
internet
Outreach
citizen science
instructional tools.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Khorassan Ballroom/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Monday, July 11th, 2011
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PTE008
Abstract ID:431