FRIDA 3.0 Multi-authored digital identification keys in the Web

FRIDA (FRiendly IDentificAtion) is a software for generating different types of digital identification keys starting from a database of characters. Its first release dates back to 2003. Since the first version, FRIDA was constantly developed to improve its core functions, and to add new features. At the beginning of 2010 it was decided to develop a new version, 3.0, written in PHP language for MySQL engines. The new version will have new and enhanced features, as well as the possibility to interact with other software developed in the framework of the European project KeyToNature. The development is currently in the beta-testing phase, and the final release is planned for the beginning of 2011

Towards a digital key to the lichens of Italy

AbstractWork is in progress for the completion of a computer-aided key to all lichens known to occur in Italy, which will be freely available online, and as a free application for mobile devices. A first example, concerning the lichens of Northern Italy (2.339 infrageneric taxa), is already available online for testing. A computer-generated but manually edited dichotomous key is invoked for all species previously filtered via a multi-entry interface, where several selected characters can be specified in a single step. To optimize the two query interfaces, two different datasets are used, one for the dichotomous, the other for the multi-entry interface

STRUMENTI PER LA IDENTIFICAZIONE INTERATTIVA DELLE PIANTE D'ITALIA

2003/2004XVII Ciclo1969Versione digitalizzata della tesi di dottorato cartacea

Lichens and air quality: a new citizen science approach

Citizen science has been widely adopted in monitoring air quality by indexes of lichen diversity. Since the identification of lichens is challenging, volunteers are often involved in adopting simplified sampling protocols, which require identification at a higher level than the species, or the use of morpho-types, or colors. In Italy, a simple citizen science protocol for monitoring air quality with lichens by involving schools has been successfully tested, and will be replicated at the national level

JellyWeb: an interactive information system on Scyphozoa, Cubozoa and Staurozoa

Identification of organisms is traditionally based on the use of “classic” identification keys, normally printed on paper. These keys have several drawbacks: they are mainly based on the systematics, requiring identification of orders, families and genera at first; they are written by experts for other experts, in a specific scientific jargon; they have a “frozen” structure (sequence of theses/antitheses); once published, they cannot be changed or updated without printing a new edition. Due to the use of computers, it is now possible to build new digital identification tools, which: 1) can be produced automatically, if the characters are stored in a database; 2) can be freed from the traditional systematics, giving priority to easy-to-observe characters, incl. those usually uncommon to the classical keys, such as ecology and distribution; 3) can be updated in real time once published on-line; 4) can be available on different media, and on mobile devices. An important feature of these new digital tools is their “collaborative” nature. They can be enriched by the contribution of several researchers, which can cooperate while maintaining rights and property of the resources and data they contribute to the system. JellyWeb, the information system on Scyphozoa, Cubozoa and Staurozoa has been developed in Trieste since 2010. The system was created with the aim of – potentially – becoming a starting point for a wide collaborative effort in developing a user-friendly worldwide digital identification system for jellyfishes

Types of identification keys

A number of terms related to identification tools are introduced and the advantages of selected types of identification keys are compared

An integrated system for producing user-specific keys on demand: an application to Italian lichens

The identification of lichens is important in several applied fields, such as the biological monitoring of air pollution and the restoration of openair stone monuments. This often creates relevant problems for non-specialists and technicians which are in charge of routinely applying lichen monitoring techniques. The coupling of a complex information system (ITALIC), together with a new software which can automatically produce identification keys for any subset of species included in a database (FRIDA), is an innovative approach in the field of identifying biodiversity. ITALIC is able to produce a list of species which potentially occur under a set of ecological and distributional conditions specified by the user. The list is automatically transferred to FRIDA, which generates a user-oriented interactive identification key limited to the species present in the “virtual habitat” created by the user. The new system has relevant applications, since it effectively supports the technical personnel of Environmental Agencies, Nature Parks, Cultural Heritage Conservation Agencies involved in lichen monitoring throughout the Country

Guida alla flora delle Alpi Carniche meridionali (Ampezzo - Sauris)

This book is a guide to the vascular plants occurring in the sector of the southern Carnic Alps (NE Italy) that stretches from Ampezzo to Sauris (Province of Udine), plus the adjoining area in the Province of Belluno which includes M. Bivera, M. Tiarfin and the subalpine meadows around Casera Razzo (1244 infrageneric taxa). The general introduction is followed by an original dichotomous key produced using software FRIDA, illustrated by photographs and ecological-biogeographical notes for all species. The appendix contains some elementary notions of Botany and an index of the scientific names associated with those of the respective families.Il volume è una guida alle piante vascolari sinora note per il settore delle Alpi Carniche meridionali che si estende da Ampezzo alla Conca di Sauris (UD), comprendendo anche un’area in provincia di Belluno che include il M. Bivera, il M. Tiarfin e i pascoli subalpini nei dintorni di Casera Razzo (1244 tra specie e sottospecie). L’introduzione generale è seguita da una chiave dicotomica originale, prodotta utilizzando il programma FRIDA, illustrata da fotografie e note ecologico-biogeografiche per tutte le specie. L’appendice contiene alcune nozioni di botanica elementare e l’indice dei nomi scientifici delle piante associati a quelli delle rispettive famiglie

Aggregation of Italian Lichen Data in ITALIC 7.0

The creation of a coordinated publishing and aggregation system of biodiversity data is a challenging task, which calls for the adoption of open data standards. ITALIC, the information system on Italian lichens, originated from the conversion of the first Italian checklist into a database. While the first version was “frozen”, the present version is continuously updated and provides access to several other data sources and services, such as ecological indicator values, ecological notes and information, traits, images, digital identification keys, etc. The identification keys especially are an ongoing work that will lead to a complete national flora by 2026. Last year, new services were added, one for aligning lists of names with the national checklist, the other for aggregating occurrence data deriving from the digitization of 13 Italian herbaria, forming a total of ca. 88,000 records, which are distributed under a CC BY license and can be exported as CSV files in the Darwin Core format. An aggregator for lichen data will encourage the national community of lichenologists to produce and aggregate further data sets, and it will stimulate data reuse according to the paradigms of open science