DiSSCo Prepare Deliverable D5.5 - Construction plans for the improvement of technical infrastructure in the areas of geo-collection data and taxonomic services

Abstract

DiSSCo Prepare Deliverable D5.5 describes an analysis of DiSSCo requirements for interoperability with external taxonomic and geo-collections services and provides recommendations for technical and strategic approaches to building integrations during the construct phase of DiSSCo development. In earlier DiSSCo projects and work packages within the DiSSCo Prepare project, the integration of taxonomic checklists, represented by Catalogue of Life (COL) Checklist and the ChecklistBank infrastructure, into the DiSSCo architecture as a taxonomic backbone has been identified as a key requirement for users of DiSSCo services. Geo-collection data, represented in this review by GeoCASe, have also been highly underrepresented in terms of available services for data mobilisation and publication. During the task, conversations with the Earth Sciences community also identified Mindat as a key community resource for authoritative data about geological classifications and localities, and so that platform was added to the review scope of the task. Reviews of each platform were carried out through a combination of desk-based research, document review and direct input from developers and representatives of the platforms. In parallel, user requirements were extracted from earlier DiSSCo outputs, and technical requirements from architectural design and pilot activities carried out by the DiSSCo developer team. Further detail was added to the picture by running an event-storming workshop, which engaged wider members within the community to help to identify and prioritise those events in external systems that would need to be reflected in the data within the DiSSCo architecture. From these activities, it was possible to make a comparison between the technical capabilities and resource capacity of the reviewed platforms on one hand, and DiSSCo’s requirements and technical roadmap on the other. DiSSCo’s favoured technical model for sustainable interoperability with external services is based on the event publishing approach, originally proposed for integration with institutional collections management systems. An important message that emerged is that this would need investment and collaboration to achieve with GeoCASe and Catalogue of Life. Although both are enthusiastic about exploring further integration, GeoCASe is critically under-resourced, while Catalogue of Life would expect DiSSCo to partake in the joint investment of the sustainability and maintenance of its services, and key infrastructure called ChecklistBank that will be jointly governed by international biodiversity data initiatives and infrastructures. While there are more pragmatic approaches to integration that can be explored in the short term, further exploration of the longer-term relationships and opportunities for external investment form a key part of this report’s recommendations.