On 0, Ray Saintonge <saintonge(a)telus.net> scribbled:
Keith Old wrote:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/05/08/ap3699046.html
In a whale-sized project, the world's scientists plan to compile everything
they know about all of Earth's 1.8 million known species and put it all on
one Web site, open to everyone.
The effort, called the Encyclopedia of Life, will include species
descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and
links to entire genomes and scientific journal papers. Its first pages of
information will be shown Wednesday in Washington where the massive effort
is being announced by some of the world's leading institutions. The project
will take about 10 years to finish.
Two foundations have given $12.5 million to pay for the first 2 1/2 years of
the massive effort, but it will be free and accessible to everyone.
I know of one organization that could have done just as well or better
for a fraction of the price. :-)
Ec
That's actually a good question. Somone mentioned, I think, that Erik might know why
they aren't basing it off WikiSpecies (which I'd heard was remarkably
underappreciated and comprehensive).
If they don't have any specific ideological objections, I do hope they use
WikiSpecies's database - it always distresses me when I see things like Project
Gutenberg and WikiSource: they're doing such similar things, and even with the
duplication of work and other inefficiencies, they're already doing great work.
Imagine what they could do after they merged!
--
Gwern
Inquiring minds want to know.