Data Integration and Interoperability for Biodiversity

Present distributed systems consist of loosely coupled fully autonomous databases on
which only distributed search and retrieval of data is possible. This may develop into
distributed database systems: a set of databases on multiple computers that appear to
applications as one single database. An application may simultaneously access and
modify the data in several databases in the network. Architectures for distributed systems
in biodiversity are implemented or developed in the GBIF network, BioCASE, MaNIS,
OBIS, and BioMOBY.
All current systems consider the autonomy of the data sources vitally important, but the
autonomy of data receivers (end users) has lower priority. Data receivers have different
information needs and domains of interest. For them a ¿one integrated schema fits all¿ is
not satisfactory. End users often have little need for `raw data¿ but need interpretations
from calculated results based on raw data.
Most current networks use a common schema like ABCD or Darwin Core. Less often
implemented is standardization of data itself, and duplicate elimination and missing value
substitution. This leaves us with data heterogeneity and thus interoperability problems.
Therefore, in biodiversity development is towards webservices.
Webservices seem a good solution to achieve interoperability. Being application-centric,
webservices are: scalable, language and system independent, and easier to establish than
for instance a GRID network. A new level of interoperability will provide seamless and
automatic connections between applications. SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI protocols define
a self-describing way to discover and call a method in a software application ¿ regardless
of location or platform.