Database Tools for Biodiversity
We are now in the development and initial beta-testing phase of our two new database-driven analytical tools, TRANSECT and IDENTIFY. TRANSECT is a comprehensive field-methodology that includes tools to develop a biological inventorying and monitoring project from beginning to end, all centered around a database-driven analysis. The database allows users to automatically generate diversity statistics based on specified temporal and spatial scales.
IDENTIFY uses standard diagnostic traits for reptiles and amphibians to develop a database of known specimens. This database of known individual animals is then used to compare unknown specimens to. Once a database has been developed, one may simply plug in morphological characters from an unidentified specimen, such as shape of toe pads or scale row counts, and a best match is automatically produced.
The basic databases and a complete manual have been produced, and we are now working on the automation process. We expect to have a full beta version of the database later in 2008.
Here are some screenshots from both TRANSECT and IDENTIFY (click for full sized versions):
