Mikrotax Introduction

mikrotax.org - a system for web-delivery of taxonomy

Introduction

The mikrotax.org website currently hosts two main databases - Nannotax and pforams@mikrotax sharing the same system but with separate identities. We are interested to collaborate in development of other web-databases using the system,, and are currently working on systems for depp-sea benthic foraminifera, Cenozoic radiolaria and for acritarchs.

Nannotax is a website which has been developed over several years, by Jeremy Young with Paul Bown, Richard Howe and Jackie Lees, in order to allow online documentation of the taxonomy of modern coccolithophores and calcareous nannofossils. To achieve this, and especially to make an interface that worked the way we wanted it to, we found we had to write a new web application (based on php, mySQL and Javascript). This has been a major project but it is suitable for application to other groups.

With the help of funding from the UK NERC we have now applied the same system to create the pforams@mikrotax website, this project is lead by Bridget Wade, Brian Huber, Paul Bown and Jeremy Young. The content is primarily based on the work of various planktonic foraminifera taxonomic working groups. As part of this project we have further developed the system so that site development can be entirely carried out via web-interfaces.

Acritax is our newest development, dealing with Acritarchs, a mostly Palaeozoic microplankton group. This website being developed by Brian Pedder assisted by Jeremy Young. It currently provides access to a colossal card index of data on acritarchs compiled by John Williams and it is intended to develop it as a broader database of information on Acritarchs.

Why mikrotax?

We liked the name microtax but the domain name had already been used by tax avoidance companies. By spelling it with a 'k' we made a unique name, which is very helpful for web searches. Also, mikro is the logical spelling in many languages.

Distinctive features of the mikrotax system

Highly browsable, image-based, user-interface, allowing meaningful exploration of the taxonomy and biodiversity of the groups, as well as retrieval of data on single taxa.
Parallel documentation of original taxonomic descriptions (important for groups in which taxonomy is still being actively researched).
Intelligent handling of geological time, via look-up tables (essential for dealing with the fossil record).
Integration with the Neptune, Triton and ForCenS databases of occurrence information.
Commitment to developing comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the groups included.
System designed to allow user-developers to work fast and efficiently.
Simple data structure based essentially on a table of data on the taxa plus a collection of identified images. Data can also readily be retrieved from the system in this format. There is significant additional complexity but the core data is maintained in a format which can easily be exported if migration to a different system become necessary.
Wide usage - the nannotax and pforams@mikrotax websites have become the prime online resources for these groups and we have hundreds of users per day, including students, industry professionals and academic specialists. This is transforming taxonomic training and consistency.
Sophisticated bibliography and PDF management, the sites aim to provide comprehensive bibliographies of the taxonomic literature on planktonic foraminifera and of a very wide range of nannoplankton and radiolarian literature, with PDF copies whenever this is possible.

Possible applications

The feature set of the system was designed for handling microfossil taxonomy, in which there is a rather large number of taxa with relatively limited amounts of data per taxon, where images are of central importance to practical use, and where statigraphic range data is of critical interest. It should be suitable for other groups with similar priorities. If you are interested in either helping with our current projects or developing new applications please contact Jeremy Young

People Behind the Project

As the mikrotax project has expanded it has become increasingly important to involve more people in oversight, governance and promotion. We now have the following executive and advisory boards, providing a wide range of expertise. The executive board has responsibility for oversight of the project as a whole, whilst the advisory boards assist with development and promotion of the planktonic foraminiferal and nannoplankton sites.

Executive Board

Haydon Bailey Network Stratigraphic, UK	Paul R. Bown University College London, UK	John Gregory Petrostrat, UK	Richard Howe Morgan Goodall Palaeo Pty Ltd, Australia
Brian Huber Smithsonian Institute, Washington, USA	David Lazarus Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany	Jackie Lees Consultant, Houston, USA	Bridget Wade University College London, UK
Jeremy R. Young University College London, UK

Advisory Board - Calcareous nannoplankton

	Claudia Agnini Università di Padova, Italy	Kevin Cooper RPS Group, UK	Tom Dunkley Jones University of Birmingham, UK	Liam Gallagher Network Stratigraphic, UK
Matt Hampton Network Stratigraphic, UK	Emanuela Mattioli Lyon University, France	Dave Rutledge Petrostrat, UK	Jamie Shamrock Exxon Mobil, Texas, USA	David Watkins University of Nebraska, USA

Advisory Board - Planktonic Foraminifera

	Tracy Aze University of Leeds UK	Heather Birch PalaeoVision Ltd., UK	Geert-Jan Brummer NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, NL	Robert Campbell Shell, Texas, USA
Kirsty Edgar University of Birmingham, UK	Isabel Fenton Natural History Museum, London, UK	Felix Gradstein Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway	Mark Leckie University of Massachusetts - Amherst, USA	Lizette Leon-Rodriguez Exxon Mobil, Texas, USA
Maria Rose Petrizzo Università di Milano, Italy	Chris Poole University College London, UK	Alessio Fabbrini University College London, UK	Silvia Spezzaferri Université de Fribourg, Switzerland