What is SALVIAS?

SALVIAS is:

A web-based utility for compiling data on diverse aspects of plant organismal biology, including taxonomy, demography, phenology, and biogeography.
Global in scope (but coverage is currently strongly biased toward the Central and South American tropics)
A source of the following types of data (view current SALVIAS holdings):

local plant inventories
tree plots, vegetation cover plots, local species lists
compiled into a single, standardized database

herbarium specimens

samples of individual plants from herbarium databases worldwide
includes complete collection information and geocoordinates, when available

plant nomenclature

parsing and correction of orthographic errors
matching of names to world lists of plant names (currently Tropicos, Index Kewensis, Gray Card Index, and Australian Plant Names Index)
compilation of lists of names linked to a given name submitted (including, but not limited to, synonyms and basionyms)

SALVIAS is not:

a mapping utility (yet...see plans for mapping capability under SALVIAS Phase II)
a tool for analysis (we provide the data, you analyze it)

SALVIAS's purpose is to provide access to large amounts of data with as wide a geographic coverage as possible. To combine data from different sources, we must perform some limited standardization--principally, of taxonomic fields and geocoordinates. However, we do not summarize data, nor do we provide tools for analysis. How data obtained from SALVIAS are used is up to each individual SALVIAS user.

SALVIAS provides:

single-source searching of multiple databases through a mixture of web-based distributed queries, direct server links, local caching, and standardization of the information returned
the ability to search for information for lists of species--not just single names
the ability to search for all specimen data for any name linked to the original name submitted. Currently, it is the user's reponsibility to determined whether a specimen returned under a different name represents the same species (i.e., is either a taxonomic or nomenclatural synonym) or represents a separate species. In the future, we plan to implement adjudication of synonymy via regional checklists. For more information, see SALVIAS Phase II.
online and downloadable tools for correction and standardization of spelling of plant species names ( TaxonScrubber)
online tools for correction, standardization, and estimation of geocoordinates from herbarium specimen records (GeoScrubber, currently part of the SpecDQ distributed query online specimen search utility)
fully delimited downloads of data (plots, inventories, specimens, species lists)
a repository where members may store and access their inventory data
a network for exchange and sharing of information among multiple researchers and institutions
direct control of access to plot data by the data owner

SALVIAS does not provide:

summaries of data (just the raw data)
tools for statistical analysis of data (analysis is the responsibility of the user)
maps (yet...see SALVIAS Phase II)
resolution of synonymy (yet...see SALVIAS Phase II)
control of access to herbarium specimen data (yet...see SALVIAS Phase II)
On-line editing and revision of plot data by data owner (yet...see SALVIAS Phase II)

SALVIAS Phase II

Over the coming year, we will be adding additional features to SALVIAS. In approximate order of projected completion (sooner to later) these include:

Security layer for specimen data

Data provider, typically herbarium database administrator, will be able to set general and specific access conditions for herbarium specimens
General access conditions: similar to plot access controls currently in place (from fully hidden to fully public, with option to permit access by individual SALVIAS users)
Specific access conditions: hide certain fields (such as locality information or geocorrdinates) based on conditions in other fields (such as taxonomic groups)
One purpose of providing specific access controls is to enable herbarium database administrators to prevent access to locality information for species deemed to be at risk from over-collecting.

Adjudication of synonymy

In addition to providing a list of all names "linked" to a given name submitted, SALVIAS will flag each names as accepted or not accepted, and provide a link to the accepted name
This will be done by mapping regional, synonymized checklist onto lists of names returned
In it's intital phase, we will focus on applying the USDA list of names of plants of United States and Canada. Other regional checklists will be added as they become availabe...and as we find them

Mapping

species occurences in specimens and inventories

Searching by geographic coordinates, rather than just species

Example: give me a list of all the specimens found within the following region/range of lat-long/area polygon

On-line revision of plot data by data owner

Download an introductory Powerpoint presentation on SALVIAS (17 MB):