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Help content:
General information
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Configure Javascript
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» Set preferences
You can set your preferred language, the default preview , and the information you would like to see on result pages.Check the boxes you are interested in, and save your preferences by clicking on 'Save preferences'.
Unit search
» Simple search
Fill the text area with the scientific name you are looking for. Use '*' for wildcard searching. For example, "dracunc*" will search for all units whose name begins with dracunc.
Then, click on the 'Search' button or press 'Enter'.
» Advanced search
You can fill in any of the following fields to assist in your query:
- Taxon name: a unit's taxonomic name
- Country: the country where a unit was observed or collected
- Collection ID: the ID of the collection
- Institution ID: the ID of the institution
- Genus: a unit's genus
- Family: a unit's family
- Higher taxon: a unit's higher taxon
- Common name: a unit's vernacular name (in English)
- Locality (observed or collected in): the locality where a unit was observed or collected
- Collector: the person who collected a unit
- Collection year: the year or a period on which a unit was collected
- Collector's number: the number assigned to unit by the collector or observer
- Field number: the number assigned to the gathering by the collector or observer
Separate multiple entries within a field with " OR ".
You can refine your search to a specific kind of record basis by checking the box 'Only records based on' and selecting a field.
You can refine your search to only those units having multimedia content by checking the box 'Multimedia'.
The list 'Sort results by' enables you to choose which data will be first displayed on the Preview page.
Important: You must enter at least one of the following fields: taxonName-commonName-family-genus-collector-locality-fieldNumber-collectorNumber-unitID.
Start your query with 'Search'
Results
The results are displayed in 3 main steps which make it possible to refine the query.» Preview
This page displays the results matching your query in terms of names.
In the scientific names column, you can extend your query for the selected names using the Thesaurus Service, by checking the boxes and clicking on 'Expanded search'.
You can refine your query: Click on one of the following buttons and wait for the list.
Please use select/deselect button.
- Higher Taxa: refine by higher taxa of interest
- Genus: refine by genus/genera of interest
- Family: refine by family of interest
- Common [Name]: refine by vernacular name of interest (English names only)
- Country: refine by countries of interest
- Collector: refine by persons who collected specimens
- Collection ID: refine by the ID of the collection (Full names of collections not yet available)
- Institution ID: refine by the ID of the institution (Full names of institutions not yet available)
- Basis [of Record]: refine by specimens or observation data (please note that many units are not specified)
Once you have refined your query, select the boxes you are interested in and click 'Get units'; you will be redirected to the Results page
Note: if your selection corresponds to more than 10 000 units, an alert will be displayed.
You will have to refine your query again in order to access the Results page. Nevertheless, you can download the data stored in our local database for these units.
» Results
This page displays the results matching your query in terms of units.
You can set the displayed columns (like collector, country, locality, record basis) under 'preferences'.
Check the boxes you are interested in, and save your preferences by clicking on 'Save preferences'.
To order each column by name, in ascending or descending order, click on the arrows
In order to see the details from the original providers for the units of your choice, check the boxes and click on 'See the details for the selected units'.
You can download the details by clicking on ' Download the details for the selected units'.
If you are only interested in one unit, just click on its name. You will be redirected to its full details.
If you download data from several units, this action can take a considerable amount of time.
Follow the instructions to continue the download. An anti-spam system is used to prevent abuse from bots - don't forget to write the image's content in the text area and click "Validate" to proceed.
» Details
This page displays the full details from the provider for the selected unit(s).
You can see/download the XML data from the original provider and /or download all data as Excel-file.
Note: if the provider is out of service, you will only get the details stored in our cache database; annotation and downloading will not be available. After your registration, you can annotate the current data.
Other services
» Thesaurus Service : the Expanded Search
The thesaurus-interface serves the following purposes:- 1.Retrieving a (list of) taxonomical concept(s) for a given search term
- 2.Retrieving a (list of) semantically related taxonomical concept(s) for a given search term
Semantic relations are :
- Contradiction
- Synonym
- Congruent
- IncludedIn
- Includes
- Overlapping
Then, for each concept, it searches for all semantically related concepts, for the 6 relations.
This list of concepts is handled as a list of taxonomic names : finally, it searches in our database all available data for this list.
Two kinds of search are available on the EDIT specimen and observation explorer for taxonomists: a simple search and an advanced search. The simple search makes it possible to search for units (collection and observational data) by entering a Latin name. The primary term used by the advanced search can be a scientific name, a vernacular name, a family, a genus, a collector name, a locality, a field number, a collector number or a unit ID (catalogue number). Both search types can be combined with a query extension.
- Step 1: search form
- Simple search: enter a name in the search field – for example Calendula aegyptiaca.
- Advanced search: enter one or more fields to search. If you would like to expand the search to related names and synonyms using thesauri, click on the binocular
- Click on the “Search” button.
icon.
Note: this option is also available in the second step. - Step 2
- Case 1: without query expansion
- A preview of the available units is displayed. If you would like to expand your query, select several scientific names (max. 10), then click on the “Expanded search” button. All pre-defined thesauri will be used for the expansion process.
- Case 2: with query expansion
- A list of concepts returned by the thesauri is displayed. You can browse the list, choose the related names and synonyms you are interested in, and then click on the “Search!” button. You will be redirected to the preview page, where your query will have been expanded with the terms you selected.
- Refine your query by selecting/deselecting items in the different tabs (collection, country, basis of record...), then click on the “Get units” button. Note: if your search returns more than 10.000 units, you will have to add a filter to your search to refine it.
- Case 1: without query expansion
- Step 3
- A multi-paged table containing single units is displayed. You can change your preferences to see more detail columns. Clicking on a scientific name shows the original provider record. You can also select several units at once then click on the “See details for the selected units” link.