Protonyms, References, and Assertions: An introduction to the Taxonomer data model
Pyle, Richard L. Database Coordinator for Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817, USA.I will describe portions of the data model called “Taxonomer,” that I developed to manage both taxonomic names and taxonomic concepts. The core entities of this model are Agents,References, and Assertions (along with their associated Protonyms). Agents (people and organizations) in this context refer primarily to taxonomic authorities. References are broadly defined as date-stamped and documented information (usually in the form of a publication), according to the Agents who serve as the Reference authors. Assertions consist of basic elemental information about the treatment of taxonomic names by taxonomic authorities as documented in a particular place and time, via References. Protonyms are a special subset (subtype) of Assertions, which constitute original descriptions of taxonomic names. All Assertions are anchored to a Protonym, such that Protonyms represent the taxonomic “name”, and Assertions represent the abstract taxonomic concept implied by the specific treatment of a name by authors of the corresponding Reference. The primary data content used to populate and test the data model derives from various sources, including museum specimen databases, research projects, published checklists, and comprehensive taxonomic listings and authorities. A detailed description of the taxonomic components of this model are available at: www.phyloinformatics.org/pdf/1.pdf