Marine Taxonomy Workshop, a workshop on biodiversity informatics
for marine species taxonomic experts

The Flanders Marine Institute - Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ) is happy to host the Marine Taxonomy Workshop in the premises of the IOC Project Office for IODE, Oostende from 20-21 June 2008. VLIZ hosts and maintains the database of the World Register of Marine Species.

We have made great progress with the World and European Registers of Marine Species, and related activities by using side-meetings at other events and email. To create more momentum we need to more closely involve and energise the people who should be involved. A face-to-face meeting between the editors and data management team is thus planned for 20-21st June 2008 at VLIZ.

This workshop is for the taxonomic experts who validate marine species names and information in online databases. Their efforts are enabling the availability of authoritative quality controlled information on marine species names and associated information that contribute to MarBEF, EDIT, PESI, WoRMS, GBIF, OBIS and ITIS&Species2000 Catalogue of Life.

The workshop outcomes will include:

• increased enthusiasm and know-how amongst taxonomic experts as to online publication processes and benefits
• deadlines for progress on WoRMS, interoperability and our initiatives
• Multi-author paper on known and knowable marine species started

It may also include side meetings of major-taxon editors on 19th June 2008.

Workshop organising committee

Mark Costello, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Ward Appeltans, Flanders Marine Institute, Belgium
Geoff Boxshall, The Natural History Museum, UK
Edward Vanden Berghe, Rutgers University; Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, USA