Adorian Ardelean
Adorian Ardelean
administrator, references editor, taxonomist, ani cvr, developer

kladOS

10 February, 2016
mybiOSis kladOS BDS blog KS blog RORS blog

The database of mybiosis.info is populated and queried via an 100% online environment called mybiOSis toolkit. The toolkit user interface (UI) philosophy is to keep participants in a familiar area by emulating the feeling of a desktop environment. Although the windows/applications loaded in this environment follow general rules in terms of organization, mybiOSis toolkit is nothing like a regular website: it does not have a rigid structure/template that is seen in most portals/webpages. We choose this type of interface mainly because:
  • most of us use primarily a desktop/laptop OS like (Windows, Mac or Linux) and some UI features do not have to be explained extensively (windows, menus, task bars, desktop icon entities etc.).
  • it is flexible: this organization allows its members to shape/customize user environment so that it really becomes a familiar place (some customization functions are already provided, other will come). mybiOSis toolkit virtually aims for creation of an continuously evolving environment which shapes with the interest of person that uses it.
  • it is scalable: this type of UI is already proved extensible enough to incorporate an unlimited number of applications & functions.
  • it is integrative: it may accommodate various projects and types of users making it a perfect choice for reusing same resources in various context (no duplication of resources and no additional maintenance needed).

Although the software development initially focused primarily on recording occurrence observations & phenotypic information of taxa from members and scientific literature digitization, with time, other applications were developed for aiding identification of taxa (ID keys : dichotomous keys, visual keys etc.), producing maps, managing projects data, managing scientific literature, outreach of projects to classic web, mobile data collection etc. With UBA project the water quality assessment prototype tools were added. This array of applications may increase without restrictions with addition of new projects.

Particular for mybiOSis environment are its tools for interaction among members (activity by the minute, forum, Facebook integration like login/digital object dissemination etc.). These both assure cohesion among participants activities as well as a quality control of deposited digital objects. In a sense, mybiOSis toolkit interface has a structure that emulates portals for social interactions, but it integrates them within the realm of biodiversity and taxonomy tasks. This enhances the productivity of the project in general or of separate tasks in particular.

Some distinctive of new kladOS version are:
  • system memorizes applications left open and reloads them at revisiting the system.
  • system memorizes the preferences of a user for size and position of windows of an application; these two features allow a user to arrange applications on “desktop” and keep them in this setting indefinitely without need of additional browsing or resizing and drag& drop operations.
  • “Project views” are implemented as selections of applications with certain focus. When a user signs in the system, mybiOSis toolkit would load the applications specific to user interests (e.g. biodiversity monitoring, or water quality assessments etc.)