Plazi: Taxonomic Literature and Biodiversity Informatics

Plazi: A Platform for Taxonomic Literature and Biodiversity Informatics

Taxonomic Literature

• Plazi is a digital platform that aggregates and provides access to taxonomic literature, including scientific articles, books, and other publications.
• The platform focuses on literature related to species descriptions, classifications, and distributions.
• Plazi's database contains over 200,000 taxonomic publications, with more than 10,000 new publications added annually.

Species Discovery

• Plazi facilitates species discovery by providing a comprehensive and searchable database of taxonomic literature.
• The platform allows researchers to identify and describe new species, as well as to rediscover previously described species.
• Plazi's data is used to update and refine species classification, which is essential for biodiversity conservation and management.

Species Classification

• Plazi is involved in the development of a unified species classification system, which aims to standardize and harmonize species classification across different databases and platforms.
• The platform uses a hierarchical classification system, with species grouped into higher taxonomic ranks (e.g., genera, families, orders).
• Plazi's classification system is based on expert opinions and is constantly updated as new research emerges.

Biodiversity Informatics

• Plazi is a key player in the field of biodiversity informatics, which aims to develop and apply computational methods and tools to analyze and manage biodiversity data.
• The platform uses natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to extract and analyze taxonomic data from literature.
• Plazi's data is integrated with other biodiversity datasets and platforms, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).