TITLE OF RESEARCH: TISBE: Taxonomic Information System for the BElgian continental shelf
Research done at:
Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ)
= Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
Vismijn Pakhuizen 45-52
B-8400 Oostende
Belgium
Phone: +32-(0)59-34.21.30 ---------- Fax: +32-(0)59-34.21.31
info@vliz.be
Research done at:
Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ)
= Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
Vismijn Pakhuizen 45-52
B-8400 Oostende
Belgium
Phone: +32-(0)59-34.21.30 ---------- Fax: +32-(0)59-34.21.31
ward.vandenberghe@vliz.be
Research done at:
Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ)
= Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
Vismijn Pakhuizen 45-52
B-8400 Oostende
Belgium
Phone: +32-(0)59-34.21.39 ---------- Fax: +32-(0)59-34.21.31
andre.cattrijsse@vliz.be
more information on this research:
One of the objectives of the Flanders Marine Institute (Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, VLIZ), and of the Flanders Marine Data- and Information Centre (VMDC), which is part of VLIZ, is to offer data and information to scientists, policy makers andthe interested layman. One of the databases under development is a species register for the Belgian coast and adjacent areas (including the Schelde estuary). The database will contain detailed taxonomic information, and information on the distribution within the area of interest. The Marine Species database for Eastern Africa (MASDEA), maintained by VLIZ and hosted on the VLIZ web site, served as a model while developing TISBE. An effort will be made to minimize duplication of other initiatives, both those within the VLIZ (eg the North Sea Benthos Survey project in collaboration with ICES), and those from other institutions (eg the databases developed at the University of Gent and the Dutch Centre for Estuarine and Coastal Ecology; the European Marine Species Registry). The TISBE database will be integrated in the other databases of VLIZ: literature, databases, experts and institutions will be taken from the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS), which is already available on the VLIZ web site.
The objective of TISBE is to become a comprehensive list of all records of species from the area. Links with the taxonomic literature and to the original publication of the distribution record will assist in tracing the history of records. By providing a synonymised list of species records, TISBE will be a tool to assess marine biodiversity and to monitor the species composition of the ecological communities along the Belgian coast.
At the time of writing, the structure of the database has been developed, and forms to allow data input are available. All families occurring in the area of interest have been entered. A web interface, again based on earlier experiences with MASDEA, will be available shortly.
