Sunday, July 26, 2009

encyclopedia of life

Preparing Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) will be a tall order.

New Delhi, July 26, 2009: It is a tall order indeed. But when The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) will be completed it will be among the most comprehensive encyclopedia on one of the more intricate topics. The topic is as big as the earth itself and so every detail about every species under the sun will be compiled.

And to top it all every information that the project collects will be made available on the internet.
The EOL staff is made up of scientists and non-scientists working from museums and research institutions around the world.

It is an ambitious, even audacious project to organize and make available via the Internet virtually all information about life present on Earth. At its heart lies a series of Web sites—one for each of the approximately 1.8 million known species—that provide the entry points to this vast array of knowledge. The entry-point for each site is a species page suitable for the general public, but with several linked pages aimed at more specialized users. The sites sparkle with text and images that are enticing to everyone, as well as providing deep links to specific data.

The EOL dynamically synthesizes biodiversity knowledge about all known species, including their taxonomy, geographic distribution, collections, genetics, evolutionary history, morphology, behavior, ecological relationships, and importance for human well being, and distribute this information through the Internet. It serves as a primary resource for a wide audience that includes scientists, natural resource managers, conservationists, teachers, and students around the world. We believe that the EOL's encompassing scope and innovation will have a major global impact in facilitating biodiversity research, conservation, and education.


It will be a is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.8 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing databases and from contributions by experts and non-experts throughout the world.

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