Talk:Integrated Taxonomic Information System

message: : Note: please consider reviewing this talk page's history. I attempted to clean it up by signing unsigned comments and formatting the page, but I feel the page is still confusing and possibly misleading. I refrained from editing where I thought I might add to the confusion. --Iamunknown 17:14, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

message: : Note: unnamed is a reference to seglea's first post noting "An unnamed user [removing] some cautionary material..."
Far be it for anyone to trod on your comments.  These are your opinions and ones not necessarily held by others.  Yes, it is true that taxonomy is in flux and yes there are errors in the ITIS database.  However, it is up to the user to determine what is regarded as the final word.  ITIS does not “propose to be the final word”.  It is a working database of taxonomic information. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tmotommyo (talk • contribs) 05:10, 16 December 2005  (UTC)
:Exactly so, and for just this reason I have put the material back in, because it is a matter of fact and not of opinion - and those of us working on the taxonomic component of Wikipedia have had problems in the past with people not realising that you can't absolutely rely on sources like ITIS.
:To clarify, here is the material that has been popping in and out:
*"Biological taxonomy is not fixed, and opinions about the correct status of taxa at all levels, and their correct placement, are constantly revised as a result of new research." That is not an opinion, it is a historical fact; see the history of the taxonomy of any group you care to choose.
*"Many aspects of classification will always remain a matter of scientific judgement."  That is a judgement, but it is one that can safely be made, since all it does is assume that the future of taxonomy will be somewhat like its past.
*"The ITIS database is updated to take account of new research as it becomes available"  A fact, and easily established as one by consulting the ITIS web pages
*"...and the information it yields is likely to represent a fair consensus of modern taxonomic opinion"  A judgement, and not one that all Wikipedians share (some editors feel that ITIS tends to be very out of date; for example unless it has changed recently it doesn't always reflect the widely supported conclusions of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group for the flowering plants); but it represents my assessment of the many cases in which I have compared ITIS's information with other sources including the primary literature. 
*"Inevitably, however, its information cannot be final."  The logical consequence of the above.
*"Records within ITIS include information about how far it has been possible to check and verify them".  A fact, and one of ITIS's strengths.
*"Its information should be checked against other sources where these are available, and against the primary research scientific literature where possible."  A recommendation that any working scientist would make about any active research area.
:I am sorry to belabour these points, and I am not trying to devalue ITIS - I am reasonably sure that anyone who works within it would take the same view as I do.  There is a general problem that lay people regard taxonomy as much more fixed and absolute than it is, and in introducing sources of apparently diamond-hard data, we do need to point out how they are likely to be flawed.
:seglea 20:23, 16 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Unnamed but knowledgeable 

message: : Note: unnamed is a reference to seglea's first post noting "An unnamed user [removing] some cautionary material..."
As of Dec. 2005 there are over 500,000 names in ITIS (404,479 scientific - all ranks, 96,097 vanaculars). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 160.111.254.11 (talk • contribs) 12:05, 16 December 2005  (UTC)
: Ok with that.  I had misread the syntax and hadn't realised that the 500k included the vernacular.  seglea 20:08, 16 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Unnamed 

message: :Image:ITIS Logo2.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page.  Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 05:06, 6 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:ITIS Logo2.jpg

message: Is there anyone here who knows where the ITIS' headquarters are located today? I have filtered through their website in search of that information, but haven't struck gold...~ Tommy Kronkvist (talk) 07:05, 6 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  ITIS Headquarters? 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified  on Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070613064313/http://siit.conabio.gob.mx/ to http://siit.conabio.gob.mx
When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).
Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 23:44, 9 November 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 3 external links on Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20160606043808/http://www.itis.gov/index.html to http://www.itis.gov/index.html
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20160606043808/http://www.itis.gov/index.html to http://www.itis.gov/index.html
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20160606043808/http://www.itis.gov/index.html to http://www.itis.gov/index.html
When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.
Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 01:20, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified one external link on Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20160606043808/http://www.itis.gov/index.html to http://www.itis.gov/index.html
When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.
Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 15:42, 5 May 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified