Means obtained from the computer technology make possible to use polytomous multy-entry keys, which essentially change identification procedure as in workmanlike manner (it can be used not all, but a part of diagnostic characters and in any combination), as quantitatively (the time, which is spent with usage of traditional keys, is shortened). Besides, such keys make also possible to identify animals according to separate organs or when some organs with important diagnostic characters are missing. It is supposed that the software under elaboration will be based not upon an algorithm of reduction of character set, but upon converting a probability of attribution to each of taxa accumulated during the steps of the ÓimageÔ of a specimen under identification passed. Such an approach offers to get a more precise identification even in case of customer error in selection of part of characters. It is intended to elaborate a fundamentally new algorithm of selection of characters at each step of identification. Creation of such resources will essentially raise the efficacy of work of many biologists to identify biological material, particularly in the regions distant from libraries and museums. Specialists in applied fields of biology will be able to identify materials on species of economical value with usage of the modern technology and in many cases without sending material to central scientific institutions to compare with the specimens in collection.
The software elaborated for identification should give to a customer most favorable conditions for selection of a character (not in a standard order, but in way of rediction of their diagnostic meaning Ö mathematical estimation of a potential possibility to divide available set of taxa into minimal smaller sets; as a most optimal approximation the value of characters should be complex, i.e. optimizing length of identification way and reliability of diagnosis as well as at the same time optimizing these operation factors for the most usual taxa). To reach a correct understanding of characters it is planned to lay emphasis not on desctriptions, but on explicative drawings and pictures. As an additional facility a possibility of plural selection (indication of some conditions in case of absence of assurance in selection of one of them) and special marks for the conditions, which are absent in the current set, will be accessible. An approach, in which the set of taxa is not reduced, will be used and at each step the probabilities of attribution to each of taxa accumulated during the steps of the ÓimageÔ of a specimen under identification passed, will be applied. After each step the customer will be able to get know the result without additional operations Ö to see a number of the rest taxa in a reduced set or a list of taxa correspondent to applied characters and to get a possibility to look through the imagines of these taxa. It will be provided also a possibility to see not all taxa, but only the taxa with a certain level of probability. If a mistake of customer is recovered in the passed characters, the software should provide also a possibility of return to one or some steps back to correct this mistake. After completing identification procedure the customer can obtain a maximal set of data on the taxon, obviously including additional diagnostic characters and drawings/pictures (general view and separate structures) to check the result. Key recently appeared and used possibilities offered by Internet are of particular interest. Mono-entry keys based on means of hypertext are easy to elaborate. Even with usage of minimal set of tags of HTML language it is possible to compose a key quite suit and efficient. Usage of Java-scripts and applets give a possibility to add in this key some very useful abilities. Unfortunately, there were only few attempts of elaboration in Internet multi-entry keys, working with standard databases, for example through the interface of CGI or ODBC. However, a quick development of instrumental means of the long-haul network of Internet makes new possibilities for creation of interface of multi-entry keys which essentially raise efficacy of diagnostics.
A.G. Kirejtshuk
A.L. Lobanov
O.N. Granichin
2005 December.