3I Interactive Keys and Taxonomic Databases

Dmitry A. Dmitriev

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Illinois Natural History Survey   University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 		Multi-entrance polytomous keys, with unlimited number of characters, character states, and taxa. After each step of identification the characters and states not relevant for further identification are removed from the list. Numeric characters are supported. Characters can be sorted in three ways: according to morphology, by rank (assigned by the author), or by separating power, recalculated after each step of identification. Key can handle taxa of different hierarchical levels (species, genera, tribes, etc.). The number of hierarchical levels is unlimited. Identification can be limited to certain hierarchical level. Characters can have hyperlinks to explanatory images. States can be selected by clicking on their images. Simple database search for names, geographic distribution, host plants, collector, etc., or for their combination in the advanced mode. Results of the search can be applied as a filter to an interactive key. Comparison of taxa based on illustrations. Data matrices can easily be converted and used for phylogenetic analysis. Phenetic tree generated on-line from the datamatrix. Description of the taxon, complete with synonymy, illustrations, bibliography, and the list of studied material is generated on the fly from the database. Distributional map with clickable dots generated automatically using geographical coordinates. Host associations can be displayed as bar charts. Interactive keys can easily be converted into dichotomous keys. 3I: Internet-Accessible Interactive Identification

3I (Internet-accessible Interactive Identification) is a set of software tools for creating on-line identification keys, taxonomic databases, and virtual taxonomic revisions. By organizing illustrations and nomenclatural, morphological, bibliographical, and distributional data into a single database 3I also facilitates production of traditional, printed taxonomic papers and monographs.

Development of the 3I program and work on interactive keys was supported by NSF-REVSYS grants DEB0315373, DEB050529679, and DEB0715499 and Hatch award ILLU-875-361.

On the Internet since July 9, 2003.
The author welcomes questions and comments.