Volume V

Issue : 10: May 17, 2007

• Online Encyclopedia of Life Set to Launch
• Washington State Bans Text Messaging While Driving
• Kansas Tax Authority Asserts Jurisdiction over Internet Sales
• Barack Obama Campaign Wins Control of His MySpace Page
• German District Court Holds Internet Forum Operator Liable for Comments Posted by User
• Amazon and IBM Settle Patent Disputes with Cross License Agreement
• Stakes Raised in YouTube Legal Battles

Home > Volume V > Issue 10: May 17, 2007 > Online Encyclopedia of Life Set to Launch

Online Encyclopedia of Life Set to Launch

An ambitious online project known as the “Encyclopedia of Life” is about to launch. Scientists from around the world intend to compile information about all of Earth’s known species (1.8 million of them) and put it on one publicly-available website. The information in the Encyclopedia will include species descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and links to genomes and scientific papers.

The Encyclopedia is meant to be used by people with all levels of expertise, from children in kindergarten to scientific researchers. It will also allow different types of participation; amateurs will be able to add information about sightings in one portion of the Encyclopedia, while key details and more scientific portions will be compiled and reviewed by experts.

Obviously a massive undertaking, the project is expected to take 10 years to complete.

For additional information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/35wzhh