[Taxacom] Goodbye NBII web site January 15

[stinger at stingersplace.com]

I'd just like to point out that a careful reading of the FAQ that  
Geoff references (applicable text quoted below) clarifies the position  
of ITIS.

"What will happen with related USGS Biological Informatics Programs  
such as the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), USGS Gap  
Analysis Program (GAP), and USGS/NPS Vegetation Mapping Program?

The former USGS Biological Informatics Program (now part of the USGS  
Core Science Analysis and Synthesis Program) is the parent program to  
the NBII, ITIS, GAP, and the Vegetation Mapping Program. While the  
NBII Program has been terminated and its funding eliminated, ITIS,  
GAP, and the Vegetation Mapping Program remain funded activities and  
will continue to provide high quality data, services, and  
cyberinfrastructure to collaborators and users."

Gerald "Stinger" Guala, Ph.D.
Branch Chief, Eco-Science Synthesis
Director of the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
Core Science Analytics and Synthesis
Core Science Systems
U.S. Geological Survey
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 302
Reston, VA  20192
Fax: 703 648-4224
Mobile: 703 927-0429
USGS Office: 703 648-4311
Smithsonian Office: 202 633-0180
Mobile is preferred for voicemail.




> Message: 4
> Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2012 13:04:28 +1300 (NZDT)
> From: "Geoff Read" <gread at actrix.gen.nz>
> Subject: [Taxacom] Goodbye NBII web site January 15
> To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> Message-ID:
>        <a5c64da96f6e89e16697867b31165ffd.squirrel at my.actrix.co.nz>
> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1

> Greetings,

> A situation probably better known to USA members, but both of interest and
> less familiar to the rest of us. With one week to go before the USA
> National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) public face
> disappears, and associated web utilities such as the taxonomy database
> ITIS disperse elsewhere, and may or may not be harder to find and less
> well maintained, now might be a good time to read the FAQ sketching out
> what supposedly will happen.

> http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt/community/termination_of_nbii_program/2057/termination_faqs/7650

> In FY2010, the NBII budget was $7 million, and now is zero in FY2012.

> Geoff

--
> Geoffrey B. Read, Ph.D.
> Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
> gread at actrix.gen.nz