The Saproxylic Database

The basic idea of the Wood decomposer database is that experts on wood-inhabiting species share information with each other for mutual benefit, and that they release the information in public domain to improve the availability of information about these species.

Published information

Information that is previously published in public domain (through journal publications, books, “grey” reports accessible through Internet, etc.) becomes incorporated in the database as a citation. A reference to the information source is always linked to information that is entered in the database. This citation fill follow the information to the users. Thus, when a person is using this information in a subsequent piece of work, he or she should refer to the original publication. The author(s) cannot assign licence terms (see below) to previously published information.

Previously unpublished information

When information is transferred to the Wood decomposer database, there are two things that happen: 1) the copyright to the information is shared with the Wood decomposer database and the Nordic saproxylic network, 2) the information becomes published in public domain. The copyright can not be withdrawn later.

It can be scary to share high quality information in this way, especially when the data can be used for making new publications and this possibility becomes open to anybody. Thus, researchers and others that have established primary data sets are encouraged to first produce their intended papers and subsequently transfer the data to the database. If the transferred information is much richer in detail than the publications, or no publications have been made, the data provider can assign a licence to the data, see “Terms and conditions for use (set by data provider)”. In this way, one can upload high quality data and send the signal that one shall be consulted by others concerning a potential co-authorship of publications using the data.

Terms and conditions for use (set by data provider)

Data providers can assign licences to previously unpublished data. Here one can set the conditions like:
- If the data become part of a material that is analysed for a scientific publication, the user shall consult the data provider concerning the possibility of a potential co-authorship (subsequently the user and data provider need themselves to come to an agreement about co-authorship and use or not).
- If the data is used in a publication, the data provider should be mentioned in the acknowledgements or be cited in the reference list of the publication.
- Duration of the licence (no licences will be allowed to last infinitely; probably a maximum of 5-10 years can be selected).

Data providers can choose between pre-defined licences. They can also downgrade licences they have assigned to their own data. Data providers can not design licences themselves.

When a user accept a licence and download the information, the data provider is automatically informed through an e-mail message from the database (saying which data that is downloaded, at which time and by which user).

The licence system is planned to be developed and implemented in autumn 2007.