Annotation feedback
Recently, a number of GitHub issues related to annotations have been opened and discussed:
- Update en strings for controlled terms (annotations) & definitions #4046
- Update taxon page charts with new controlled terms (annotations) #4047
- Add keyboard shortcuts for new controlled terms (annotations) #4049
I wanted to take this opportunity to provide some feedback to the designers and developers without disrupting the GitHub issues. Hence this journal article.
Background: A group of us initiated and discussed a Proposal to replace the Plant Phenology annotation last November (2023). The proposal was not brought to a wider audience since it was felt that we lacked consensus on one or two key issues. In any case, I think some good points were raised, and apparently now is the time to surface these ideas to the designers and developers.
Briefly, the proposal is to replace the Plant Phenology annotation with the following annotation:
Reproductive Structures
1. Flower bud: At least one closed flower bud is visible
2. Flower: At least one open flower is visible
3. Fruit: At least one fruit or seed is visible
4. No reproductive structures: No sexual reproductive structures (in whole or part) are visible
Instead of modifying the current Plant Phenology annotation, can we modify the proposed Reproductive Structures annotation?
Here are some (out-of-band) comments on the GitHub issues:
#4046: See above for recommended annotation name, values, and mouseover definitions
#4047: The annotation name (Reproductive Structures) should be independent of the chart title. Put another way, user interface issues on the taxon page should not drive the choice of annotation name, values, or mouseover definitions.
#4049: No comment
