Digital automated identification system

Watson A.T., O Neill, M.A. and Kitching I.J. (2003) A qualitative study investigating automated identification of living macrolepidoptera using the digital automated identification system (DAISY). Systematics and Biodiversity, 1 287-300. 

Has automated taxonomy become outmoded The results presented in the present volume gainsay this question. The subject of automated identification in systematics is presented in several respects. The old numerical taxonomy is not moribund, just modified. The collection of papers does not, however, represent a homogeneous approach to automated systematics. hi fact one author exphcitly states that his results are not intended to be construed as a contribution to automatized systematics in a taxonomical sense. An aspect that could well be united with this work concerns the problem of the expression of shapes in morphometries, which, of course, in itself is not a candidate for automatically performed identification of taxa. Several of the contributions lie within the sphere of computer-based technology and will not be as readily accessible to the average taxonomist. The results presented on digital automated identification systems impress in that they scan to have been, in a few cases, well tried and tested on real, largely entomological problems. Work on the automated taxonomy of bee species has produced problems of interest to the taxonomic specialist. 

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