What is ID Source?
An image of Diuncus duodecimspinatus from the ID Aid, "Xyleborini Ambrosia Beetles - An Identification Tool to the World Genera."
ID Source is a special collection of over 1,500 identification-themed websites that cover plant pests, diseases, and weeds, a set of links to these "
ID Aids" and a powerful search tool. These web-based
ID Aids are selected, thoroughly reviewed and categorized so that users can search for them by pest name, commodity focus, geographic region, and more.
ID Source's ID Aids are a diverse and ever-changing group whose identification content may be, for example, a gallery of images, a collection of fact sheets, or an identification key. Many of the tools within
ID Aids can be used for recognition, verification, and screening, in addition to identification.
ID Source was designed to grow through user participation by offering easy ways to suggest
ID Aids, rate
ID Aids and provide feedback. User participation is central to the vision of
ID Source; the more users contribute, the more valuable
ID Source will become for the entire user community.
See
My ID Source to learn about
ID Source's vision for future interactive features.
Why was ID Source Created?
Within the vast collection that is the World Wide Web we find scientists such as taxonomists increasingly publishing content.
This means new sites containing tools for identification of plant pest organisms and diseases are continually being released.
Because finding the trustworthy and valuable of these websites can be a frustrating and often fruitless challenge, ID Source was conceived as a
gateway into this identification-themed subset of the web by helping in two major ways: ID Source users are saved from having to search the entire
Internet because they search only on a selected collection of sites, and ID Source's ID Aids are vetted for quality and relevant content.
Users can thus search in meaningful ways through a set of worthwhile ID Aid websites.
By helping people quickly and efficiently get to the identification help they need, ID Source supports the protection of U.S. agriculture
and natural resources from the entry and spread of invasive plant pest organisms.
Target Users
ID Source was created to serve individuals involved in plant protection nationally – in federal, state and local governments and in
non-governmental organizations. Further, as the danger of pest introductions via global trade increases, ID Source can also assist
plant regulatory officials in other countries.
Developers
This web resource is produced through USDA's Center for Plant Health Science and Technology Identification Technology Program (CPHST ITP),
within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), in cooperation with Colorado State
University's Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory (CSU NREL) and Psychology Department.
Development Ongoing
The ID Source team is constantly improving the site's functionality to ensure users experience it as a valuable and up-to-date plant protection
destination. And ID Source's collection of ID Aids is far from static, as the development team regularly adds ID Aids and the collection is
designed to be continually honed and expanded many-fold through suggestions from its users.
Searching for ID Aids
At the core of ID Source is its ID Aid search. There are two main ways to search for ID Aids:
- A search box where users can enter text (called "Text Search"). ID Source finds the user's text string in ID Aid textual data
(such as ID Aid Titles, URLs, authors, etc.) as well as in scientific and common names located in the actual pages of ID Aid websites,
and
- Seven filtering options where users choose values: "Organism," "Taxa Covered," "Region," "Contents," "Commodity,"
"Key Program," and "Information Type."
Following a user using one or both of these search methods, ID Source then returns a set of ID Aids matching the search parameters chosen.
Together, these two search options offer users a powerful way to find the identification help they need. Visit How to Use for more help and
information about searching for ID Aids.
