CoP Appendix X - AnimInfo
Contents
AnimInfo is a module in the Interbull Data Exchange Area (IDEA) website. The purpose of AnimInfo is to collect reported information from National Genetic Evaluation Centres (NGECs) having access to IDEA and to use AnimInfo as an international exchange area for information on any animals that is present in the IDEA Pedigree module. AnimInfo does not verify or authorize such information. The responsibility of such verification rests with the NGECs and their relevant local/national herdbooks uploading the information. The type of additional information that can be registered in IDEA AnimInfo is decided by Interbull Service Users in collaboration with Interbull Centre.
All data existing within AnimInfo shall remain there and shall continue to be accessible for downloading by any authorised Service User. Data existing within AnimInfo can however be updated by the organisation who submitted the data if it is found to be incorrect.
General Structure
Each additional information recorded via AnimInfo is charaterized by a TYPE, an ATTRIBUTE and a VALUE.
TYPE: The type of information recorded, i.e. Breed Percentage, Genetic Traits etc.
ATTRIBUTE: The attributes holds the actual information of the relevant AnimInfo type, i.e. percentage, genetic codes, population etc.
VALUES: the value of each attribute for each animal. The value must conform to the specification of the attribute, which can be different from attribute to attribute; ranging from a free-form text string, to a set of predefined values, to a defined pattern the value must match.
The system allows different security levels for the information which means that for some AnimInfo information only the authorized organization may view and upload, for other information it is possible for some or all organizations to view and/or upload.
The type of additional information that will be registered in IDEA Animinfo is decided by member organizations in collaboration with Interbull Centre. Interbull Centre will have to register the type of additional information (i.e. coat color, herdbook number etc) in IDEA before member organizations can be able to upload the information via the IDEA Animinfo module. Therefore, member organizations are encouraged to send requests on new additional information types to Interbull Centre.
Quality Control on Uploaded Data in AnimInfo
The AnimInfo file format is an XML file format. For basic information on XML, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XML or XMLdigest. XML is a flexible system for complex data files and was choosen for AnimInfo in order to ensure easy future development and extension of the module's file format and capabilities, as well as a fitting format for the current data model. To assure that the format of the file is correct and that the information reported are in line with what the module can handle, the data is checked by a checking program developed at the Interbull Centre. The checking program will connect to the IDEA AnimInfo module and check that all the types, attributes and values of information are in line with what specified in AnimInfo. If invalid types, attributes and/or values are detected the program will terminate producing a list of the error detected. In case no problems are found, the program will proceed creating a zip file for uploading. Only information on animals included in the IDEA Pedigree module can be uploaded via AnimInfo.
Correct information depends on the supplier of the information. The Interbull Centre cannot check if the provided information is correct, but does identify information on conflicting information it receives.
Current Type of Information Available via AnimInfo
At the moment, AnimInfo is set up to receive the following additional information for a given animal:
BREED PERCENTAGE: Information about the percent of a breed in a given animal, currently only applied to define the percent of Holstein in Simmental animals.
GENETIC TRAIT: information on genetic traits according to the WHFF, currently only applied to the Holstein breed.
HOL RED TYPE: information to distinguish between B/W and Red Holstein, only applied to the Holstein breed.
Conflicting Information and Conflict Resolution
If conflicting information on a given type of information for the same animal is uploaded or is otherwise publicly available, the conflict needs to be resolved by the NGECs and, if applicable, by the third parties that provided the conflicting information. If they cannot resolve the conflict, they have to contact the bull owner and ask for assistance. Until the resolution of the conflicts both sets of data on the specific animal is disseminated. Following resolution, the correct information should be uploaded as soon as possible. In order to assist with the identification of such conflicts, the NGECs can receive a report from Interbull Centre including all conflicting information for a given type.