1) the possible match type values can be found as a java enumeration inside the NameUsageMatch class:

2) Name matching is only working against the GBIF backbone dataset. It will never return any other dataset.

If you use the verbatim=true parameter close alternatives are returned. This is regardless of the type of match.

3) Any name should be URL encoded when given as a query parameter. This is the standard way how values are encoded for HTTP GET parameters.

All programming languages provide a way to encode your string in such a way, but if you do manual calls you can use online encoding service like this one here:

For example the fake name "Abies Mûtlï & Döring” would be encoded like this:

On 10 Oct 2014, at 20:08, Daniele Palazzi <danicpalazzi@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello,

I'm development a tool for data quality and I'm using the GBIF API to validate scientific names.
I want to know if you have a documentation about the JSON response. I have any questions:
1- What the possibles values to matchType attribute?
2- When the result is exact, always return a single dataset? And when the result isn't exact, the attribute "alternatives" return the datasets that better matche with the search term?
3- What kind of URL I should use when the name query has space and special caracteres, for example, ().,& ?

Thank you,

--

<image005.jpg>
Daniele Palazzi Krempser
Especialista em Banco de Dados
Laboratório Nacional da Computação Científica
+55 24 2233-6183
+55 24 98822-4495
Skype: danicpalazzi
dpalazzi@lncc.br
www.sibbr.gov.br

_______________________________________________
API-users mailing list
API-users@lists.gbif.org
http://lists.gbif.org/mailman/listinfo/api-users