Features
Coral ID comprises three main sections, each of which are interlinked.
At its core (shown in red on the Site Map) is Lucid™ (a program developed by the University of Queensland, Australia) which contains the key's database. This is the principal engine driving the key, where the user can view and select the features of the sample to be identified, where the taxa are listed and gradually discarded, and where powerful analysis tools can be accessed to assist in the identification and discrimination of species.
Taxonomic information (shown in green on the Site Map) is provided at Family, Genus and Species levels and can be accessed either from the list of taxa in the key's main window or from the general information (see below). Individual pages for each species describe its characteristics, variation, abundance, habitats, colour and global distribution. Taxon pages are illustrated with colour and black-and-white photographs, as well as, in many cases, drawings and diagrams.
General information (shown in yellow on the Site Map) can be accessed from the key's Main window (from the (i) button in the Main window's task bar) or from the Species pages and State Information pages. The contents of the general information are listed in the headings and drop-down menus at the top of this page.
In addition there are many additional links and pages of information or images (shown in black and white on the Site Map), which augment other sections. The principal of these are the State Information pages which explain and illustrate in great detail, the scope of each of the states.
Although many users will find the general information in Coral ID of interest, the core of the program is the interactive random-access key which, through a series of questions, leads the user to a taxonomic diagnosis. This diagnosis can then be confirmed or rejected by examining the relevant Species page(s). Most printed (dichotomous) keys, including those in Corals of the World (Veron, 2000), follow a set path through a series of decision pairs where the answer leads to further decision couplets in a set order. In a random access key, on the other hand, the topics can be answered in any order and there is no set pathway through the questions. A significant advantage of this approach over pathway keys is that you, the user, are less likely to get stuck - if you do not know the answer to a question you can simply move on to the next one.