ABSTRACT
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................6 References ..........................................................................................................................................6
The automated identification of biological objects (individuals) and/or groups (e.g. species, guilds, characters) has been a dream among systematists for centuries. The goal of some of the first multivariate biometric methods was to address the perennial problem of group discrimination and intergroup characterization (e.g. Fisher, 1936). However, despite much optimism and preliminary work in the 1950s and 1960s, progress in designing and implementing practical systems for fully automated taxon identification proved frustratingly slow. Indeed, most practicing taxonomists still believe such systems are the stuff of science fiction. As recently as 2004, Dan Janzen updated this dream for a new audience:
