Post on 10-May-2015
Connecting the dots……natural science collections and the web
Ed BakerDepartment of Entomology, Natural History Museum
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
The Informatics Landscape
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
An ecosystem of projects
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
An ecosystem of projects
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
How do we join in?
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Some golden rules
• If it’s not online then it doesn’t exist
• Something is better than nothing
• It will never be perfect…
…deal with it (it will still be useful)
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
“… the rate of progress by the UK taxonomic institutions
in digitising and making collections information available
is disappointingly low.
Unless a more strategic view is taken... there is a
significant risk of damage to the international reputation
of major institutions”
2009 UK House of Lords Science and Technology Committee Report on
Taxonomy and Systematics
If it’s not online it doesn’t exist!
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
If it’s not online it doesn’t exist!
X X XIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Something is better than nothing
• It’s ok to put incomplete data on the web – as long as you’re honest about it
• Data doesn’t need to be perfect to go online• “bad” photographs can still be useful• it is better to put ‘orphaned’ files and data online
than have it inaccessible
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
It will never be perfect….
“At present rates it would take approximately 900 years
to get the data off the Natural History Museum’s 70
million specimens, and 500 years to take the pictures.”
Blagoderov & Smith 2011
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
It will never be perfect….
• We can’t wait that long
• We need to come up with a new way
• Industrialise digitisation
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
….dealing with it
• Move the focus from specimens to drawers, large images, high resolution
• Develop new technologies to interact with and annotate giant images
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Going social
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Your data1
“Published” & reviewedon your site
3Uploaded &
tagged
2
Fast Intuitive Fit for use
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
>18K specimen records(local small scale coverage)
>276M specimen records(worldwide coverage)
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
25 May, 2011239 sites
3212 users371,947 nodes
Mar. 2007 - Dec. 2010
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > SocialIntroduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social
Questions?Questions?