21 st CENTURY FLORAS New technologies to speed the process
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Transcript of 21 st CENTURY FLORAS New technologies to speed the process
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Access to available names• Access to publications• Access to adequate collections• Access to ancillary information• Speed of the taxonomic process• Re-inventing the wheel• Size of the task
With thanks to George Shepherd
Problems in beginning a new Flora
where are we now?
where are we going?
250 years of Endeavour
Using emerging technologies
• What emerging technologies?
• How are they being used?
• How can these be used to solve the problems of beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Changing TechnologyChanging Technologies
Internet
• New high-speed parallel networks– From gopher to grid
• Distributed systems – From Z39.50 to XML, SOAP
• Interactive Mapping– From Imap to ArcIMS, Mapserver
The Internet
From http://ces.asu.edu/bdi/Subjects/Xanthoria/
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Changing TechnologyChanging Technologies
256 Mb USB
160 Gb USB/Firewire
20 Gb USB/Firewire
1 Gb smartcard
Computer StorageComputer Storage
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Changing TechnologyChanging Technologies
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1971 1972 1978 1982 1985 1989 1993 1997 1999 2000 2002
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Chip DevelopmentChip Development
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Changing TechnologyChanging Technologies
GPSGeocoding
• Manual coding
• Automated georeferencing
• GPS
Australian Bird AtlasAtlas of Australian Birds
From Atlas Newsletter No. 9, 2002
Changing Technologies
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Changing Technologies
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Type collections
INBIO Costa Rica
Type Collections
US National Herbarium
Type Collections
University of
Florida
Type Collections
With thanks to Barbara Thiers, NYBG
With thanks to Barbara Thiers, NYBG
Changing Technologies
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Digital Imagery Digital Imagery
Changing Technology
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Video Imaging
Changing Technology
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Digital Libraries• Presentation Tools
Digital LibrariesDigital Libraries
With thanks to Barbara Thiers, NYBG
Changing Technologies
• Internet• Computing
– Storage– Processing speeds
• GPS• Analysis Tools• Imagery
– Scanners– Digital Photography– Digital Video
• Presentation Tools
Flora of AustraliaFlora of Australia
Flora of AustraliaFlora of Australia
Using emereging technologies
• Access to available names
Using emerging technologies
Using emereging technologies
• Access to available names– Catalogue of names (authority files)– Distributed access
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Access to publications
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Access to publications– Digital libraries– Scanning
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Access to adequate collections
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Access to adequate collections– Virtual Herbaria– DiGIR
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Access to ancillary information
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Access to ancillary information– Flora Braziliensis revisited– Digital libraries
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Speed of the taxonomic process
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Speed of the taxonomic process– Databases– Protologues– Types– Electronic publications
• Names, check lists, floras, etc.
– Working smarter– Sharing data, pooling descriptions
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Re-inventing the wheel– Other floras and electronic floras
• Flora of Australia/XML
– Distributed systems– Species Plantarum?– Utilising the resources
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Size of the task
Using emerging technologies
Problems in beginning a new Flora
• Size of the task– What type of Flora?
– Who wants a Flora anyway?
– Electronic Flora
– Check lists, guide books
– What are the priorities
– Australian experience
– Orchids – are they really plants?
– 250 years of taxonomic endeavour
Using emerging technologies
If Linnaeus was starting today
would he do things the same way?
Working Smarter
The future –
• Linking distributed information– A distributed flora?
• Searching interactively
• ‘on demand’ Floras
• Up-to-date information
• Quicker, more efficient taxonomy
Working Smarter
Working Smarter
Taxonomic process– Searching for names– Searching for original descriptions– Searching for recent revisions– Searching for specimens/types– Creating a character set– Writing descriptions– Publishing
Working Smarter
How can we improve efficiency
Writing Floras– Gathering information from revisions– Re-keying information– Re-checking specimens– Geo-referencing– Checking other treatises, floras, etc.– Writing up– Mapping– Illustrating– Publishing– Data validation tools
Working Smarter
LUCID
Working Smarter
A fantasy
• Person in field with a GPS and satellite link• Upload location• Download key and descriptions• Type in vegetation type – use interactive keys• Upload photograph or video• Get identification – or notification of possible new species• New description, photograph, etc. on spot added to
database – perhaps with code rather than formal name.• Information is immediately to other researchers and
taxonomists.
Questions?
Arthur D. Chapman