Determining Space from Place for Natural History Collections: In a Distributed Digital Library Environment

摘要

Morethanabillionbiologicalspecimenshavebeencollected,preserved,anddepositedinthepermanentcollectionsofmuseumsandherbariaaroundtheworld.Thesespecimensarethefoundationofourknowledgeaboutbiologicaldiversity,pastandpresent.Researchersinbiodiversityinformaticsareengagedinprovidingdigitalaccesstothebasicbiodiversitydataassociatedwithspecimens,aswellasnewsoftwaretoolsandservicesthatwillcreatenovelresearchopportunitiesforecologicalanalysis,predictivemodeling,andsynthesis.Greateraccesstostructuredbiodiversityinformationalsodirectlybenefitsappliedareasofconservationandresourcemanagement.Digitizingthedataassociatedwithabillionspecimensisanenormoustask,andmuchofitstillliesbeforeus.Already,however,tensofmillionsofspecimenrecordshavebeencapturedincollectionmanagementsystemsthatrepresentasolidfoundationforcomprehensivedigitallibrariesinthemuseumcommunity.