Feedback from plant e-flora and occurrence session

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Wilfred Baldwin
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1 Feedback from plant e-flora and occurrence session

2 The Policy Prioritise what we can and should include in the e-flora website for every species: 1. One morphological description 2. One image 3. Habitat and distribution information 4. Distribution map 5. A link to the SANBI Red List 6. Specimen information from BRAHMS

3 Display taxon panel Markup Add In Tool Excel export button Ribbon Literature

4 e-flora mock-up species page

3,263,200 plant specimens concentrated in 6 major herbaria (PRE, NBG, NH, NU, BOL, GRA) Network of

5 Status of digitising plant specimen data 44% of South Africa s plant specimens have been electronically encoded (NRF, 2011) 90% of the country s ca. 3,263,200 plant specimens concentrated in 6 major herbaria (PRE, NBG, NH, NU, BOL, GRA) Network of herbaria working with SANBI Set-one migrate to BRAHMS Central publishing platform (Integrated Publishing Tools) Curation of specimens remain responsibility of each herbarium

6 e-flora Markup time depending on quality of scan of the revision / OCR some can go very fast Integration of indigenous knowledge into e-flora; methods to integrate the data? Info would not necessarily be incorporate by 2016 but could look at incorporating with time SANBI tool? Research Chairs on IK incorporate how? SANBI Sustainable devlopment?

7 e-fauna Vernacular names should include reference citation

8 Speeding up digitisation of plant Challenges: Speeding up specimens Human resources are limited Training and assistance with BRAHMS, also in data capturing Staff; local teams (turnover issues)

9 Digitising plant specimens cont. Some solutions: SANBI provides BRAHMS training (Hannelie Snyman) EWC, WITS, Shonaland Dedicated effort to make speed up digitisation core team Crowd sourcing Central place for digitised images of specimens required Investigate OCR for typed labels Training to herbaria staff for a certain level of quality of digitisation to manage ongoing updates and loans. Students should put their research in BRAHMS (even via Excel)

10 Specimen Verification Dual process needed: 1. Incorrect IDs - solution network of experts to share load - Users should sign contract to verify/det specimens (loan and visit conditions); complete list of cited specimens not necessarily published more people/capacity involved - Photographing specimens virtual herbaria (Require capacity to scan) 2. Incorrect georeferenced data

11 Specimen Verification 2. Incorrect georeferenced data Fast tracking georeferencing work with collector itinerary Consolidated system of BRAHMS for all herbaria in country fast track quality control; but we need a virtual herbarium duplicate specimens.

12 Specimens Observe errors feedback process and BRAHMS; IPT?? Feedback to herbaria and specialists? Everybody has to be on the same system Automate feedback and entry flagged Herbarium pull report of queries or errors (for certain families/groups and within certain dates); BRAHMS functionality? Put request forward to Denis API people had a system for feedback on errors? (Should be possible) Users flag and comment on errors

13 Specimens SAFARIS (field expeditions) DigiVol (volunteers building knowledge); digitisation verification projects Each project has a tutorial on how or what to do Not in game format Specimen information verified by two pairs of eyes (review vs validate) Awarding effort of volunteers via access to gardens; BotSoc membership?

14 Specimens SAFARIS (field expeditions) Preparing files and setting up project: Photograph pages/specimens Batch upload Specify fields that need to be checked/updated Can include using a mapping tool DwC fields used Ready for import into GBIF Les gives feedback to every volunteer (for specimens batch feedbacks could work better) volunteers should feel more inclined to continue if they receive feedback

15 Specimens SAFARIS (field expeditions) Digitisation game (French) engage with developers and ask to translate Following collector s field trail/itinerary (more interesting and more effective georeferencing multiple specimens for single locality or close proximity) Verification: specimen against database (verification); georeferencing is a different process) Georeferencing is possible (Les showed example)

16 Digitisation summary Masses of encoding needs to be done Look into crowd sourcing possibilities DigiVol possibility Gaming possibility Continue digitisation: Train herbarium staff Invest in centralised team to work on specimens (anywhere in country) Actual text on label digitised (separate process to georeferencing) Collectors and expeditions SANBI has a gazetteer available (could assist with localities)

17 Digitisation summary Locality issues (specific vs general location) Go back to existing georeferenced data using a programme to pick up inconsistencies How to deal with feedback of incorrect data (BRAHMS committee to investigate) 50% digitised records not all unique duplicates in other herbaria; could a system be developed to integrate data and flag that information/georeferenced data captures; also process to assist with verification (note: all labels don t have accurate data)

18 Digitisation summary Process of encoding herbaria busy encoding search and find information that is exist in other herbaria that have completed digitisation (herbarium should be able to personalise data)

19 Way forward Opportunities to apply for funding? Projects not coherent SANBI coordinate under one project Herbarium/researcher feels capacitated should apply individually for small grants Theme to be added to funding categories: Digitising processes Strongest approach theme 5: New technologies Plants or animals Digitised medicinally valuable species (combination) Biodiversity in general important (what about utilised species??)

SANBI POLICY DOCUMENT

SANBI POLICY DOCUMENT DIVISION: Biosystematics Research and Biodiversity Collections POLICY NUMBER: E2 EFFECTIVE DATE: 1 October 2016 LAST AMENDED: 22 September 2016 MAKING ELECTRONIC BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION