SANBI POLICY DOCUMENT

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1 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 ACCESSIBLE Background SANBI is mandated to make available on the biodiversity of South Africa. The Biosystematics Research and Biodiversity Collections Division [BRBC] is a custodian to a large set of data on the biodiversity of southern Africa, housed in the corporate database, BRAHMS. The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) Act 2 of 2000 requires that, except in special situations, this should be made available free-of-charge, in any form (including scans of specimens). Where is required for commercial purposes (i.e. where the data will be used for financial gain), a charge may be levied. If the electronic (including images) is to be used to generate an income, the must be paid for. Aim of this policy To provide guidelines on making electronic biodiversity accessible. Policy SANBI undertake to provide biodiversity by making use of: Data requests NewPosa website Images of specimens or photographic material will be made available via the Curator s Office on request. Page 1 of 6

2 Process Data Requests Data requested received by individual staff at SANBI Herbaria will be referred to Biodiversity Information and Planning (BIP) Requesters must use the BIP Data request forms when submitting data requests( Standard sets of biodiversity data will be made freely available over the Internet. (See for a data extract. Authors of publications that use this dataset should cite the dataset in their list of references, as they do for print media. How to cite this dataset: South African National Biodiversity Institute Botanical Database of Southern Africa (BODATSA) [dataset]. doi: to be assigned.) Database Managers may levy a charge for all non-standard requests (data/ which cannot be downloaded from the website which may include adjusted format or requirements) for biodiversity distributed to recipients outside SANBI, through the BRAHMS Information Service Non-standard requests would include Biodiversity not readily available or not stored in BRAHMS or BRAHMS Online. BIP will be largely responsibility for disseminating electronic data stored in the Division s main corporate database - BRAHMS. This will be done mainly across the internet (BRAHMS Online) with users having direct, free access to the data. Images of specimens or photographic material Requests for images must be sent to the Curator of the respective herbarium. Image supply with be managed using forms - see Addendum 1 and Addendum 2. Sensitive Data on Sensitive species as indicated by the Sensitive species committee will not be made available on the internet. Sensitive data or very large, complex data sets must be applied for in writing, either to the BIP officer or the appropriate Herbarium Information Officer. Where necessary, a handling fee may be levied for this service. Page 2 of 6

3 Standard sets of Taxon-level nomenclature, provincial distribution ranges, plant height, growth form and altitudinal range associated with plant names ( as included in Germishuizen, Meyer, Steenkamp & Keith 2006) Specimen-level reflecting plant name, genus and species numbers, locality data at the quarter degree grid level, and most recent year of collection. (Threatened or Protected Species data excluded.) Making available standard sets of biodiversity Topic Plants of Southern African names list Taxon-level nomenclature Taxon-level other Specimen-level Image level Rule A current plant names list for all plants occurring within the Flora of Southern Africa Region (i.e. Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland), according to data available in BRAHMS, shall be published on the BRAHMS Online website This list will be downloadable free-of-charge by any interested parties. Taxon-level nomenclature shall be made available through BRAHMS Online (BOL) as a web page; delimited text in Excel and XML, which include database level keys. This shall be updated quarterly from BRAHMS. This will be downloadable free-of-charge by any interested parties. Provincial distribution ranges, plant height, growth form and altitudinal range associated with the plant names (in other words, as included in Germishuizen, Meyer. Steenkamp & Keith 2006), shall be made available through the BRAHMS Online (BOL) web page, in the same range of formats as listed above. This shall be updated quarterly from BRAHMS. This will be downloadable free-of-charge by any interested parties. Specimen level reflecting plant name, locality data in the form of ¼ grid values, and most recent year of collection shall be made available in database format through BRAHMS Online This shall be updated quarterly from BRAHMS. This will be downloadable free-of-charge by any interested parties. Images of specimens to be made available free of charge to interested parties provided the Image Supply Agreement is being signed (See Addendum 1). A record of images will be provided to the requester using the form in Addendum 2. Page 3 of 6

4 ADDENDUM 1 IMAGE SUPPLY AGREEMENT Name:... Telephone No: (Cell) Telephone No:... (W) Company / Institute:... Facsimile No:... Address:... Brief description of project requiring images:... Scans requested of (state genus, species or herbarium sheets):... CONDITIONS The Recipient wishes to obtain the Images and use these for the Purpose. The Images supplied by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) under this Agreement are and will remain the property of SANBI. By proceeding to use the Images, the Recipient is licensed to use the Images for the Purpose subject to the following terms and conditions. 1. The Recipient shall not use the Images for any purpose other than the Purpose and in particular shall not use the Images for any commercial purpose (except for the Purpose). 2. The Recipient shall not publish the Images (including without limitation on any website), except for publication as part of the Purpose. 3. Where the Images are used by the Recipient, the Recipient shall make clear that the Images are of specimens from the collection of the South African National Biodiversity Institute by including the caption South African National Biodiversity Institute. Reproduced with the consent of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (or such other caption as may be mutually agreed in good faith between the Recipient and SANBI). 4. The Recipient shall not copy or pass on the Images to any other person unless this is explicitly agreed to in writing by SANBI. 5. The Images are being supplied to the Recipient with no warranties, express or implied, including any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Page 4 of 6

5 6. To the best of SANBI s knowledge, the rights granted by this Agreement do not violate the copyright or other related rights of any third parties. 7. The Recipient shall be solely responsible for the use and presentation of the Images for the Purpose, and will ensure that the use and presentation of the Images are correct and that the Images are accurately reproduced and not taken out of context. The Recipient will indemnify SANBI in respect of all loss or damages suffered by SANBI or claims made by a third party (including legal costs) as a result of the Recipient s use of the Images. 8. The Recipient shall ensure that use of any publication (including without limitation publication on any website) forming part of the Purpose is subject to enforceable terms which prohibit any third party who may access the Images from copying and/or using the Images for any commercial purpose. The Recipient will at its own cost enforce such terms at SANBI s request. Signature: Researcher Date Signature: Supervisor (if the Researcher is a student) Date Page 5 of 6

ADDENDUM 2 DETAILS OF IMAGES SUPPLIED The following herbarium specimen images are supplied in accordance with the Terms and Conditions set out in this Agreement.

6 ADDENDUM 2 DETAILS OF IMAGES SUPPLIED The following herbarium specimen images are supplied in accordance with the Terms and Conditions set out in this Agreement. Please inform the SANBI designated staff of problems with the image files or if you do not receive any of the files listed below. Kindly inform the designated staff of any re-determinations or name changes. Image filename Dimensions File format Designated staff: Method of delivery: Date: Page 6 of 6

Feedback from plant e-flora and occurrence session

Feedback from plant e-flora and occurrence session 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