Uses of online specimen images - thanks

[Arthur Chapman]

I would like to draw your attention to the Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG) Images Working Group.

This group is looking at available standards and what standards may be needed etc. for biodiversity.  This group was established at the St Petersburg Meeting of TDWG last September.  It is being convened by Robert Morris.

A wiki has been set up at http://wiki.cs.umb.edu/twiki/bin/view/TDWGImage and I would encourage anyone interested in this topic to join the discussion there.

The discussion there has only just begun, so may well benefit from what you have already discussed.

regards

Arthur D. Chapman
Toowoomba, Australia

>From Christine Hine <Christine.Hine at BTINTERNET.COM> on 20 Dec 2005:

> Many thanks to everyone who responded so generously to my previous
> questions about how you use online images. I've also been trawling the
> taxacom archives, as the topic of online images has arisen several times
> in recent years. There's a lot to analyse, with regard to the different
> ways that images become useful depending on the state of taxonomy of a
> group, the physical characterstics of the specimens concerned, and the
> kind of task that is being performed. It's also clear that a lot of
> people would like to know in more detail just what the uses of an online
> specimen image repository are - there's not much detailed information
> available, and it would be very useful both for designing new resources
> and for convincing funders of their importance.
>
> As promised, I will send a summary report to the list when it's ready.
> In the meantime, I have found that something new crops up in each of the
> responses I've had, so I'm still keen to hear from more people. In
> short, I'm interested to know whether you use online specimen images (or
> indeed, if you would never dream of doing so, and if so why). I'd like
> to hear how online specimens compare with use of their physical
> counterparts, where they substitute and where they fall short. And how
> far using them has transformed your working practices, or the kind of
> project that you can tackle.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Christine
>
>
> Christine Hine
> Department of Sociology
> University of Surrey
> Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK
> c.hine at surrey.ac.uk
> http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/christine_hine.htm
>