[Taxacom] Digitizing Science Collections: Science Briefing forPolicymakers

[John Noyes]

Hi David,

Not to mention the high risk of damage to specimens by minimally trained
volunteers, students, etc. handling the specimens to obtain the
information. I know that in some cases more than 10% of specimens
(especially insects) get damaged when undertaking this sort of exercise.

John

John Noyes
Scientific Associate
Department of Entomology
Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
South Kensington
London SW7 5BD 
UK
jsn at nhm.ac.uk
Tel.: +44 (0) 207 942 5594
Fax.: +44 (0) 207 942 5229
 
Universal Chalcidoidea Database (everything you wanted to know about
chalcidoids and more):
www.nhm.ac.uk/chalcidoids 

-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of David Campbell
Sent: 14 May 2012 22:24
To: taxacom
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Digitizing Science Collections: Science Briefing
forPolicymakers

> The irony seems to be that with the ever greater emphasis on
databasing
> collections there is a corresponding decrease in the value of
researchers
> to work that information.

There are at least two aspects to the problem-a general failure to
fund basic systematics and a failure to realize that Garbage In,
Garbage Out applies to bioinformatics.  If all the databases are full
of whatever was typed by underpaid interns, taxonomically uninformed
volunteers, etc., then they will only be meaningfully useable by those
with sufficient taxonomic expertise to figure out the mistakes and
work around them.   However, the existence of big databases makes it
look like a lot is there, if you don't look closely.

Collections databases and other bioinformatics are great, if they have
been done well.  Otherwise, it's biomisinformatics.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
Collections Assistant
The Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca NY 14850

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