21st CENTURY FLORAS New technologies to speed the process

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21st CENTURY FLORASNew technologies to speed
the process
Arthur D. Chapman paper134_at_achapman.org
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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Problems in beginning a new Flora

• Access to available names
• Access to publications
• Access to adequate collections
• Access to ancillary information
• Speed of the taxonomic process
• Re-inventing the wheel
• Size of the task
• With thanks to George Shepherd

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250 years of Endeavour

• where are we now?
• where are we going?

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Using emerging technologies
Using emerging technologies

• What emerging technologies?
• How are they being used?
• How can these be used to solve the problems of
  beginning a new Flora

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Changing Technology
Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Internet
The Internet

• New high-speed parallel networks
• From gopher to grid
• Distributed systems
• From Z39.50 to XML, SOAP
• Interactive Mapping
• From Imap to ArcIMS, Mapserver

From http//ces.asu.edu/bdi/Subjects/Xanthoria/
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Changing Technology
Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Computer Storage
Computer Storage
20 Gb USB/Firewire
256 Mb USB
160 Gb USB/Firewire
1 Gb smartcard
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Changing Technology
Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Chip Development
Chip Development
P4
P4
P3
P2
486
286
8008
P1
386
8086
4004
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Changing Technology
Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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GPS
Geocoding

• Manual coding
• Automated georeferencing
• GPS

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Australian Bird Atlas
Atlas of Australian Birds
From Atlas Newsletter No. 9, 2002
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Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Type collections
INBIO Costa Rica
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Type Collections

• US National Herbarium

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Type Collections

• University of Florida

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Type Collections
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With thanks to Barbara Thiers, NYBG
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With thanks to Barbara Thiers, NYBG
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Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Digital Imagery
Digital Imagery
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Changing Technology

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Video Imaging
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Changing Technology

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Digital Libraries
• Presentation Tools

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Digital Libraries
Digital Libraries
With thanks to Barbara Thiers, NYBG
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Changing Technologies

• Internet
• Computing
• Storage
• Processing speeds
• GPS
• Analysis Tools
• Imagery
• Scanners
• Digital Photography
• Digital Video
• Presentation Tools

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Flora of Australia
Flora of Australia
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Flora of Australia
Flora of Australia
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Using emereging technologies
Using emerging technologies

• Access to available names

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Using emereging technologies
Using emerging technologies

• Access to available names
• Catalogue of names (authority files)
• Distributed access

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Access to publications

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Access to publications
• Digital libraries
• Scanning

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Access to adequate collections

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Access to adequate collections
• Virtual Herbaria
• DiGIR

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Access to ancillary information

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Access to ancillary information
• Flora Braziliensis revisited
• Digital libraries

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Speed of the taxonomic process

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Speed of the taxonomic process
• Databases
• Protologues
• Types
• Electronic publications
• Names, check lists, floras, etc.
• Working smarter
• Sharing data, pooling descriptions

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Re-inventing the wheel
• Other floras and electronic floras
• Flora of Australia/XML
• Distributed systems
• Species Plantarum?
• Utilising the resources

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Size of the task

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Problems in beginning a new Flora
Using emerging technologies

• Size of the task
• What type of Flora?
• Who wants a Flora anyway?
• Electronic Flora
• Check lists, guide books
• What are the priorities
• Australian experience
• Orchids are they really plants?
• 250 years of taxonomic endeavour

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Working Smarter

• If Linnaeus was starting today
• would he do things the same way?

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The future
Working Smarter

• Linking distributed information
• A distributed flora?
• Searching interactively
• on demand Floras
• Up-to-date information
• Quicker, more efficient taxonomy

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Working Smarter
Working Smarter

• Taxonomic process
• Searching for names
• Searching for original descriptions
• Searching for recent revisions
• Searching for specimens/types
• Creating a character set
• Writing descriptions
• Publishing

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How can we improve efficiency
Working Smarter

• Writing Floras
• Gathering information from revisions
• Re-keying information
• Re-checking specimens
• Geo-referencing
• Checking other treatises, floras, etc.
• Writing up
• Mapping
• Illustrating
• Publishing
• Data validation tools

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LUCID
Working Smarter
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A fantasy

• Person in field with a GPS and satellite link
• Upload location
• Download key and descriptions
• Type in vegetation type use interactive keys
• Upload photograph or video
• Get identification or notification of possible
  new species
• New description, photograph, etc. on spot added
  to database perhaps with code rather than
  formal name.
• Information is immediately to other researchers
  and taxonomists.

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Questions?
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Arthur D. Chapman paper134_at_achapman.org