1. Connecting the dots…
…natural science collections and the web
Ed Baker
Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

2. The Informatics Landscape
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

3. An ecosystem of projects
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

4. An ecosystem of projects
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

5. How do we join in?
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

6. Some golden rules
• If it’s not online then it doesn’t exist
• Something is better than nothing
• It will never be perfect…
…deal with it (it will still be useful)
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

7. If it’s not online it doesn’t exist!
“… the rate of progress by the UK taxonomic institutions
in digitising and making collections information available
is disappointingly low.
Unless a more strategic view is taken... there is a
significant risk of damage to the international reputation
of major institutions”
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

8. If it’s not online it doesn’t exist!
X X X
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

9. Something is better than nothing
• It’s ok to put incomplete data on the web – as
long as you’re honest about it
• Data doesn’t need to be perfect to go online
• “bad” photographs can still be useful
• it is better to put ‘orphaned’ files and data online
than have it inaccessible
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

10. It will never be perfect….
“At present rates it would take approximately 900 years
to get the data off the Natural History Museum’s 70
million specimens, and 500 years to take the pictures.”
Blagoderov & Smith 2011
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

11. It will never be perfect….
• We can’t wait that long
• We need to come up with a new
way
• Industrialise digitisation
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

12. ….dealing with it
• Move the focus from specimens to drawers,
large images, high resolution
• Develop new technologies to interact with
and annotate giant images
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

13. Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

14. Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

15. Going social
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

16. 1 2 3
Your data Uploaded & “Published” & reviewed
tagged on your site
Fast Intuitive Fit for use
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

17. Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

18. >18K specimen records >276M specimen records
(local small scale coverage) (worldwide coverage)
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

19. Mar. 2007 - Dec. 2010
25 May, 2011
239 sites
3212 users
371,947 nodes
Introduction > Uses > Golden Rules > Digitisation > Social

20. Questions?