Discover new functionality in the SCAN Portal with the Terrestrial Parasite Tracker TCN
Join Neil Cobb and the Terrestrial Parasite Tracker TCN for a webinar on mobilizing arthropod data through the SCAN Portal.
Database
iDigBio’s Paleo Digitization Workshop Draws more than 60 Attendees to New Haven
More than 60 paleontologists representing 41 institutions assembled in New Haven, CT the week of September 23rd, 2013 to share ideas, protocols, preferences, and strategies. This was iDigBio’s most populous workshop to date, with an assortment of excellent presentations and ample opportunities for rich discussion.
iDigBio and the KU Biodiversity Institute Conduct Specify Workshop
iDigBio, Specify Software Project, and the Biodivesity Institute at University of Kansas joined forces the week of August 12–16, 2013 to offer its first “progressive” Specify workshop. The recent release of Specify 6.5 made the event a timely adventure. Twenty on-site participants representing 16 institutions were joined by up to 20 remote attendees for the occasion. The workshop began with basic installation of Specify, followed by four days of progressively advanced topics.
Biological Collections Databases, Tools, and Data Publication Portals
Launching a biological collections digitization program requires careful selection of a database management system, portal option, aggregator, and associated data enrichment tools. Numerous database systems, data publication portals, and other productivity tools are in use across the collections community, all of which vary in cost, installation requirements, storage methods, approaches to data processing, and other important features. iDigBio has begun the process of reviewing the various systems, tools, and data portals in current use, with the goal of building an annotated list of available products. Our reviews include brief descriptions of features, installation and maintenance requirements, cost, ease of use, and other components that collections managers might find useful when evaluating them for fitness. We include a wide range of products in the list, each of which fits one or more categories as denoted in the parenthetical entries immediately below the product name.
