VIRTUAL HERBARIUM
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Transcript of VIRTUAL HERBARIUM
A Virtual Herbarium is an electronic gateway to the
collections of the Northern Fisheries Center and
Seagrass-Watch HQ herbaria. The goals of the Virtual
Herbarium are to make specimen data available
electronically for use in biodiversity research
projects; to reduce transport of actual specimens for
projects where digital representations will suffice for
study; and to provide a source of reference
information for Seagrass-Watch participants.
What is a Virtual Herbarium?
In Botany, a virtual herbarium is a herbarium in a
digitized form. That is, it concerns a collection of digital
images of preserved plants or plant parts. Virtual herbaria
often are established to improve availability of specimens
to a wider audience. However, there are digital herbaria
that are not suitable for internet access because of the high
resolution of scans and resulting large file sizes (several
hundred megabytes per file). Additional information about
each specimen, such as the location, the collector, and the
botanical name are attached to every specimen.
Frequently, further details such as related species and
growth requirements are mentioned.
The standard hardware used for herbarium specimen imaging
is the "HerbScan" scanner. It is an inverted flat-bed scanner
which raises the specimen up to the scanning surface. This
technology was developed because it is standard practice to
never turn a herbarium specimen upside-down. Alternatively,
some herbaria employ a flat-bed book scanner or a copy stand
to achieve the same effect.
A small color chart and a ruler must be included on a
herbarium sheet when it is imaged. The JSTOR Plant Science
requires that a the ruler bears the herbarium name and logo,
and that a ColorChecker chart is used for any specimens to be
contributed to the Global Plants Initiative (GPI).
Specimen Imaging
Virtual herbaria are established in part to increase the
longevity of specimens. Major herbaria participate in
international loan programs, where a researcher can request
specimens to be shipped in for study. This shipping
contributes to the wear and tear of specimens. If, however,
digital images are available, images of the specimens can be
sent electronically. These images may be a sufficient
substitute for the specimens themselves, or alternatively, the
researcher can use the images to "preview" the specimens, to
which ones should be sent out for further study. This process
cuts down on the shipping, and thus the wear and tear of the
specimens, as well as the wait times associated with
shipping.
Uses
Virtual herbaria can also be used to increase public
awareness of herbaria. Some herbaria make their specimen
databases publicly available on the Internet. Digital images
of specimens can be added to these databases to allow the
public to further engage with the material. Some herbaria
also capitalize on their images by selling herbarium prints
and greeting cards featuring particularly attractive
specimens.
You can choose the best digital herbarium that you like.
Below the details which must have the labeled of the leaf.