SGER: Internet Gophers as Biodiversity Data Servers

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This support will enable installation and implementation of a prototype distributed system to network and provide virtual access to biodiversity databases associated with 6 fish collections: Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, the California Academy of Sciences, Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia), University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, University of Alabama, and the Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago). The system will utilize Gopher software technology running via a client-server architecture over the Internet. At each institution the awardee will (a) install a Sun workstation on Ethernet and configure it with the Sun operating system and Gopher server software; (b) reformat the database text file (using custom UNIX and Perl scripts) for the Gopher server; (c) train local staff in UNIX system and Gopher software management and provide system management over the Internet for one year. Access to the database files over Gopher will be read only, for security reasons, and each institution will choose the accessible content of the database. This prototype project will demonstrate to the national collections community the ease, security and affordability of sharing biodiversity data bound up in museum and herbarium collections as well as associated authority files. The need for and potential impact of such a demonstration project was stressed at the US Government-sponsored International Workshop on Biodiversity Inventory, Survey and Data Management in January, 1993. Gopher has become the de facto standard for networked research and academic computing worldwide because it is platform independent, operates on TCP/IP networks, incorporates public domain WAIS software for creating full text indices, and uses simple, powerful client-server architecture. It is opportunistic and cost-effective now to marry this current technology to information management needs in museums and herbaria. Successful networking of collection databases can achieve great economies of scale in capturing collection data in the same discipline at different institutions, in using authority files to standardize the data dictionary, and in providing biodiversity data sets for research, conservation and educational endeavors. %%% This support will enable installation and implementation of a prototype system to network and provide access to biodiversity databases associated with 6 fish collections at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, the California Academy of Sciences, Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia), University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, University of Alabama, and the Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago). Access to the database files will be read only, for security reasons, and each institution will choose the accessible content of the database. This prototype project will demonstrate to the national collections community the ease, security and affordability of sharing biodiversity data bound up in museum and herbarium collections as well as associated authority files. The need for and potential impact of such a demonstration project was stressed at the US Government-sponsored International Workshop on Biodiversity Inventory, Survey and Data Management in January, 1993. It is opportunistic and cost-effective now to utilize current technology for information management needs in museums and herbaria. Successful networking of collection databases will achieve great economies of scale in capturing collection data in the same discipline at different institutions, in using authority files to standardize the data dictionary, and in providing biodiversity data sets for research, conservation and educational endeavors.