Digitization: iDigBio: Integrated Digitized Biocollections Phase 2

佛罗里达大学（UF）和佛罗里达州立大学（FSU）的综合数字化生物收藏（idigbio.org）是推进生物多样性收藏数字化（ADBC）的国家资源。ADBC计划的开发是为了满足持续努力的需求，以收集并在线提供国家生物多样性收藏中的大量信息，这些信息可能包含多达10亿个标本。对于生物标本，数字化的信息包括物种名称、采集地点和日期、数字照片、声音、视频和从各种来源创建的3D模型。该社区数字化工作由农业发展银行通过专题收藏网络（TCN）提供支持，TCN是一组机构，负责收集标本以解决重大研究课题，如农作物与昆虫之间的关系或入侵物种对自然生态系统的影响。iDigBio协助协调TCN的活动，促进制定标本和相关信息数字化的标准和工作流程，提供网络基础设施资源，以长期保存数字数据，促进在研究和推广中使用收藏数据的新方法和传统方法，并与收藏界合作，为国家计划的长期可持续性和该计划产生的资源进行规划。有关标本的数字化信息的提供大大提高了进行生物多样性研究和解决生物学中一些最基本问题的能力。在过去的五年里，国家生物多样性收藏品中的信息收集工作得到了国家科学基金会的资助和iDigBio活动的成功推动。与数据提供者和用户开展了合作，确定了目标和优先事项，并确定了与数字化有关的最佳做法。提供了网络基础设施资源，包括一个国家搜索门户。这些社区驱动的活动改进了数字化做法，增加了对数字化和培训的参与，并采用了各种工具和信息学工具，提高了所有类型生物多样性收藏品的数字化和研究工作流程的效率和可扩展性。iDigBio与分布在所有50个州的270个机构的450多个集合的工作人员合作。通过讲习班、网络研讨会和使用社交媒体，在利益攸关方之间建立了沟通，以增加对馆藏数据的访问。iDigBio赞助了来自511个机构的2，200多名参与者参加了65个针对数字化的研讨会和专题讨论会。iDigBio已经摄取了超过670个记录集，包含4800万条记录和1300万张图像。所有摄取的数据都被索引，以便支持查询和其他类型的基于索引的访问。可以通过基于Web的图形界面或通过编程API来完成对数据的检索。搜索和分析工具使用户能够挖掘各种数据，如分类，位置，图像，特征和发音。再提供五年的资金，将使iDigBio继续其成功的战略，越来越重视数据的改进和在研究和推广中的使用。由ADBC计划创建的这一国家资源越来越被认为是生物多样性和数字化信息的重要资源。随着经过验证的藏品数据的科学和社会效益的实现，数字化将成为自然历史藏品中常见且持续的实践。

Integrated Digitized Biocollections (idigbio.org) at the University of Florida (UF) and Florida State University (FSU) is the national resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC). The ADBC program was developed in response to the need for a sustained effort to digitize, and make available online, the vast amount of information in the nation's biodiversity collections, which may contain up to 1 billion specimens. For biological specimens, information digitized include names of species, localities and dates of collection, digital photographs, sound, video, and 3-D models created from a variety of sources. This community digitization effort is supported by ADBC through Thematic Collections Networks (TCNs), groups of institutions that digitize specimens to address a major research topic such as the relationship between agricultural crops and insects or the impacts of invasive species on natural ecosystems. iDigBio assists in coordinating activities of the TCNs by facilitating development of standards and workflows for digitization of specimens and related information, providing cyberinfrastructure resources to enable long-term preservation of digital data, promoting novel and traditional uses of collections data in research and outreach, and working with the collections community to plan for the long-term sustainability of the national program and the resources that program has produced. The availability of digitized information about specimens greatly enhances the ability to conduct research on biological diversity and to address some of the most fundamental questions in biology. In the past five years, the national effort to digitize information in the nation's biodiversity collections has been successfully catalyzed by funding from NSF and advanced by activities of iDigBio. Collaborations with data providers and users have been developed, goals and priorities defined, and best practices related to digitization identified. Cyberinfrastructure resources, including a national search portal, have been provided. These community-driven activities have led to improved digitization practices, increased involvement in digitization and training, and adoption of instruments and informatics tools that improve the efficiency and scalability of digitization and research workflows in all types of biodiversity collections. iDigBio works with staff in more than 450 collections in 270 institutions distributed in all 50 states. Communication among stakeholders to increase access to collections data has been established through workshops, webinars, and the use of social media. iDigBio has sponsored attendance of more than 2,200 participants from 511 institutions to over 65 workshops and symposia that targeted digitization. iDigBio has ingested more than 670 record sets containing 48 million records and 13 million images. All data ingested are indexed so that queries and other types of index-based access are supported. Searches for data can be done through a Web-based graphical interface or through programmatic APIs. Search and analytical tools enable users to mine diverse data such as taxonomy, location, images, traits, and vocalizations. Funding for another five years, will allow iDigBio to continue its successful strategies with an increasing emphasis on data improvement and use in research and outreach. This national resource created by the ADBC program is increasingly recognized as an essential resource for information on biodiversity and digitization. As the scientific and societal benefits of validated collections data are realized, digitization will become a common and sustained practice in natural history collections.