Wood Identification Collection Enhancement and Web Access

北卡罗来纳州立大学木材鉴定收藏改进和网络访问项目通过授予北卡罗来纳州立大学的一笔赠款，伊丽莎白·A·惠勒博士、凯瑟琳·R·布朗博士和黛博拉·威斯特摩兰女士将指导一个项目，创建Inside Wood，这是一个广泛的、可通过互联网访问的木材解剖参考、研究和教学工具。Inside Wood将建立在现有的数据库、标本收藏和摄影图像的基础上，从NCSU的数据库开始。化石(1,500多条记录)和现代木材(5,200条记录，代表200多个科、2,500个属和10,000个物种)的木材收藏数据库已经使用了16年以上。不幸的是，这些集合无法通过互联网获得，当前的软件几乎过时，没有使用国际木材解剖学家协会(IAWA)的一个委员会推荐的完整描述符集。该项目将开发一个具有非排他性、开放式结构的网站，允许长期使用具有IAWA术语的木材数据库。高分辨率图像的加入将增加网站的价值，并增强其木材识别、信息检索和指导的功能。作为Inside Wood项目的一部分，将加强NCSU木材收藏(样本、幻灯片、照片和数据库)的组织，并将确保其内容继续用于研究和教学。这个项目将向广大观众展示木材收藏的重要性，并将收藏样本和幻灯片中的信息整合到Inside Wood网站上。Inside Wood将整合NCSU的木材解剖数据库和英国Kew的皇家植物园的木材使用数据库(合作者Peter Gasson博士)。数据库将被合并和重组，以使用国际木材解剖学家协会推荐的相同受控词汇表。将利用信息科学和数字图书馆的最佳做法，设计和实施一个数据库结构，以便不断增加新的文本和图像数据。将开发和测试一个包括多种搜索和显示选项的公共网络界面。将对NCSU木材收藏最近增加的内容进行组织和检查，以扩大数据库的内容。该数据库还将包括一个合作者界面，使世界各地的木材解剖学家和其他学科专家能够为该项目提供新的数据和图像，并将提供广泛的访问权限，以获取否则可能会被科学界丢失的数据和图像。木材是一种重要的可再生资源，长期以来有许多用途。一个可公开获取的木材鉴定工具，其中有许多用于将未知木材与研究收藏中的木材进行比较的图像，将在许多情况下有用。木头鉴定对于法医科学和海关执法的专业人员，以及古董商、博物馆管理员和修复木质建筑的人都有实用价值。古森林的识别为解释气候和植被随时间的变化以及早期人类与环境的相互作用提供了有用的数据。木材解剖学影响木材的材料特性和树木生理，因此木材提供了许多形式和功能之间的关系的例子。数据库中的图像将说明具有重要功能的木材结构的可变性。Inside Wood将提供有关木材解剖的教学材料，对高中和大学级别的教育工作者和学生以及推广代理和公园工作人员等专业人员有用。这一资源将加强对植物关系、古代环境以及森林生物学和生态学的研究。

Wood Identification Collection Enhancement and Web Access ProjectNorth Carolina State UniversityThrough a grant awarded to North Carolina State University, Dr. Elisabeth A. Wheeler, Dr. Kathleen R. Brown, and Ms. Deborah Westmoreland will direct a project to create InsideWood, an extensive, Internet-accessible wood anatomy reference, research, and teaching tool. InsideWood will build on existing databases, specimen collections, and photographic images, beginning with those at NCSU. The wood collection databases for fossil (more than 1,500 records) and present-day woods (5,200 records, representing more than 200 families, 2,500 genera, and 10,000 species) have been used for over 16 years. Unfortunately, these collections are not available via the Internet, and the current software is near obsolete and does not use the complete set of descriptors recommended by a committee of the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA). This project will develop a Web site with non-exclusive, open architecture allowing for long-term use of wood databases with IAWA terminology. The addition of high-resolution images will increase the value of the site and enhance its functionality for wood identification, information retrieval, and instruction. As part of the InsideWood project, the organization of the NCSU wood collection (samples, slides, photographs, and databases) will be strengthened, and the continued availability of its contents for research and teaching will be insured at an archival level. This project will demonstrate the importance of wood collections to a broad audience, with information from the collections' samples and slides incorporated into the InsideWood Web site.InsideWood will integrate the wood anatomy databases at NCSU and the wood uses database of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K. (Dr. Peter Gasson, collaborator). The databases will be merged and restructured to use the same controlled vocabulary recommended by the International Association of Wood Anatomists. A database structure that allows for continual addition of new data, both text and images, will be designed and implemented, taking advantage of best practices in information science and digital libraries. A public Web interface, including multiple search and display options, will be developed and tested. Recent additions to the NCSU wood collections will be organized and examined to expand the database content. The database will also include a collaborator interface allowing wood anatomists and other subject specialists throughout the world to contribute new data and images to the project and will provide broad accessibility to data and images that might otherwise be lost to the scientific community.Wood is an important renewable resource and has long had many uses. A publicly accessible wood identification tool, with many images for comparison of unknown woods to woods from research collections, will be useful in many contexts. Wood identification is of practical value to professionals in forensic science and customs law enforcement, and to antique dealers, museum conservators, and those who restore wooden buildings. Identification of ancient woods provides data useful for interpreting climate and vegetation changes through time and the interactions of early humans with their environment. Wood anatomy affects wood's material properties and tree physiology, so wood provides many examples of the relationships between form and function. Images in the database will illustrate variability in wood structure that is functionally significant. InsideWood will provide instructional material on wood anatomy useful for educators and students at the high school and university levels and for professionals such as extension agents and park personnel. This resource will enhance the study of plant relationships, ancient environments, and forest biology and ecology.