Digitization efforts and products from the USNM Hymenoptera Unit

Digitization efforts and products from the USNM Hymenoptera Unit

Matthew L. Buffington & Michael GatesSystematic Entomology Lab, ARS-USDANMNH, Smithsonian Institution

Whole Drawer Imaging: Giga panning the USNM gall waspsWhole Drawer Imaging: Giga

panning the USNM gall wasps

Type digitization in the Hymenoptera Unit

Type digitization in the Hymenoptera Unit

USNM Hymenoptera TypesUSNM Hymenoptera Types Online Database: www.usnmhymtypes.com

7,267 primary types included. Four images per type,

incl. labels (~3,200) All types being affixed

with unique matrix code

label.

Online Database: www.usnmhymtypes.com 7,267 primary types included. Four images per type,

incl. labels (~3,200) All types being affixed

with unique matrix code

label.

Type database specimen viewsType database specimen views

Value Added IValue Added I Zoobank: www.zoobank.org

Working with Rich Pyle to assign Life Science Identifiers to all Hymenoptera type species in USNM.

Cross check in advance

with Hym. Name Server. Provide link to LSID on

USNMHymtypes.

Zoobank: www.zoobank.org Working with Rich Pyle to assign Life Science

Identifiers to all Hymenoptera type species in USNM.

Cross check in advance

with Hym. Name Server. Provide link to LSID on

USNMHymtypes.

Value Added IIValue Added II Global Names Interface for Taxonomic

Editing: www.gnite.org Name-based cyberinfrastructure for

interconnecting all online information about any species.

Ultimately, link all USNMhymtypes information.

Global Names Interface for Taxonomic Editing: www.gnite.org

Name-based cyberinfrastructure for interconnecting all online information about any species.

Ultimately, link all USNMhymtypes information.

Value Added IIIValue Added III CiteBank: www.citebank.org Our contractor and CiteBankstaff:

Provide links on USNMHymtypes to each publication (click volume). Provide link to page on which species was originally described (click page).

All original citations are/will be available through BHL portal.

CiteBank: www.citebank.org Our contractor and CiteBankstaff:

Provide links on USNMHymtypes to each publication (click volume). Provide link to page on which species was originally described (click page).

All original citations are/will be available through BHL portal.

Whole Drawer Imaging: Giga panning the USNM gall waspsWhole Drawer Imaging: Giga

panning the USNM gall wasps NMNH Contains ca 35 million specimens, in:

132,354 drawers, stored in 5200 cabinets

Specimen-level databasing limited

How can we quickly ‘digitize’ the collection?How can we better serve the research community?

“Bugs on pins” Smithsonian Castle project.

NMNH Contains ca 35 million specimens, in:

132,354 drawers, stored in 5200 cabinets

Specimen-level databasing limited

How can we quickly ‘digitize’ the collection?How can we better serve the research community?

“Bugs on pins” Smithsonian Castle project.

Whole Drawer Imaging: Giga panning the USNM gall waspsWhole Drawer Imaging: Giga

panning the USNM gall wasps Cost-effective way to digitize whole drawers with

200+ megapixel images High-end setup: $5000 USD; ‘budget’ setup ca.

$2500 USD Setup: 30 sec; capture: 90 sec; stitching: 90-100

sec. Time to capture: 3.5-4min Metadata management (e.g. species names)

time-intensive: 5-10 min/drawer 14 min/drawer x 140 drawers = 32.6 hours

Cost-effective way to digitize whole drawers with 200+ megapixel images

High-end setup: $5000 USD; ‘budget’ setup ca. $2500 USD

Setup: 30 sec; capture: 90 sec; stitching: 90-100 sec. Time to capture: 3.5-4min

Metadata management (e.g. species names) time-intensive: 5-10 min/drawer

14 min/drawer x 140 drawers = 32.6 hours

The setup The setup

The results of our researchThe results of our research

The results of our research.The results of our research.

Gall wasp digitizingGall wasp digitizing

Gall wasp digitizingGall wasp digitizing

Data served via Gigapan website

Data served via Gigapan website

Pollinators and invasive species of economic importance.

Osmia species Vespa crabro L.

Documentation of collections of historical importance:The Alfred Russel Wallace collection.

Documentation of collections of historical importance:The Alfred Russel Wallace collection.

Any collection curated in drawers can be digitized via theGigapan system. In this case, dinosaurs.

Future Directions of the Gigapan Project

Future Directions of the Gigapan Project

Research cameras that are better designed for this application (e.g. battery compartment on the side; wireless file transfer)

Determine a better file management system Determine the best delivery system: will SI agree to have

Gigapan ‘host’ the images? Metadata management (e.g. species names) time-

intensive: 5-10 min/drawer; can this be improved? 14 min/drawer x 140 drawers = 32.6 hours; can this be

improved?

Research cameras that are better designed for this application (e.g. battery compartment on the side; wireless file transfer)

Determine a better file management system Determine the best delivery system: will SI agree to have

Gigapan ‘host’ the images? Metadata management (e.g. species names) time-

intensive: 5-10 min/drawer; can this be improved? 14 min/drawer x 140 drawers = 32.6 hours; can this be

improved?

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements SI DigiComm committee, SI Women’s Committee, SI

Collections Care Fund and Alma Solis (SEL) for helping to finance the USNMHymTypes and Gigapan projects

Matt Bertone and Andy Deans (NCSU) for Gigapan inspiration, ideas and hints

Patricia Gentille-Poole (SI Entomology) Gino Nearns (recent PhD!; our web designer), Jolearra Tshiteya (SI/RIT imaging intern) and Yaz Sarraj (SI gigapan intern)

SI DigiComm committee, SI Women’s Committee, SI Collections Care Fund and Alma Solis (SEL) for helping to finance the USNMHymTypes and Gigapan projects

Matt Bertone and Andy Deans (NCSU) for Gigapan inspiration, ideas and hints

Patricia Gentille-Poole (SI Entomology) Gino Nearns (recent PhD!; our web designer), Jolearra Tshiteya (SI/RIT imaging intern) and Yaz Sarraj (SI gigapan intern)