Small Collections Grant

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Labelling, Digitization, and Dissemination of Trans-Himalayan, Western Himalayan and North-East Indian plant specimens at FRLH Herbarium

noorunnisa.begum@tdu.edu.in

India

Database, Curate specimens, Digitally image, Process backlog, Ship to another institution

Cost (USD):

2700

FRLH

The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Bengaluru

Objective:

1. Identification confirmation, labelling, scanning, and digitization of approximately 500 Trans-Himalayan plant specimens collected over the past decade.
2. Curation and digitization of 400 plant specimens from Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh.
3. Processing & digitization of about 500 backlog plant collections from Nagaland & Arunachal Pradesh in North-East India, accumulated over the last five years.
4. Uploading all digitized specimen data and images to the GBIF portal for open global access. And strengthening the long term curatorial capacity & infrastructure of FRLH herbarium

Timetable:

Phase 1 – Identification, Sorting, Cleaning & Labelling (Months 1–6): Specimens will be sorted by locality and collector, cleaned with soft brushes and naphthalene powder. Archival labels will be prepared recording species name (per POWO & World Flora Online), family, location, altitude, date, collector, and field notes. Specimens requiring remounting will be treated and fixed on acid-free sheets using synthetic glue and cotton thread.
Phase 2 – Barcoding, QR Coding & Scanning (Months 1–9): Unique barcodes and QR codes will be generated for all ~1,400 specimens and linked to metadata. All specimens will be scanned at 800 dpi minimum in TIFF/JPEG format and stored in archival formats.
Phase 3 – Metadata Curation & Database Development (Months 7–11): Data will be entered into a Darwin Core-compliant database (MS Excel/Access) for GBIF compatibility. Nomenclature will be verified against POWO & World Flora Online, with quality checks before submission. Select duplicates will be shared with BSI/CAL herbaria.
Phase 4 – GBIF Upload, Training & Dissemination (Months 10–12): The curated dataset will be uploaded to GBIF via IPT under an open-access license & herbarium staff will be trained.

Applicant's CV

Budget

Scoring Rubric

Reviewer's name:

Collection Improvement (max. 120 points)

Facilitating access to the physical collections by digitization (e.g., data entry, setting up database structure with an outline of the platform to be used, purchasing equipment, and imaging specimens) – up to 30 points.
Enhancing physical collections by improving the conservation status of specimens in the herbarium (e.g., better folders, protecting covers, mounting paper, labeling, etc.) – up to 30 points.
Curating specimens (e.g., updating families, species identification, identifying types) – up to 20 points.
Increasing our understanding of the flora or funga by making new herbarium specimens available, such as processing of backlog or collecting and mounting of new specimens from understudied sites – up to 20 points.
Securing collections by distribution of duplicates (or orphan collections) to other regional or international herbaria or shipping endangered collections to another herbarium – up to 20 points.

This proposal scores:

/120

Methods & Funding (max. 40 points)

Match between the proposed budget and methods for the aims described – up to 10 points.
Perceived need, the extent to which the project will benefit from IAPT funding: e.g., due to active floristic work or contribution to poorly collected sites, due to threatened conditions of collections, and for the degree of involvement of others (outreach and education). We give more points for herbaria in low- and middle-income countries – up to 20 points.
Sharing duplicate specimens with other herbaria – up to 10 points.

This proposal scores:

/40

Broader Impacts (max. 40 points)

Degree of regional importance of the collection or the taxonomic importance of the targeted collection – up to 10 points.
The project will yield durable benefits (specimens, digitized metadata, databases, websites) – up to 15 points.
The project involves outreach/mentoring and broad dissemination – up to 15 points.

This proposal scores:

/40

Proposal

Year of last successful SCG application:

Has applicant applied for SCG before?:

Plan:

The project will be executed over 12 months in four integrated phases. During the first phase (Months 1–6), approximately 500 Trans-Himalayan and 400 Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary specimens will be sorted by locality and collector, cleaned with soft brushes and naphthalene powder, and remounted where necessary on acid-free sheets using synthetic glue and cotton thread. Archival labels will be prepared with species names verified against POWO and World Flora Online, recording family, location, altitude, date, and collector details. Concurrently in Phase 2 (Months 1–9), unique barcodes and QR codes will be generated for all approximately 1,400 specimens and linked to their metadata, and all mounted specimens will be scanned at a minimum 800 dpi in TIFF/JPEG format using a high-resolution flatbed scanner. In Phase 3 (Months 7–11), specimen data will be entered into a Darwin Core-compliant database ensuring GBIF compatibility, with fields covering scientific name, geolocation coordinates, collector, and date. Nomenclature will be verified against POWO and World Flora Online, and quality control checks conducted before submission. Select duplicates of threatened specimens will be prepared for exchange with BSI and CAL herbaria. Finally, in Phase 4 (Months 10–12), the curated dataset will be uploaded to the GBIF portal via IPT under an open-access license, and herbarium staff will be trained on digitization protocols and GBIF data standards to strengthen long-term curatorial capacity.

Institution:

IH Code:

Country:

Target areas:

Applicant First Name/s:

email:

"Other" target:

Noorunnisa

Begum

Applicant Last Name/s: