Small Collections Grant
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Digitization of the botanical specimens of the Universidad de Sonora herbarium (USON) as a complementary task to improve its online database.
Mexico
Database, Digitally image
Cost (USD):
2000
USON
Universidad de Sonora
Objective:
Setting up a photographic station to digitize the specimens of the USON herbarium, and to start the digitization of the herbarium specimens and later upload them to the online database of the Red de Herbarios del Noroeste de México portal http://www.herbanwmex.net.
Timetable:
Month 0 - month 1: Purchase of photographic equipment.
Month 1 - month 1.5: Setting up the photographic station
Month 1.5 - month 11.5: Digitization of 5,000 herbarium specimens.
Month 11.5 - month 12: Delivery of the final report.
Scoring Rubric
Reviewer's name:
Collection Improvement (max. 120 points)
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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.
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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.
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Curating specimens (e.g., updating families, species identification, identifying types) – up to 20 points.
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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.
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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)
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Match between the proposed budget and methods for the aims described – up to 10 points.
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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.
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Sharing duplicate specimens with other herbaria – up to 10 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
Broader Impacts (max. 40 points)
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Degree of regional importance of the collection or the taxonomic importance of the targeted collection – up to 10 points.
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The project will yield durable benefits (specimens, digitized metadata, databases, websites) – up to 15 points.
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The project involves outreach/mentoring and broad dissemination – up to 15 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
Year of last successful SCG application:
Has applicant applied for SCG before?:
Plan:
Funds are being requested to buy the necessary photographic equipment (camera and lens) as well as an illuminated copy stand.
Currently, the herbarium of the University of Sonora (USON) has about 28,000 specimens. Considering this project as a starting point, upon completion we will obtain 5000 high quality images of specimens that will be also uploaded to the corresponding records on the Red de Herbarios del Noroeste de México portal (RHNM).
Each herbarium specimen has unique characteristics in terms of shape, relief and colors, so it is necessary to make light and focus adjustments in each of the shots. It is also essential to have a proper handling of each one of them to avoid damaging them and maintain the order of the collection. For this project we have a herbarium assistant who would take the photographs of the specimens.
It is also necessary that each of the photographs be taken in RAW format, which is a digital negative or raw file that is used to obtain the highest quality, fidelity and resolution in an image. These types of files require digital development, and for that we have a license of specialized software such as Skylum Luminar 4, where adjustments to focus, saturation, white balance, textures, crops, among others, are made, so the post-production stage is crucial to obtain optimal results. Each RAW file will be converted to JPG format before be uploaded to the RHNM portal.
Institution:
IH Code:
Country:
Target areas:
Applicant First Name/s:
email:
"Other" target:
Jose Jesus Sanchez-Escalante
Applicant Last Name/s: