Projects
Collection networks become more valuable if they integrate data from collections with a common focus, whether regional, taxonomic, or functional. Symbiota networks sites can have multiple portals, each with its own focus, homepage, URL, and contributors, all of which can access all the network’s resources. The projects described below are in active development.
Herbarium network for Pakistan
Pakistan currently has 32 herbaria, several of which are, or about to start, contributing to OpenHerbarium. The emphasis to date has been on contributing collection records and adding updated accounts from the Flora of Pakistan to the network. Keys from the Flora, some updated, are being posted to KeyBase. Taxa in these keys are linked to dynamic taxon pages that present maps based on records OpenHerbarium.
Herbarium network for Northeast Africa
Eight herbaria in Northeast Africa have expressed interest in digitizing and sharing their specimen data. Some have already digitized many of their specimens, others have not yet started the process. Other interested herbaria should contact Mary Barkworth. The project’s current focus is on promoting data sharing and demonstrating its value via OpenHerbarium for herbaria using different digitization software and different taxonomic treatments.