[Nhcoll-l] Uploading collection catalogs online

Thu Jul 11 13:55:18 EDT 2013

On Thu, 11 Jul 2013 17:20:45 +0000
Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu> wrote:
> The debate over permissive or restrictive use of collection
> information has a history as long as many of our oldest museum
> specimens and stirs strong feelings in many. 

A document on the issue is the "Guide to Best Practices for Generalising Sensitive Species Occurence Data" produced by GBIF. http://www.gbif.org/orc/?doc_id=1233

One thing that I think there is strong consensus on in the community is the need to provide good metadata on what you have done to your data if you do any redaction or fuzzing.  The TDWG DarwinCore terms dwc:dataGeneralizations and dwc:informationWitheld are available for this purpose.  These will let downstream users of your data decide whether or not the data as provided are fit for their uses or not.  

http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#dataGeneralizations

http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#informationWithheld

> Before it is re-engaged
> on this list-serv I would remind folks that Ms. Beas-Moix did not ask
> for philosophical views on the topic, but rather asked a direct
> question.
> 
> Did you clean your data and hide information for particular
> specimens, species or localities?  For example, you may want to block
> access to the geographic coordinates for the locality of an
> endangered species.

At the Harvard University Herbaria, we do.  

We redact specific locality and georeference information for specimens which have determinations as CITES listed taxa.

We do this both on our own web presentation of the data and on the data that we provide to upstream aggregators (where we provide information on data modifications in dwc:dataGeneralizations and dwc:informationWitheld).  

For some examples, see: 

http://kiki.huh.harvard.edu/databases/specimen_search.php?mode=details&id=41601
http://kiki.huh.harvard.edu/databases/dumps.php?mode=genus_dwc&genus=Aa

-Paul

> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Rob Robins
> 
> Robert H. Robins
> Senior Biologist/Collection Manager
> Division of Ichthyology
> 
> Florida Museum of Natural History
> Dickinson Hall, Museum Road
> University of Florida
> Gainesville, FL 32611-7800
> rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu<mailto:rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
> (352) 273-1957
> FAX 352-846-0287
> 
> From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu
> [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Ellen Paul
> Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2013 1:05 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Uploading collection catalogs online
> 
> I beg to differ. I can't speak to taxa other than birds, but there
> are thousands and thousands of recreational birders and wildlife
> photogs around the world who would love to have the coordinates of
> rare species, particularly if taken on nesting grounds (as so many
> are philopatric). And there are problems like the greatly misguided
> reward for proof of a living Ivory-billed Woodpecker. More modern
> records with precise GPS data (as opposed to block and minute) would
> be quite useful in cases like these.
> 
> Ellen
> 
> 
> Ellen Paul
> 
> Executive Director
> 
> The Ornithological Council
> 
> Email: ellen.paul at verizon.net<mailto:ellen.paul at verizon.net>
> 
> "Providing Scientific Information about
> Birds"<http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET>
> 
> http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET"<http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET>
> On 7/11/13 12:54 PM, Doug Yanega wrote:
> On 7/11/13 9:01 AM, Mireia Beas-Moix wrote:
> I have a question for curators who have uploaded their specimen
> records to an online database. Did you clean your data and hide
> information for particular specimens, species or localities?  For
> example, you may want to block access to the geographic coordinates
> for the locality of an endangered species. I've heard this idea (re:
> endangered taxa in databases) voiced repeatedly for at least 20 years
> now, and have found that in reality it rarely makes a difference;
> *most* such species have their distributions well-enough known and
> publicized that there is no new information being offered by putting
> the specimen records online. This includes the fact that a lot of
> specimen records of such taxa are old enough that the species no
> longer occurs where the specimen was found, meaning that not only
> does concealing the data serve no purpose, but it makes it harder for
> researchers using data to track changes in species distributions over
> time. I consider data concealment something that can only be decided
> on a record-by-record basis, with careful thinking about the
> consequences - any "blanket" policy stands to do more harm than good.
> If you're concerned enough, then spend some time googling your taxon
> of interest and SEE for yourself how much detail you can find online
> regarding the distribution - and only be concerned if the information
> in your database would be a significant addition to what is already
> easily available.
> 
> Peace,
> 
> 
> --
> 
> Doug Yanega      Dept. of Entomology       Entomology Research Museum
> 
> Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314     skype: dyanega
> 
> phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
> 
>              http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html<http://cache.ucr.edu/%7Eheraty/yanega.html>
> 
>   "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
> 
>         is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82
> 
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Paul J. Morris
Biodiversity Informatics Manager
Harvard University Herbaria/Museum of Comparative Zoölogy
mole at morris.net  AA3SD  PGP public key available