nhmj-ij-collections-20181205

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 8,549 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Please be aware, this is an old version of the dataset.  Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Campbell K, Cross S (2018): nhmj-ij-collections-20181205. v1.2. Institute of Jamaica. Dataset/Occurrence. https://cloud.gbif.org/bid/resource?r=nhmj-ij-collections-20181205&v=1.2

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Institute of Jamaica. To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: d82eaca8-005a-4002-817c-70c1d2d4b5db.  Institute of Jamaica publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Inter American Biodiversity Information Network.

Keywords

Occurrence; Flora; Jamaica; Natural History; Botany; Specimen; Mounted; Herbarium

Contacts

Geographic Coverage

The range is the island of Jamaica which is located within the Greater Antilles. The island is the second smallest within the Greater Antilles and rich in biodiversity.

Temporal Coverage

Project Data

Access to relevant data and information is critical for conservation of Jamaican biodiversity, especially in light of habitat destruction, invasive alien species (IAS) and climate change. The Natural History Museum of Jamaica (NHMJ) as the national repository of flora and fauna has been instrumental in generating and providing access to Jamaican biodiversity data and information. Its mission is to collect and preserve biodiversity, conduct scientific research and disseminate information to the general public and conservation practitioners. Our biological collections, the oldest and most comprehensive locally, represent all habitat types for Jamaica. Much of our Science Library’s rare books, scientific papers, images and maps complement the biological collections. Referencing these collections, the NHMJ has worked with national project partners (National Environment and Planning Agency and Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust) to develop national conservation strategies and action plans, and protected area management plans. Furthermore, Jamaica’s wildlife research permit system requires that researchers deposit duplicate specimens with the Museum. By enabling national partners along with overseas partner, the Natural History Museum in London, to strengthen collaborative ties and technical resources this project will improve biodiversity knowledge and access to scientific data. Key activities include training in the digitization of publications and specimens, creation of metadata for biological datasets, mapping of research and species distributions, and global sharing of species images, records, and maps. The proposed Biodiversity Information for National Development workshop is intended to highlight the uses of project data for especially IAS management, National Park planning and wildlife research monitoring.

The personnel involved in the project:

Sampling Methods

Specimens were collected using standard methods in the field utilizing secateurs and plant presses. These collections were for general collecting to expand the national collections, specific collections for projects focusing on a specie, genus, family, group or combinations thereof.

Method step description:

1. Specimen selection is carried out first with Jamaican specimens with complete label data being referred to specimens with incomplete label data. These specimens are removed from the general collections. Each specimen is barcode assigned a barcode which was generated by using a modified Google Spread Sheet. The barcodes are the affixed to the specimens. The barcodes are scanned into the Specify database and the record is associated with the barcode number. The label data is then transcribed from the label and entered into the relevant fields within the database. The specimen is also imaged using a Canon EOS 5DS R digital SLR camera and a customized light box. Barcode filer software then assigns the barcode as the image filename. The image is then processed using the XnConverter software which facilitates the rotation, resizing and cropping of the images which are then stored in a new folder as processed images. The image is then linked to the Specify record and appears in the database in the relevant window. The specimen is then moved through steps of verification where the inputted data is cross checked with the label data. Other cleaning exercises are also carried out including formatting, name verification through the GBIF Tool, conversion of measurements (e.g. coordinates and altitude) and standardization of collector names and authorities. A system set up is done internally in Specify to accommodate data export. Information such as the Institution code, copyright and collection description are inserted. An internal Schema configuration is also set up to facilitate the export of the data in a format compatible with the GBIF platform. The Darwin Core standards and vocabulary used to generate a new mapping within Specify. The mapping is specific to the dataset being targeted for export. Unique identifiers are also generated within Specify and once all the desired fields are selected and mapped the data are exported as a text file and ready for upload to the GBIF IPT platform.

Collection Data

Additional Metadata