Computerization of aquatic resources collections

North Carolina State Museum Of Natural Science, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to the Research and Collections Section of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences (NCSM). Under the direction of Dr. Stephen D. Busack, the museum will augment the computer-based catalogue for its approximately 1.5 million fish and aquatic invertebrates. Most components of NCSM's collections represent recent consolidation of several regional collections from North Carolina and other states, and these components continue to grow significantly each year. NCSM collections are, therefore, a unique resource for documenting regional biodiversity. The completed catalogue will enable rapid and cost-effective collection management operations, greater depth of service to the scientific and regulatory communities, and international sharing of the Museum's data through the worldwide web. In the rapidly developing Southeast, documentation, timely and accurate reporting of the extent and distribution of biodiversity is essential. The Museum's collections focus on the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States and adjacent Atlantic Ocean. Computerized data for fishes currently represent 9415 lots (117,195 specimens). About 40,612 additional lots are only ledger cataloged and 86,000 lots are not cataloged. While 27,000 lots of aquatic invertebrates are computerized, approximately 8800 lots remain in backlog. NCSM Fish and Aquatic Invertebrates collections management staff will verify and upgrade specimen identifications and collection data , add GIS information, and provide the data to computer entry personnel. Data will first be entered into a temporary database and proofed by curatorial staff, and later will be transferred to the permanent database. The NCSM's relational database will provide these GIS-linked data to resource managers and scientists in a timely manner, greatly enhancing the utility and frequency of use of these data for research, environmental management, and education.