iDigBio Update for 2016
Dear iDigBio Enthusiasts,
Featured
Research Spotlight: January 2017
TDWG 2016: Highlights for biodiversity research
-- Contributed by Shelley James & Libby Ellwood, iDigBio
The Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) annual meeting in 2016 had the theme of "Standards Supporting Innovation in Biodiversity and Conservation". Understanding the use of biodiversity standards, and having clear and concise documentation, is essential for the creation, aggregation and downstream use of biodiversity data, and it is exciting to see the diverse TDWG community helping to clarify and expand on the already existing data standards. Read more here.
IBC2017: Call for abstracts
Green digitization: online botanical collections data answering real-world questions
An iDigBio-hosted Symposium at the XIX International Botanical Congress in Shenzhen, China
SPNHC 2017: Call for Abstracts
The Society for Preservation of Natural History Collection's (SPNHC) 2017 Conference, "The Next Generation in Best Practices" is being held in Denver, Colorado, from June 18 - 24, 2017, hosted by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Denver Botanic Gardens.
WeDigBio 2016
Contributed by Libby Ellwood and Austin Mast (iDigBio-Florida State University).
Incorporating K-12 Outreach into Digitized Collections Programs Workshop
Opening up Behavioral Data
Mike Webster (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) and Gil Nelson (iDigBio)
Second Update: Inaugural Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, 5-6 June 2017, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Second Update: Inaugural Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, 5-6 June 2017, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Conference sponsors include iDigBio, the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, the University of Michigan Herbarium, and the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology.
Georeferencing and visualizing biodiversity data for research
Contributed by Deborah Paul (iDigBio – FSU), Shelley James (iDigBio- UF)
ADBC Summit 2016
The Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections Annual Summit, hosted by iDigBio, took place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at 
Understanding iDigBio's data downloads
Research Spotlight: December 2016
Contributed by-- Matthew Collins, Dan Stoner, and Alex Thompson
Downloaded data from iDigBio serve as a base for important biodiversity research. It is important to understand how to interpret the way data are represented in the Darwin Core Archives (DwC-A) that you retrieve from our download system either through the portal or the download API. For more information about our data processes and how to use our data, feel free to email idigbio@acis.ufl.edu.
Update: Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, 5-6 June 2017
Data Without Borders Symposium at XXV International Congress of Entomologists ICE 2016
by Deb Paul
Fossil 0’s and 1’s: Databases, Standards, & Mobilization
International Congress of Entomology
iDigBio had a blast at ICE XXV International Congress of Entomology, held September 25-30, in Orlando, Florida.. The event brought together thousands of scientists from around the world under the theme “Entomology without Borders.” iDigBio staff participated in two symposia, the Insect Expo, and hosted the iDigBio booth in the ICE Exhibit Hall.
October 2016 Biodiversity Spotlight
The Bowfin (Amia calva)
Cleared and stained Bowfin, Amia calva UF# 18751 collected in Alachua County, 1970. Photo by Zachary Randall.
Ghost Towns in MyCoPortal I:Nuttallburg and Lawrence William Nuttall
Contributed by: Teresa Iturriaga, Rhianna Baldree, Alex Kuhn, Andrew N. Miller
University of Illinois, Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820-6970
We forget because remembering everything is impossible.
We also forget because remembering can be painful and raise too many questions that have no clear answers.
Such is the case regarding many ghost towns. They remind us of the transience of everything.
iDigBio Joins OBFS for a Workshop at its Annual Meeting
Research Spotlight: November 2016
Mapping Life – Quality Assessment of Novice vs. Expert Georeferencers
-- Contributed by Elizabeth R. Ellwood, Florida State University, with Henry L. Bart, Jr., Michael H. Doosey, Dean K. Jue, Justin G. Mann, Gil Nelson, Nelson Rios, Austin R. Mast
Citizen scientists participate in a host of activities that advance scientific research. These individuals are not trained scientists, but their contributions to research enable scientists to scale up their research across taxa and geographies. Read more here.
Research Spotlight: October 2016
Bees, bees and more bees - or are there? Monitoring the status of US bee populations using biological collections.
-- Contributed by Jillian Goodwin, iDigBio, interviewing Sam Droege, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Sam Droege heads the USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab based at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Maryland, and is working with other researchers to assess the status of bees nationwide.
September 2016 Biodiversity Spotlight
Images courtesy of Invertebrate Paleontology Division, Yale Peabody Museum
iDigBio Retreat 2016
iDigBio’s fourth annual retreat was held on August 26, 2016. The event was held at Camp Weed in Live Oak, FL, which was conveniently located midway between UF and FSU. The retreat provided an opportunity for the diverse staff at iDigBio to celebrate the past year’s accomplishments, develop plans for the future, and get to know one another better.
ESA 2016: Leveraging the Power of Biodiversity Specimen Data for Ecological Research
Research Spotlight: September 2016
Using island biogeography to investigate a weird and scenic landscape in southern Idaho
-- Contributed by Katie Peterson, PhD Student, Parent Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho
I am currently a third year PhD student at the University of Idaho in the Parent Lab. The Parent Lab studies the biodiversity and evolution of organisms that have recently colonized novel, “blank slate”, environments on islands....read more here.
Digital Data in Paleontological Research Workshop
August 2016 Biodiversity Spotlight
Tragopogon mirus (the Remarkable Goatsbeard)
Photo courtesy of the Florida Museum of Natural History Photography Department
iDigBio Hosts Workshop on Biodiversity Research Methods at Botany 2016 in Savannah, GA
For the third straight year, iDigBio hosted a full-day workshop on research methods using digitized herbarium specimen data at the annual Botany conference (Botany 2016, Savannah, GA), sponsored by the Botanical Society of America and its affiliated societies. After successful workshops on Georeferencing (
Island Biology and iDigBio - expanding the role of biological specimens in evolution, ecology, and island conservation research
Research Spotlight: August 2016
Preserving historic bee specimens to protect future bee biodiversity
-- Contributed by Joan Meiners, PhD Student, Ernest Lab, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida
For my PhD research in Dr. Morgan Ernest's lab at the University of Florida, I am using large datasets of occurrence records of native bees and their habitat associations to try to understand native bee biodiversity and foraging patterns...read more here.
Save the Date: Inaugural Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, 5-6 June 2017
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