Research Spotlight: May 2021
The Guatemala Biodiversity Portal, a national digitization effort using Symbiota
Contributed by Samanta Orellana
Symbiota
Discover new functionality in the SCAN Portal with the Terrestrial Parasite Tracker TCN
Join Neil Cobb and the Terrestrial Parasite Tracker TCN for a webinar on mobilizing arthropod data through the SCAN Portal.
Symbiota Checklist Webinar
Symbiota Checklist Webinar, Wednesday 27 March, 2019 1:00-2:00 (eastern time zone)
To understand the ocean - we need to get wet
by Deborah Paul (iDigBio), Gustav Paulay (UF, FLMNH) from #DigIn Workshop
Symbiota2
Title: Symbiota2
Speakers: Curtis Dyreson, Ben Brandt, and Will Pearse
Date: Wednesday 5/9/2018
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time
Location: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/room
Curtis Dyreson, Ben Brandt, and Will Pearse will review the major goals for the Symbiota2 software project.
1) Provide RESTful web services so that data can be easily incorporated into a scientific workflow,
Webinar: Symbiota Data Cleaning Tools
Symbiota Data Cleaning Tools
Speaker: Anne Barber
Date: Monday 4/23/2018
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time
Location: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/room
Webinar: The OregonFlora Portal
Title: The OregonFlora Portal
Speaker: Linda Hardison
Date: Wednesday 4/25/2018
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time
Location: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/room
Linda Hardison will demonstrate the novel ways they are using the Symbiota platform to package information for gardeners, ecologists, restorationists, and policy makers about the plants of Oregon. (The new portal display will be operational before the webinar).
Webinar: Documenting the Ethnobiology of Mexico and Central America (DEMCA)
Title: Documenting the Ethnobiology of Mexico and Central America (DEMCA)
Speaker: Jonathan Amith
Date: Wednesday 3/14/2018
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time
Location: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/room
Webinar: A new GenBank Submission Tool in Symbiota
Title: A new GenBank Submission Tool in Symbiota
Speaker: Andy Miller
Date: Thursday 3/8/2018
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern Time
Location: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/room
Andy will review the new GenBank Sequence Submission Tool module linking specimen data and genetic data.
Symbiota Webinar Series: Spatial Module II
Title: Spatial Module II
Speaker: Ben Brandt
Date: 10/28/2017
Time:11:00am-12:00pm Eastern Time
Location: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/room
Symbiota Webinar Series: Spatial Module I
Title: Spatial Module I
Speaker: Ben Brandt
Date: 10/11/2017
Time:11:00am-12:00pm Eastern Time
Location: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/room
Outline
Symbiota webinar: Linking Genetic Data to and from Symbiota portals
The iDigBio Symbiota Working Group would like to invite you to:
Linking Genetic Data to and from Symbiota portals - Andrew Miller (MiCC) December 16, 2016 from 3-4pm EST
An overview of how to add genetic data to records in Symbiota portals and how to use the LinkOut feature in GenBank to link back to these records.
Symbiota webinar: Creating and using taxonomic keys
The iDigBio Symbiota Working Group would like to invite you to:
Creating and using taxonomic keys - Scott Bates (Purdue University) October 21, 2016 from 3-4pm EST
Symbiota software includes a fully integrated system for dynamic keying that includes a suite of tools for key character development. In this SWG webinar, dynamic keying within Symbiota portals will be demonstrated, and an overview of key character creation will be presented.
Symbiota webinar: Creating and maintaining checklists
The iDigBio Symbiota Working Group would like to invite you to:
Creating and maintaining checklists - Steven Buckley (US National Park Service) September 16, 2016 from 3-4pm EST
An overview of the checklist feature used in Symbiota portals including creating and managing checklists, searching for and associating vouchers, downloading data and managing checklist conflicts, and using the parent-child checklist functions for aggregating data.
SPNHC 2016 One Collection: pathways to integration
Berlin, the Museum for Naturkunde, and Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum proved to be an engaging setting for SPNHC 2016. Conference attendees packed the conference rooms and exhibit hall of the andel’s Hotel in Friedrichshain.
Symbiota Working Group Webinar : Webinar Request
A webinar focused on the most popular request(s) from the webinar participants and the Symbiota Working Group members.
Symbiota Working Group Webinar : Crowdsourcing – Mari Roberts (MaCC)
An overview of the Symbiota crowdsourcing features for establishing, performing, and reviewing crowdsourced data from both the volunteer and portal manager perspectives.
Symbiota Working Group Webinar : Georeferencing – Anne Barber (SCAN)
A walkthrough of the process of batch-georeferencing specimens in Symbiota portals using Geolocate and Google Maps as well as the sharing of tips and tricks.
Symbiota Working Group Webinar : Transcription – Julianne Smith (LBCC)
A walkthrough of the full occurrence record form used in Symbiota portals including defining terms, navigating the image display, and the general protocol for transcribing Stage 1 records into Stage 2 records with the assistance of OCR and NLP.
Symbiota Working Group Webinar : Record Creation – Michael Denslow (SERNEC)
An overview of methods used in Symbiota portals for creating skeletal (Stage 1) records and transcribed (Stage 2) occurrence records.
Webinar: Variations on the theme of tracking loans, gifts, sampling, and more
RECORDING available here: http://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/p79nl3ak8x8/
Presentations and Recording available from the DMIG Wiki: https://www.idigbio.org/wiki/index.php/Data_Management_Interest_Group
Symbiota Webinar: Bugs in my Taxonomic Trees
Ed Gilbert will host a webinar on Thursday February 12, 11AM (MST) introducing taxonomic tree functions using Symbiota in the SCAN portal http://symbiota4.acis.ufl.edu/scan/portal/index.php. Prior to the webinar please review SCAN Taxonomy Recommended Practices.
The Value of the Symbiota Portal and Database for Small Collections
15 December 2014
2:00-3:00 p.m. EST
Virtual meeting place: https://idigbio.adobeconnect.com/scnet
The Value of the Symbiota Portal and Database for Small Collections
Presenter: Ed Gilbert, Arizona State University
Symbiota Training: Checklist and Voucher Management
Interested in learning how to create and manage species checklists within a Symbiota portal? If so, join us on Wednesday morning for the next Symbiota webinar. This online training session will cover step-by-step instructions on how to create new species lists for any given area, linking specimen vouchers as proof of occurrence, and how to make use of the voucher management tool box to manage the list over time. See below for details on when and where to meet.
When: Wednesday, Sept 3, 9am - 10am Pacific Time (12pm-1pm EDT)
Symbiota training session: introduction to specimen management
Interested in learning more about the option of managing specimen data within a Symbiota portal? If so, join the Digitization Interest Group on Wednesday morning for an online training session that will provide an introduction to specimen management within a Symbiota portal.
When: Wednesday, August 27, 9-10am Pacific Time (12-1pm EDT)
Lichens, Bryophytes and Climate Change (LBCC): Online training - Crowdsourcing Topics
LBCC online training - Crowdsourcing Topics: 
Lichens, Bryophytes and Climate Change (LBCC): Online training
LBCC online training - General Intro and Data EntryTopics:
Entomologists Gather for Insect Digitization Workshop in Chicago
Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) turned out to be the perfect venue for iDigBio’s April 23–25 (2013) Dried Insect Digitization workshop. Overlooking Grant Park and the Chicago lakefront, FMNH provided an exceptionally attractive and hospitable environment with outstanding amenities. About 50 entomologists and digitization professionals from the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom attended, bringing together a diverse assemblage of knowledge and skill to address the complex job of digitizing pinned insect collections.
Biological Collections Databases, Tools, and Data Publication Portals
Launching a biological collections digitization program requires careful selection of a database management system, portal option, aggregator, and associated data enrichment tools. Numerous database systems, data publication portals, and other productivity tools are in use across the collections community, all of which vary in cost, installation requirements, storage methods, approaches to data processing, and other important features. iDigBio has begun the process of reviewing the various systems, tools, and data portals in current use, with the goal of building an annotated list of available products. Our reviews include brief descriptions of features, installation and maintenance requirements, cost, ease of use, and other components that collections managers might find useful when evaluating them for fitness. We include a wide range of products in the list, each of which fits one or more categories as denoted in the parenthetical entries immediately below the product name.
