LepNet Data Portal: Symbiota
Symbiota [42] serves as our primary data integration platform. Symbiota is presently the most widely used method of data aggregation for the ADBC program (9/14 active TCNs) and provides automated data feeds to iDigBio. The 20+ Symbiota data portals cover the full range of metazoan diversity, so we are exceptionally well positioned to share synthetic data on plant species and their lepidopteran herbivores with unprecedented coverage and interoperability. The LepNet data portal will allow users to: 1) conduct easy, web-based data entry, with each collection retaining autonomy; 2) download entire datasets and map georeferenced records; 3) upload high-resolution images and create species profile pages; 4) design custom species lists for any locality at different spatial scales; 5) develop educational games with data; and 6) create taxonomic keys. One outstanding feature of Symbiota is the ability to create seemingly independent “thematic views” at the front-end, which nevertheless are fully integrated in the underlying back-end database. Hence, a separate LepNet data portal will highlight Lepidoptera data, but will be directly integrated with the 5.1 million record strong SCAN environment presently hosted on the iDigBio server infrastructure. Most LepNet member collections use Symbiota for their data management systems for organizing their specimen records; but other database systems are also used ARCTOS [43], KE-EMu [44], Specify [45], Arthropod Easy Capture [46], and Oracle databases. All 29 LepNet museums that have “collections” established in SCAN either enter data directly into the portal or have IPT connections.
42. Gries, C., E.E. Gilbert, and N.M. Franz, Symbiota – A virtual platform for creating voucher-based biodiversity information communities. Biodiversity data journal, 2014(2): p. e1114-e1114.
43. Arctos, Arctos – Collaborative Collection Management Solution. 2014.
44. KE Software. KE Emu. 2014; Available from: http://emu.kesoftware.com.
45. Specify Software, P., Specify. 2014.
46. Schuh, R.T., Integrating specimen databases and revisionary systematics. ZooKeys, 2012(209): p. 255-67.