Preproject 'Swiss Virtual Natural History Collection'

Area of Science:

• Natural History
• Biodiversity Informatics
• Digital Curation

Background:

• Swiss natural history collections are vital but often inaccessible.
• Need for improved research, education, and public engagement with collections.
• Lack of a centralized, digitized access point for Swiss natural history data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve accessibility of Swiss natural history collections.
• To create the Swiss Virtual Natural History Collection (SVNHC) online portal.
• To provide open access to harmonized sample data from Swiss collections.

Main Methods:

• Identification and prioritization of natural history collections for digitization.
• Digitization of collection data.
• Development of technical implementation scenarios for the SVNHC portal.

Main Results:

• Progress in identifying and prioritizing collections for digitization.
• Development of a preliminary study on technical implementation scenarios for the SVNHC.
• Foundation laid for an online portal offering open access to harmonized data.

Conclusions:

• The Swiss Natural History Collection Network (SwissCollNet) is establishing a crucial digital infrastructure.
• The forthcoming Swiss Virtual Natural History Collection (SVNHC) will significantly enhance data accessibility.
• Collaboration and technical planning are key to realizing the full potential of digitized natural history collections.