NSW Collections Database - concept model

Barry J. Conn
Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
barry.conn@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

2002

Summary

In 1998, a review of the plant databases at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney indicated that there were over 100 discrete, unlinked accession databases that were used to manage the collections and research programs of the agency. The Collection Data Specification project was initiated to document and describe the data fields required by the Gardens so that an effective accession-based record management system could be developed. This research project developed a single, integrated database system that incorporates ecological site records with herbarium voucher records and living collections data. The entire review process was web-based so that all staff, external users and stakeholders were able to contribute directly to the development of the new system. This web-access enabled twenty-three International database-design specialists from within Australia and Overseas to provide critical comments as part of a peer-review process.

This paper present a series of simplified concept diagrams of the new database (NSW Collections).
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OVERALL STRUCTURAL DIAGRAM

The major elements of the NSW Collections database include:

1. Objects - physical objects held by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney (either herbarium or living collections) or virtual objects (either floristic survey records or digital images of actual objects). In NSW Collections, the object records are controlled by the Catalogue module.
2. Agents (collectors or observers) associated with the objects. In NSW Collections, the agent records are controlled by the Parties module.
3. Information recorded by the agents, at the time of collection or observation
4. Plant Name of the object, either supplied by the collector of observer and/or supplied or modified by subsequent agents. In NSW Collections, the Plant Name records are controlled by the Taxonomy module.
5. Collection management system, namely NSW Collections, that maintains the information
6. PlantNET - a Web-based information system for presenting information from the database to external users.

 CONTENTS

COLLECTION OBJECT

There are different types of object (Kind of Collection).. These include actual objects, such as an herbarium voucher or a living collection garden specimen, or virtual objects, such as a photographic image or survey unvouchered information. The object has certain attributes (Specimen Attributes). For example, it includes descriptors of the reproductive status of a plant at the time of collection. A record identifier is frequently applied to an object by the collector/observer and is always applied to the electronic record, by the NSW Collections, as an internal record number. In NSW Collections, the object is controlled by the Catalogue module.
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ROLE OF AGENT

In NSW Collections, the agent (as controlled by the Parties module) has many possible roles. The agent may refer to an agency (Institution or a collective group of agents) or it may refer to an individual or individuals acting independently, such as, collector(s), verifier(s)/identifier(s) or author(s).
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PLANT NAME

The plant name has several components. In NSW Collections:
1. The scientific and vernacular names, including status of name, are controlled by the Taxonomy module
2. The authority/author of the scientific and vernacular names is managed by the Parties module
3. References to the name are managed by the Bibliography module

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INFORMATION RECORDED

The agent, either as an observer or collector (of a physical object - Collection Object) provide information to the database about the object or event. The information provided includes spatial (Spatial Data) and habitat (Habitat) data about the observation- or collection site, plus information about the observed or collected plant (habit - Plant Attributes). In NSW Collections,  spatial data is managed by the Sites module, whereas habitat, plant attributes and role of the agent are managed by the Catalogue module.
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COLLECTION MANAGEMENT

The NSW Collections database manages the information about the object (Collection Object), including information managed by the Catalogue and other modules. The database also manages transactional information, particularly information associated with horticultural plants in the Gardens and the movement of material through the loan and exchange (including sale and gift) programs.

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WEB-BASED INFORMATION (PlantNET)

The presentation of information via the internet is managed through the PlantNET application. The information is mostly taxon-based (hence managed through the Taxonomy module. However, access to accession-based information (from the Catalogue module) is also accessible via the web (through PlantNET and Australia's Virtual Herbarium project).

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