ICEDIG Deliverable D3.3 - State of the art and perspectives on mass imaging of skins and other vertebrate material

Abstract

The topic of this report is applications of conventional photography and automated imaging for three-dimensional dry collections. No automated imaging solutions were found for these types of specimens which is due to variability of material and complexity of handling these specimens. Due to the variability of object types, shapes and research interest, mass imaging for scientific purposes is not realistic. Imaging labels for data entry and databasing purposes should be achievable. We recommend a process based approach of record creation with minimal data, combined with label imaging. This can be done very rapidly with minimally trained workers. The label images can then be used subsequently, during a separate phase, for data entry. Especially when data entry is partial or includes interpretation, the images provide potential for future use. It also has to be considered if including the specimen in the image adds enough value to justify the extra effort. We also provide decision trees to help design a demand based approach.