The DINA Symposium (“DIgital information system for NAtural history data”, https://dina-project.net) ends with a plenary session involving the audience to discuss the interplay of collection management and software tools. The discussion will touch different areas and issues such as:

(1) Collection management using modern technology:

• How should and could collections be managed using current technology – What is the ultimate objective of using a new collection management system?
• How should traditional management processes be changed?

(2) Development and community

• Why are there so many collection management systems?
• Why is it so difficult to create one system that fits everyone’s requirements?
• How could the community of developers and collection staff be built around DINA project in the future?

(3) Features and tools

• How to identify needs that are common to all collections?
• What are the new tools and technologies that could facilitate collection management?
• How could those tools be implemented as DINA compliant services?

(4) Data

• What data must be captured about collections and specimens?
• What criteria need to be applied in order to distinguish essential and “nice-to-have” information?
• How should established data standards (e.g. Darwin Core & ABCD (Access to Biological Collection Data)) be used to share data from rich and diverse data models?

In addition to the plenary discussion around these questions, we will agree on a streamlined format for continuing the discussion in order to write a white paper on these questions. The results and outcome of the session will constitute the basis of the paper and will be subsequently refined.

discussion, collection management, software development

Falko Glöckler & Markus Englund