Welcome to the forum @Rich87
When GRBio first came into existence, herbaria were told they only needed to keep their IH entry current and the content would transfer to GRBio
The synchronization wasn’t achieved between IH and the original GRBio implementation so GRBio became stale. However, working with IH we have just enabled this synchronization so this is indeed correct from April 2020 onwards. We are also going to migrate the iDigBio catalog data into GRSciColl (GRBio) shortly and then share the data management in a single database through the online administration interface.
Is there a similar thought being suggested in this catalog concept?
Yes. Our thinking is that for each entry we should identify the authoritative source for the core information.
That could include for example:
- Using the IH record as the primary copy (or an alternative designated authority, such as a CETAF / DiSSCo registry)
- Using a metadata document associated with a dataset - many tell us this is the most accurate information
- Allowing an authorized editor to update directly in the catalog through web forms
- Working with collection management software developers so the entry is maintained directly
While this covers the core information (descriptions, staff etc) supplementary information such as citations, data use, indexes of specimens could then be linked to enhance the catalog. We have a sketch of how this could be displayed in an online catalog.
We’d welcome your thoughts on this approach.