Digitization of natural heritage

in Estonia

Vallo Mulk

Deputy Director, NATARC Project Manager

Tartu University Natural History Museum Valencia I 01/02/2017

General Estonian nature and biodiversity information

Country area 45,000 km2

Population size 1,286,479 inhabitants (2014) 0,15 % of EU population (494 mln)Population density 28.59 inhabitants/km2 EU 112 in/km2 = 5 times more dense

Land area by type: 50% forest, 17% pastures, 14% arable land, 7% water bodies, 7% wetlands, 5% artificial and semi-natural areas

Five national parks, 152 nature reserves and 153 landscape conservation areas, 343 protection sites and 1386 protected species habitats. In addition, there are 89 protected areas with outdated protection regulation, 532parks and 1234 single natural objects (stones, caves, trees, springs etc.) under protection.

In total, 18.1% or 610 000 hectares of Estonia’s land area are protected nature areas, plus 110 000 ha of aquatic areas.Estonia is host to an estimated 23,300 species of animals and plants. This number represents 15% of the total species described for Europe, including 732 IUCN Red List category species (12% of EU Red List species)

Natura 2000 network: Birds Directive: 66 areas, Habitats Directive: 531 sites, total area: 14590 km2

Most species observed in 1 m2 in Europe: 76 (2013; wooded meadow)

Major NH digitization actors and databases

2015 data Size of collection % in database annual ext. visits annual ext. loans

University of Tartu NHM 1 152 000 55 107 484 (6000)

Estonian University of Life Sciences 1 255 447 55 136 400

Tallinn University of Technology 580 700 50 100 1500

Estonian NHM 300 800 90 28 74

Tallinn Botanical Garden 300 000 100 11 313

Tallinn University (arheo-zoo)* ~1 000 000 2 20 60

• Funds invested (last 5 years, ICT + construction): 4,8 mln eur (NATARC, FP7 and H2020, Interreg etc)• annual permanent state funding estimated at 0,7 mln eur • Additional funds from education and environmental awareness projects

Digitization of natural heritage for educational and public purposes

EELIS (Estonian Nature Information System) is the primary database for the National Nature Conservation RegistryCurrently about 400 000 observations and descriptions.Data from species and habitats’ observations and inventory reports, managed and updated by the Environmental Agency, Environmental Board, Ministry of Environment and other designated users.

The national nature long-term observation programme includes „Biodiversity and landscapes observation“, data from the yearly reports is added to EELIS;

The Plant Atlas project – PlutoF data combined with long-term plant observations data and field work:whole country’s plant list inventory in 540 squares of 9x11 km, then published in web atlas (in PlutoF).

The government outside of the state-owned Estonian NHM has no physical natural history collections. Certain protected species are kept frozen in regional nature centres, to be given to museums or research.

• Mobile app for Citizen Science (nature observations-photos):https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ee.elus.lva#details-reviews

• Estonia 100 herbarium – Citizen Science project (pilot for public schools in 2017).

Digitization for scientific purposes

Estonian research infrastructures roadmap „Natural history archives and information network (NATARC)“ develops services related to hosting and computing of scientific repositories and data archives. Services are addressed to scientists of the whole world, but also to teachers, students, nature conservationists, government officials, organizations and others.

PlutoF platform – hosting biodiversity databases number of users: 2800 countries: 73eElurikkus – portal of Estonian biodiversity (scientific and citizen science) 660000 visits/year

SARV – hosting Estonia’s Earth sciences databases, with a Portal of Estonian geological collections

Joint „Multimedia Lab“ for digitizing botanical and zoological collections, average workload 100 000 specimens/year for scanner (since 2012), microscopes 400 per year

Estonian Environmental Observatory – a network of land, sea and air measurement field research stations

• Mobile app „My Naturesound“ –recording nature observations, linked to PlutoF• Online field work tool for observations and traits in development

• European Biological Observatory Network EU-BON - developing methods for Citizen Science

Challenges and opportunities

• Government and scientific biodiversity databases do not support (live) data exchange

• Different standards for metadata, collection management principles and database structures

• No additional funding for large scale digitization works (approx. 45% of total specimens in natural heritage collections are not digitized)

• Government databases are somewhat fragmented. In many fields long-term observation data is stored on paper reports and books, and more recently in partiallu compatible Excel and Access databases

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• A new 2018 European Research Infrastucture (ESFRI) roadmap proposal in development – DiSSCo

• NHM collection databases connected with public biodiversity portals and exhibition websites (digital museums)

• Joint management of government and scientific biodiversity information databases

• PlutoF’s development as a global biodiversity data management and research toolTutorials: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3yjaFyE9SDzm-4QCkDrlTg

PlutoF biodiversity workbench and database

Thank you for attention!

Prepared by: Mr. Vallo Mulk

======================================

Tartu University Natural History Museum

Tartu, Estonia

vallo.mulk@ut.ee

https://plutof.ut.ee/

Digitization of war graves

in Estonia

Ülle Kraft

Researcher

Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum Valencia I 01/02/2017

Database of Estonian war graves

- Created according to Law of war gravesprotection in 2011

- Allows make queries about war graves in Estonia

- Requires personal identification- Assistance provided for non-citizens- Created under the National Registry of

Cultural Monuments- About 1500 records (from over 10 000

graves total)

Information aboutwar grave

- Persons name

- Birth time and place

- Death time and place

- Location on themap

- Picture of grave

Location on the Google map

Location in the Estonian Land Board’s map app

Thank you for attention!

Prepared by: Ülle Kraft

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Estonian War Museum- General Laidoner Museum

Mõisa tee 1

Viimsi

Estonia