Natural history museums and cyberspace C. Weminer, M. E~xon-Stanford aiad A. L. Gardner

‘The nzuseunzs bave been reincanzated in electronic form.’So say three e@erts from the Smithsonian Institution, who describe how the latest technologies are plunging the museum straight into the heart of the battle to safeguard biodiversity. Chris Wemmer is associate director for Coizseivation of the SmittJsoniaii Institution’s Conservation and Research Center, a 1,255 hectare breeding and research facility of the National Zoological Park. Mignon Erixon-Stanford is the Smitlxonian ’s Internet co-ordinator andplays a major role in web development, sojlware management, programming and teaching. A. L. Gardner is a IuildlijÎe biologist with the United States Department of the Interior’s National Biological Service and stationed in the National Museum of Natural History where he is curator of No?-tb American mammals.

The authors thank Drs Wayne Mathis and Michael Stuewe, as well as Lee Woodman, Carl C. Hansen, and Joe Russo for information and helpful suggestions.

ISSN 1350-0775, Museum International O UNESCO 1996

(UNESCO, Paris),

The computer age stands to change the world in ways never imagined, even in science fiction; and with each new develop- ment, technology offers greater potential to access and use knowledge on a new scale of time and efficiency. Tropical ecologist Dan Janzen observed, ‘For the frst time in human history, there are the opportunities, and the beginnings, of open and massive intra- and inter-society flows of biodiversity informa- tion, something that was alluded to through “publication” but in fact not even minimally achieved as compared to what is to come.’l Are the world’s natural history museums prepared to seize the electronic opportuni- ties on their doorstep?

The modem natural history museum can boast a pedigree of classical ancestry going back to Zeus’ nine daughters - the muses who disclosed to mortals the magic of the arts and the mysteries of science. Even today, the classical legacy can be deci- phered clearly from architectural features, which impart a sense of the ecclesiastical. And not surprisingly, museums are often perceived to exist in a time warp, as institu- tional dinosaurs, ornate but out of context, as reliquaries celebrating objects of the past and faraway places. Museum curators, like scientists in general, have been popularly portrayed as the ultimate ‘nerds’ in pursuit of the esoteric and monastically insulated from society. In a time of shrinking budgets, the value of museum science has even been questioned by the giants, for example, the British Museum, where the winds of change are claimed by some to have swept the galleries clear of scholarship.2

What greater tragedy could befall research museums than loss of support when the significance of biodiversity is being cel- ebrated as the key to saving the earth‘s biological wealth? Ironically, while those who study nature in museums -systematists - can be counted as sympathetic to nature, No. 190 (Vol. No. 2,1996)

they appear to be silent about its conserva- tion. The problem is that many visitors leave the museum believing that nature and exotic culture are alive and well, that the earth’s natural wonders continue to flourish in splendid isolation. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Biological diversity is threatened by a multitude of processes and factors, overt and insidious, direct and hidden, and the museum that fails to make that point also fails its responsibility to society. A natural history museum’s respon- sibility is to educate visitors about the natu- ral world, its interrelationships, how it func- tions, and what factors promote, sustain and damage it.

In an era of inevitable and accelerating change, what is the relevance of museums to life on earth? The golden days of Victo- rian natural history are gone, and the challenges to museums have undergone a paradigm shift. One expert observes that ‘natural history museums are at a tuming point in their history. They can now play a central and critical role in the development of research leading towards . . . conserva- tion of bi~diversity.’~

The museums have been reincarnated in electronic form, and in the following para- graphs we discuss their application for education and research, as well as other means by which natural history museums can play a greater role in dealing with the biodiversity crisis.

Computer access to research coiiections

The microcomputer is pre-empting the ledger and file card as a means of maintaining specimen information. Major museums around the world are entering their collec- tion holdings into computer databases. The task is tedious, but the rewards are great. #

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C. Wemnaer, M. Erkon-Stanford and A. L. Gardner

Native American basketware dernonstrates the szrccessfid application of bar-coding to label and reference an extensive collection.

Such databases greatly increase collection accessibility to researchers and educators. With the aid of electronic image scanners and bar coding, electronically capturing basic information on collection holdings is no longer a daunting task for the collection manager, and no longer must the researcher visit the museum in order to pour through the files or cabinets for information on labels. Using computers, inventory databases can be quickly searched by region, country, collector, or species, and the information can be transmitted electronically to the specialist in a neighboring city or on the other side of the world. If a requesting user does not have access to e-mail, a printed copy can be received by post. In addition, the compact disc now gives museum users the possibility of viewing archival materials and delicate objects without having to han- dle the specimens. Vast numbers of photo- graphic images can be digitally stored on CDs, for use by researchers and educators.

Computerizing collections is still a time- consuming challenge for any museum with extensive holdings. Imagine the time re- quired to computer catalogue the Smithsonian’s insect collection, which num- bers 33 müiion specimens. With such an enormous collection the first step was to develop a comprehensive species inventory for the identified specimens. To deal with specific information on specimens, several orders have been selected for a pilot project, and all new material is bar-coded as it is accessioned into +e collection. Active col- lections have large fleets of specimens in various stages of curation. Unidentifiedspeci- mens have to be sorted into higher taxa down to families, and fha!!y generii and

species. Since the process leading to species determinations can take years, a profiie system was established to identlEj where specimens, batches, and regional sub-col- lections reside within the successional proc- ess of curation. The museum’s fish collec- tion, on the other hand, numbers a mere 500,000 lots (a lot can be a single specimen, or two or more catalogued under one number). Computerization of the fish col- lection began in the 1970s and has evolved in pace with an ever-changing technology. Nearly 240,000 lots have been catalogued in the past two and a half decades. The most expedient solution to the dilemma of ‘where to start’ is to computerize all new accessions and to capture data retrospectively from previous work as time permits.

Species exist in geographic space, andtradi- tionally systematists have relied upon maps based on localities vouchered by specimens to.plot the distribution of taxa. Whatever form a distribution map may ultimately take, it is an axiom of good science that it must be based on discrete localized samples. Geo- graphic Information Systehs (GIS) are there- fore a vital electronic means of plotting geographic data. ‘GIS should be an integral part of the collection management system’: and not simply a post-analytic tool for the generation of range maps. The advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) is another electronic invention which is now making it possible to pinpoint collecting sites while in the field with minimal effort. By communi- cating with satellites, these hand-carried devices secure exact co-ordinates of their geographic location.

.Sharing expertise electronically

A small but growing legion of biologists and parataxonomists in the developing world are seeking technical assistance from the museum and academic communities.

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Natural history museums and cyberspace

Museums are not designed to deal with environmental crises, and while few sys- tematists consider themselves conserva- tion practitioners, their expertise is in de- mand by those working in the trenches of conservation. The need is not one to which museums should turn a deaf ear. The crusade to inventory the biota of protected tropical areas, the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI), requires accurate spe- cies identifications and descriptions of new species of a wide range of taxa; the de- mand is greatest for plants and insects. The problem is that identification services can- not be provided on the scale needed. Taxonomists are a limited commodity and many have neither the time nor persuasion to provide such services at the level needed. Incentive systems of museums and univer- sities rarely reward specialists for providing identification services. Together with philo- sophical and organizational modifications, electronic technology offers several solu- tions. Some of the following initiatives are already underway, but the process is not unified within any given museum.

Applications on the Internet, such as the World Wide Web (www>, electronic mail, file transfer, and gopher, offer efficient and speedy communication on a global scale, but linkage with the developing world is a challenge. Currently, computer technology has penetrated most developing countries, chiefly in the private sector and to a lesser extent in universities and large conservation NGOs, but not the museums or the minis- tries that oversee wildlife and protected areas. Access to this technology could have major benefis for biodiversity knowledge. The frrst step is to assist critical organizations in acquiring computers and computer skills. By using computers, developing-country conservation NGOs, museums, and wildlife departments could have global access to scientific knowledge on an unprecedented scale. The creation of a network of elec-

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tronic linkages is already providing listings of systematists and literature, museum-col- lection inventories, electronic identification aids and training opportunities. Repositories of research publications and the latest find- ings could easiiy be searched by subject or geographic location. Discussion groups could forge relationships between scientists and the ecologically minded public, and could fos- ter research collaboration and reinforce long- distance professional relationships. File trans- fer is already bringing about speedier manu- script reviews for professional journals.

Since the advent of numerical taxonomy in the 1960s, computer-aided specimen identi- fication has grown steadily. As the power of microcomputers has increased the dichoto- mous key has given way to interactive identification tools, including multi-access keys, expert systems, hypertext, and neural networks5 Each system has certain advan- tages and limitations, but there is littie doubt that they offer far greater flexibiiity than traditional dichotomous keys. The potential for Internet access to these as weli as to traditional keys represents a significant ad- vance in international outreach. Computer- aided identification tools are most likely to develop in affluent countries, and for those taxa on which amateur interest has fostered attention and encouraged the publication of field guides and keys (e.g. Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, birds, reptiles and amphibians, and orchids, to mention a few).

A daunting task awaits the museum staff when collections arrive from oceano- graphic sampling or extensive arthropod surveys. The sorting centre, as a specialized

In the National Museuin of Natural Histo y y’s Botany Departlizent, n pilot program electroiiically scam the labels of GO, O00 speciinens - a great time- and labour-sauing device to capture information for coinputei-ized databuses.

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C. Wemmer, M. Erixon-Stnnford and A. L. Gardner

museum unit, is a promising concept for hastening the curatorial process. Bio- technicians sort specimens, which are then passed on to curators and specialists. Taxo- nomic skills are difficult to secure in the developing world. For museums interested in outreach to developing countries, the sorting centre is a convenient medium for training parataxonomists throughintemships.

Several approaches have been used to tap the systematic expertise of museums for tropical conservation through international outreach programmes. A well publicized example is the Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) of Conservation International (ci). These are ecological intervention teams that quickly appraise the species richness and diversity of selected groups in an area ‘to decide which tracts of imperiled tropi- cal forests are the most deserving of protec- tion - decisions that are all too often based on politics or oppominity, and not biol- ~ g y ’ . ~ The teams rely heavily on satellite imagery and aerial reconnaissance, and the requirement for field surveys means work for systematic biologists, who are often loaned from the museum and botanical garden community.

Training can take many forms, but when a mu- seum offers internships to museum person- nel from developing countries it advances biodiversity research and education in those parts of the world where the threats are greatest. The costs of an internship are rela- tivelymodest cornparedwith training courses, and sustained relationships between sister institutions often have rewarding mutual benefits for both staff and programmes. Once the internship has been completed, education can continue if the intern has access to published newsletters and updates to training manuals onthe Worldwideweb. Any active museum can offer an impressive menu of training topics that would benefit developing-country museums.

Electronic media and museum education

The ‘public’ function (versus the research function) is for many museums the oniy function, and to fare well in this enterprise, the museum competes for the entertainment dollar. Many museums seem to be success- fully tracking the development of electronic technology in their growing employment of electronic media and interactive informa- tion systems. Museum scientists have a critical role to play in assuring the accuracy of the information. Unfortunately, this is often a poorly compensated service func- tion of scientific staff. When well done, however, museum visitors get more than a vicarious experience; they are stimulated to learn and take home a meaningful message.

Museums are well versed in creating ex- hibits that touch the senses and stimulate visitors to ask questions and learn. Elec- tronic exhibits, with pictures and text, can supplement physical exhibits, making the experience richer and more meaningful. Transistorized audio guides are an exam- ple of an early educational innovation which communicates a great deal of infor- mation without the effort required to read signs. More recently, the multimedia elec- tronic exhibit has introduced an interactive dimension that simulates the role of a teacher. With an electronic ‘clicker’, the visitor can simply point to the menu on screen and pursue a large number of information pathways. The medium is cur- rently limited in that the computer-visitor interaction cannot be enjoyed independ- ently by a large number of visitors. Since the possessor of the clicker controls the information choices, democratic leader- ship is required. Museums have also started to provide interactive multimedia programs in CD-ROM format for sale in the home consumer and education markets. With funding from various publishers, the

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Natural histoy museums and cyberspace

Smithsonian is working on the production of several CD-ROMS in diverse subject areas, and the results are promising and marketable educational products. Thus, the museum experience may be reviewed electronically at home, in the classroom or at the community centre. An added advantage is that disabled visitors with limited mobility are now able to explore a range of subjects from their desktops.

Finally, the cutting edge of electronic media -virtual reality- is indeed becoming reality. A visitor enters a room, dons a headset, and moving a cursor across the screen, clicks on a picture or zooms in on a particular object. The viewer is then drawn into a real-life drama through video footage and stere- ophonic sound to experience the capture, radio-collaring, and translocation of rogue elephants in the steamy jungles of peninsu- lar Malaysia. With another click the visitor is rocketing into space and viewing the Malay peninsula from a satellite, where the succes- sive movements of the translocated rogue can be tracked daily from incoming satellite signals. More clicks and the viewer is im- mersed in a labyrinth of sounds, images, photographs, and other information about things never before experienced in this way.

With the advent of electronic mail, publish- ing and virtual reality, museums are no longer constrained to a physical dimen- sion. Museums can become more involved in outreach education by encouraging staff to contribute teaching modules to a cur- riculum, by making available the com- bined knowledge of leading-edge research- ers, by hosting seminars and conferences, and by fostering a strong ‘electronic’ pres-

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ence. As the treasure trove of electronic data begins to collect, we must cull, shape, and organize it into useable and manage- able information for our audience. W

Gene Feldman, programmer of the Internet version of the Ocean Planet exhibit, demonstrates n ‘virtual inmeurn on the World Wide Web.

Notes

1. D. Janzen, ‘Wildland Biodiversity Management in the Tropics: Where W e Are Now and Where Are W e Going?’, Vida Silvestre Neotropical, Vol. 3, 1994, pp. 3-15.

2. E. Culotta, ‘Scientists Protest Museum Cuts’, Scieence, Vol. 248, 1990, pp. 619-20.

3. P. Alberch, ‘Museums, Collections and Biodiversity Inventories’, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 8, No. 10, 1993, pp. 372-5.

4. P. A. Buckup, ‘The Use of Geographic Information Systems in Systematic Biology’, in R. Fortuner (ed.), Advances in CompterMethods for Systematic Biology: Artificial Intelligence, Databases, Computer Vision, pp. 341-9, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.

5. See R. J. Pankhurst, ‘Principles and Problem of Identification’, in R. Fortuner (ed.), Advances in Computer Methods for Systematic Biology: Artificial Intelligence, Databases, Computer Vision, pp. 125-36, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993; ‘Taxonomic Databases: the PANDORA System’, in ibid., pp. 231-40; M. Dallwitz, ‘DELTA and INTKEY’, in ibid., pp. 287-96. See also M. Edwards and D. R. Morse, ‘The Potential for Computer-aided Identification in Biodiversity Research’, Tmzds in Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 10, No. 4, 1995, pp. 153-8.

6. L. Roberts, ‘Ranking the Rain Forests’, Science, Vol. 251, 1991, pp. 1559-60.

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