An Electronic Flora of South Australia – Current and future Towards a common approach to electronic floras workshop 3-4 December 2007

Current status  Hard copy  1986 – 4 th Edition of the vascular Flora of SA Collaborative – 70 plus authors and artists  – a new 5 th Edition Collaborative  Electronic  1997 – Electronic Flora of South Australia  Handbook to Acacia in South Australia digitised  subject directories with text and image files  data from Census database (synonyms)  data from Specimen databases (thumbnail maps  Progressively added OCRed 1986 Flora of SA

Current status  Electronic  1997 – Electronic Flora of South Australia  Handbook to Acacia in South Australia digitised  subject directories with text and image files  data from Census database (synonyms)  data from Specimen databases (thumbnail maps  Progressively added OCRed 1986 Flora of SA  By c  Full 1986 Flora digitised  Batch protocol for loading Flora accounts, including indented keys: add subject prompts.  error generation protocol, validation  Full image set added – only one image per species to date (resourcing prevented more)  Provision for multiple images throughout fact sheet based on subject attribution in ADIMAGE database

The new 5 th Edition of Flora of South Australia  Printed (two forms)  Dynamic electronic  Review and update current EFSA protocols  DEH providing programming resources  Vision to add a “document centre”  A front end allowing seamless updating of fact sheets – interplay between author and editor  Account for all issues raised in this meeting  Data standards  Avoid double-handling – share cost-effective improvements  Fall back to use existing system

Extending EFloraSA  To date limited resources to extend, now greater opportunities  reinvigoration of State Herbarium  national acceptance of collaborative on-line floras)  In region:  Vascular Plants: Use of Orchids of SA (cf. Bob Bates initiatives), Acacia in SA (Symon and Whibley; also Wattle – Maslin et al.); Trees & Shrubs of SA (Boomsma); Eucalypts of SA (Dean Nicolle)  Marine Benthic Flora of southern Australia – HBS Womersley 1980s – 2003  FloraBase project for WA Algae  Marine Algal Flora of Australian On-line  Lichens of South Australia (Filson and Rogers)  Mosses of South Australia (Catcheside)  Larger Fungi of South Australia (Grugurinovic)

Census of SA Plants  Vascular Plants  Intent is to match 100%  We are compatible, but issues:  Misapplied names – understanding, coverage often woeful  Regional distribution  Species and region flags Probably 90% up to date because for 12 months been entering into 2 databases  Perennial issue of keeping specimen database in line – systems not in place to give botanists imperatives to vet updating of collections  Non-vascular plants, algae and fungi  Census database  Marine benthic algae done – “census”  Non-vascular plants, fungi and lichens about to be added  1 st edition publication then to be enacted  Formatted print-ready.rtf file output

Flora of Australia comparison  Some finer splitting of text fields (e.g. taxonomic, biological notes; vegetative, flowering, fruiting descriptions  Data incorporated  Thumbnail map (dynamic, link to full map)  Census synonymy, regional distribution  Multiple image provision  Placement by subject attribution (fine details  broad flags: whole plant, flowering, fruiting etc.)

Extending EFloraSA  National:  Collaborative opportunities  Vascular flora  Algae  Other groups  Atlas of Living Australia  Be in position to participate  Lowest common denominator issue.