releasing rare sp. localities

[Charlie and Marg Baker]

>You can have a high-resolution field and a low-resolution
>field for specific locality data, and the reports generated can insert
>whichever field is deemed appropriate for a given user.

>I'd suggest that if there's any sensitivity about this issue, the
>corresponding web-based catalog should only provide the low-res data, and
>folks who need the greater resolution should get in touch with a real
>person at the institution.

>This should provide both reasonable access for
>varied users and reasonable controls for the institutional folks
>responsible for the data.

Alan, Something like this would be a very reasonable solution. However, I
would hope that as much data as possible be 'deemed appropriate' for any
and all users, providing there is no specific reason for witholding any
particular bit of information.

I hope that the highest possible resolution is available online. Even if
it is necessary to restrict some online information, perhaps obtaining it
could be made as easy as possible for users of online catalogs. Could
restricted data be identified as low res in some way, indicating that
additional details are available?

That would permit anyone who needed additional information to contact the
institution directly _only_ if the institution had additional details
available. Ideally, obtaining additional information would require as
little time as possible on the part of both the end user and institution.
The easier it is, the  more likely it is that a request will be honored.
Perhaps something as simple as an email address to an appropriate
individual might be included, so that they could pull the data and paste
it onto a reply.

Many, many early plant descriptions were based on collections that
included very little location or elevation information available. If
their collection contained one of those instances, it would be a shame to
waste our time or the institution's time to tell us, "No additional
information is available".

We have found the Missouri Botanical/Costa Rica web site to be an
immensely valuable resource. The early descriptions of plants from that
area often did not provide habitat or elevation, but subsequent
collections do include this information. Thanks to that information being
online, we are able to produce more accurate meteorlogical data.

For anyone designing a new online data base, this would be a superb model
from an end users vantage point. The URL is:
                 http://cissus.mobot.org/manual.plantas/

Thanks for listening,  Marg.

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Charles and Margaret Baker, Portland, Oregon USA (cmbaker at teleport.com)
"Orchid Species Culture" Timber Press.
Vol-1 Pescatorea, Phaius, Phalaenopsis, Pholidota, Phragmipedium, Pleione
  Hardcover ISBN 0-88192-189-0   Paperback ISBN 0-88192-208-0
Vol-2 Dendrobium (all 1250 +/- species) in press
  Hardcover ISBN 0-88192-360-5   Paperback ISBN 0-88192-366-4  (progress
:)
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