Fwd: NPS 'Data Mining'

[Michael Vincent]

Dear TAXACOM subscribers:

I have received the following message (with an attachment of guildelines)
from the National Park Service, requesting that I send information to them
about specimens collected in NPS boundaries.  We have over 570,000
specimens, not yet databased, and find such a request impossible.  How have
those of you who have received the request handled it?

I am already overwhelmed, and the thought of trying to do something like
this makes me ill!

M.A. Vincent
_____________________________________________________________
>Greetings,
>
>This correspondence is to request your participation in a national effort
>to document the biodiversity of the National Park Service.  The NPS is
>conducting a nationwide search for digital records of vertebrate animal and
>vascular plant specimens that may have been collected within the current
>NPS boundaries.  This effort is part of the Biological Inventories Project
>of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program.  Copies of pertinent records
>will be included in the NPS species database, NPSpecies, to document the
>past or present occurrence of vertebrate animal and vascular plant species
>throughout the NPS.  We would like to request a copy of any digital records
>of vertebrate animal and vascular plant species from your institution so
>that we may determine their pertinence to documenting the biodiversity of
>the NPS.  Your response to this email in regards to the existence and
>availability of such specimen records is greatly appreciated.
>
>Other than supplying a digital copy of existing databases, little or no
>effort will be necessary from participants.  In order to minimize the
>burden on participants, the NPS Biological Inventories Project is prepared
>to conduct all the processing of information, particularly geo-referencing,
>to determine the records that may be pertinent to documenting biodiversity
>within current NPS boundaries.  We will gladly return the results of this
>effort so that participants may enhance their databases if they wish.
>
>The attached document, DataMiningGuidance.doc, describes this effort in
>detail.  Additionally, the following informational web sites have been
>established to communicate this effort, the NPSpecies database, and the
>Biological Inventories Project respectively:
>
>Data Mining: http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/apps/npspp/datamine
>NPSpecies: http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/apps/npspp
>Biological Inventories: http://www.nature.nps.gov/im/inventory/biology
>
>This email is being distributed by Stephanie Slough who will be tracking
>the flow of information in this effort.  Stephanie will assist you in
>further clarifying and defining our request for specimen records as well as
>the best way to proceed in transferring the records.  Replies to this email
>and future correspondence related to the sharing of specimen records can
>also be directed to Stephanie.  However, feel free to contact myself at any
>time if I can be of assistance or answer questions regarding this effort,
>the NPSpecies database, or the NPS Biological Inventories Project.  The
>contact information for both myself and Stephanie is below.
>
>We look forward to your response regarding the existence and availability
>of potential specimen records to help document the biodiversity of the
>National Park Service.
>
>Regards,
>Mark Wotawa
>
>********************************************
>Mark A. Wotawa
>Ecologist - Biological Inventory Coordinator
>National Park Service
>Natural Resource Information Division
>Inventory and Monitoring Program
>1201 Oak Ridge Drive, Suite 200
>Fort Collins, CO  80525-5589
>Office: 970-225-3567
>FAX: 970-225-3585
>Email: mark_wotawa at nps.gov
>********************************************
>
>(See attached file: DataMiningGuidance.doc)
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Stephanie L. Slough
>Colorado State University
>National Park Service Cooperator
>1201 Oak Ridge Drive, Suite 200
>Fort Collins, CO 80525
>Office: (970) 267-2111
>Fax: (970) 225-3585
>stephanie_slough at partner.nps.gov
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dr. Michael A. Vincent, Curator
W.S. Turrell Herbarium (MU)
Department of Botany
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056 USA

TEL:  513-529-2755
FAX:  513-529-4243
Email:  Vincenma at muohio.edu