Vince Smith, Project Co-ordinator

SYNTHESYS3 Partners

19 European partners (museums, botanic gardens, research centers, universities & SME’s)

SYNTHESYS3 Activities

SYNTHESYS3 Project structure

• 11 Taxonomic Access Facilities (WP5)

• 1 Joint Research Activity (WP4):

– improve access to data stored digitally within NH Institutions

– by developing mechanisms that enable institutions to enrich digital media with metadata

– to increase their usability to a broad range of potential Users

• 3 Networking Activities:

– NA1: Management (part of WP1)

– NA2: Collections management of emerging / new collections (WP2)

– NA3: Innovation, Impact and Sustainability (WP3)

• Coordinator: link with EU

• Lead of WP1: Management

- Administer financial contribution

- Keep records and financial accounts

- Submit reports + Deliverables to the Commission

- Monitor compliance by Beneficiaries

• Lead of WP5: TAF management

• Lead of WP13: GB-TAF

• Involved in NAs, JRA + Access

NHM role

SYNTHESYS3 Project Websites

Management-Project structure-Deliverables-Communication

Access-Applications & review-Public outputs

SYNTHESYS2 Access outputs

• 2,246 eligible Access applications received

• 10,714 User Days delivered

• 2,100 outputs from Users to date (of the 956 “accepted”, “in press” or “published”, 712 in peer-reviewed journals)

SYNTHESYS3 Call 1: 713 eligible applications received

(>100 above the previous record)

SYNTHESYS2 Joint Research Activity outputs

• JRA outputs removed barriers to access to specimens for DNA sampling:

– JRA1: software to help curators and users determine likelihood of specimens containing recoverable DNA.

– JRA2: creation of DNA libraries to reduce need to re-sample rare museum specimens

– JRA3: investigated use of micro-sampling techniques to minimise intervention in bone and other materials

– JRA4: developed new protocols for users to carry out efficient

mining of herbarium collections for DNA

– JRA5: tested alternative DNA extraction protocols on fresh

and museum preserved mollusc specimens

SYNTHESYS2 Networking Activity outputs

• NA2 outputs:

– Performance Indicators for collections management– web-based self-assessment tool for NH collections– groundings of competency framework for collections staff– training modules– online forum for collections managers

• NA3 outputs:

– automation of capturing specimen label data– Crowdsourcing– “reverse wrapper” mechanism to feedback annotations to owning institution– improved annotation systems– tailored web portals providing access to specimen data– software improvements

Digital collections central to NHM Science strategy

NHM collections comprise c.80m objects Physical register: c.5m Digital data: 2.8m

NHM Experiments in Crowdsourcing

• NHM Bird registers• No advertising• Technically very difficult

Not charismaticNot an ideal starting project

NHM Experiments in Crowdsourcing

1 user with 32,629 transcriptions!

92 users with 100+ transcriptions

363 users with 1 transcription

• 13 Aug. 2013 - 9 Feb. 2014• No. transcriptions 87,000• Total records 21750

• Logged in transcribers 494 (90% of transcriptions)

• Not logged in transcribers 504 (10%)

• NA2 introduction (10.30-11.30, TvR, MfN)

• JRA introduction (11.30-12.30), DH, RBGE)

LUNCH (12.30-13.30)

• New consortium members as Access Providers (KG)

• Risk Register (KG+VS)

• NA1 update (KG)

• Reporting and next stage payments (KG)

COFFEE (15.00-15.15)

• NA3 kick-off: (15.15-17.30, FK)

– NA3 introduction

– NA3 work plan drafting

– NA3 objectives / tasks feedback

Kick-Off Agenda