The Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) and a large network of experts from museums, botanical gardens, institutions of higher education and partners have joined forces to launch SwissCollNet, the Swiss Natural History Collections Network.
With more than 60 million specimens of animals, plants, fungi, rocks, soil samples and fossils, Switzerland’s museums, universities, and botanical gardens store a remarkable scientific and patrimonial national treasure. However, less than one in five of these objects is digitized. This means that a large part of some unique data on biodiversity and the environment is not easily accessible for research, education and society.
Objectives
- Promote modern standards in management and curation of collections
- Modernise and digitise natural history collections
- Provide open access to harmonised specimen data of Swiss institutions through an online-portal, the Swiss Natural History Collections (SwissNatColl)
- Promote and support the scientific potential of collections for research
- Integrate the Swiss natural history collections into international initiatives
Contact
SCNAT
Swiss natural history collections network (SwissCollNet)
House of Academies
Laupenstrasse 7
3008 Bern
Switzerland
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A rich botanical collection... revealing a fraud
At the Naturéum, in Lausanne, a digitization project has led to two surprising discoveries. The herbarium collection of Philippe Jacques Müller, crucial for the taxonomy of the Rubus plant genus (brambles), turned out to be wealthier than expected. However, the project also brought to light the actions of botanist Henri Sudre, who manipulated Müller's herbarium for personal gain.
Image: Naturéum - Nicolas BonzonSt. Gallens Höhlenbären kehren zurück
Die Knochen eiszeitlicher Höhlenbären lagerten über hundert Jahre im Naturmuseum St. Gallen. Im Rahmen eines Digitalisierungsprojekts wurden sie nun inventarisiert und sind erstmals für die Wissenschaft und die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich – sogar in Form einer naturgetreuen Rekonstruktion einer Bärin.
Image: Naturmuseusm St. GallenArtificial Intelligence to the Rescue
At the Natural History Museum of Neuchatel, artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to optimize the inventory process for a historical collection of mollusks. By automating the transcription and categorization of handwritten information, AI facilitates the rapid and accurate processing of large volumes of data.
Image: Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Neuchâtel