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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #190353
Title: WEBGRMS: PROTOTYPE SOFTWARE FOR WEB-BASED MAPPING OF BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS

Author
item Greene, Stephanie
item MINOURA, TOSHIMI - OREGON STATE UNIV
item Steiner, Jeffrey
item Pentecost, Carla

Submitted to: Biodiversity and Conservation Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/24/2006
Publication Date: 12/20/2006
Citation: Greene, S.L., Minoura, T., Steiner, J.J., Pentecost, C.G. 2007. Webgrms: prototype software for web-based mapping of biological collections. Biodiversity and Conservation Journal 16:2611-2625.

Interpretive Summary: Biological collections are gaining recognition as priceless sources of information about the historic distribution and diversity of life. The Internet is emerging as the major venue for sharing biodiversity information. This research demonstrates how a Web-based mapping application for biological collections was developed using WebGD, an open-source software development tool. Our prototype can be viewed at http://yukon.een.orst.edu/~greene/ms_apps/home/index.htm. The demonstration site has three functional areas: (i) Query, (ii) Analyze Collections, and (iii) Add Data. The application was developed relatively quickly and since it was based on open-source code, costs were greatly decreased compared to commercially available software. In its current form, the prototype WebGRMS application provides users interested in Medicago and Trifolium germplasm with an innovative method to better understand the germplasm collections. More importantly, we hope the prototype provides a glimpse into the future of Web-based spatial analysis of biological collections.

Technical Abstract: Biological collections are gaining recognition as priceless sources of information about the historic distribution and diversity of life. The Internet is emerging as the major venue for sharing biodiversity information since it supports globalization and broad-scale interoperability. This research demonstrates how a Web-based mapping application for biological collections was developed using WebGD, an open-source software development tool, and illustrates how simple spatial analysis help collection users describe the range of ecogeographic variation in collections and customize the selection of accessions based on georeferenced variables. Our prototype can be viewed at http://yukon.een.orst.edu/~greene/ms_apps/home/index.htm. The demonstration site has three functional areas: (i) Query, (ii) Analyze Collections, and (iii) Add Data. The application was developed relatively quickly and at a low cost, since the complex workings for delivering GIS functions over the Web were an internal part of the WebGD framework. Because it was based on open-source code, costs were greatly decreased compared to commercially available software. In its current form, the prototype WebGRMS application provides users interested in Medicago and Trifolium germplasm with an innovative method to better understand the germplasm collections. More More importantly, we hope the prototype provides a glimpse into the future of Web-based spatial analysis of biological collections.