Is Your Collection Ambiguous?

The natural history specimens of the world have been documented on paper labels, often physically attached to specimen itself. As we transcribe these data make them digital and more useful for analysis, interpretations. Sometimes interpretations are trivial, because label is unambiguous, but meaning not so clear, even if it easily read. One key element that suffers from considerable ambiguity people’s names. Though a person indivisible, their name can change, rarely unique be written in many ways. Yet knowing people associated with incredibly useful. Data used validate other data, simplify capture, link together across domains, reduce duplication-of-effort facilitate data-gap-analysis. In addition, enable discovery individuals our collections, collective charting scientific researchers provision credit who deserve (Groom et al. 2020). We foresee future where collections ambiguous, shared globally, all kinds linked through generate them. TDWG People Biodiversity Task Group therefore working guide disambiguation collections. ultimate goal connect various strings characters labels documentation persistent identifiers (PIDs) unambiguously “string” identity person. towards this goal, 150 volunteers Bionomia project 21 million collectors determiners. An additional 2 links already emerged directly use recently ratified Darwin Core terms recordedByID identifiedByID. Furthermore, CETAF Botany Pilot conducted among group European herbaria museums has connected over 1.4 disambiguated (Güntsch 2021). Still, given estimated billion (Ariño 2010) there much done. process starts trigger, which transcription specimen’s data. Unambiguous identification collector may transcription, as offers knowledge biographical details collecting habits, allowing us infer missing information such date or locality. Another trigger might flagging inconsistent during entry resulting quality processes, revealing instance multiple conflated. A followed by gathering then evaluation results finally new information. Disambiguation always straightforward pitfalls. It requires access minted. case living people, they cooperate being follow legal ethical guidelines. dead particularly those long dead, require research. will present progress made recommendations want encourage institutions engage global effort linking collaboratively improve collection