1. The Macroalgal Digitization Project Chris Neefus, Department of Biological Sciences University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

2. Some Background NIBA – Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance – a 2010 strategic plan for a 10-year effort to digitize and mobilize the scientific information associated with biological specimens held in U.S. research collections. NSF ADBC – Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections – a 10-year program to digitize biodiversity specimens stored in all U.S. Collections. Total program funding is $100 million ($10 million per year). Fund 3-4 new TCN projects each year. TCN – Thematic Collection Network – Digitization projects funded by NSF ADBC are networks of institutions with a strategy for digitizing information that addresses a particular research theme, such as impacts of climate change on the biota of a region. iDigBio - Integrated Digitized Biocollections - funded by NSF to act as a hub for the TCNs and other digitization projects. iDigBio is a national resource that integrates data, coordinates and promotes tool development, and fostering partnerships and innovations. Located at UF, FMNH and FSU.

3. NSF ADBC TCN Projects 2011 iDigBio: A Collections Digitization Framework for the 21st Century. InvertNet Tri-Trophic Associations of Plants, Herbivores and Parasitoids. North American Lichens and Bryophytes 2012 New England Vascular Plants PaleoNiches – Fossils Macrofungi Southwest Arthropods 2013 Fossil Insects Animal Communication Signals Macroalgal Herbarium Specimens  2014 Great Lakes Invasives InvertEBase SouthEast Regional Collections

4. The Macroalgal TCN 50 Collections 37 Universities 4 Marine Labs 3 Botanical Gardens 6 Museums 1.1 Million Specimen 50% < 50 years old 30% 50-100 years old 20% >100 years old 90% Marine or Estuarine

5. Digitization Workflow  Barcoding and Skeletal Record Creation

6.  Lightbox/copystand  21 to 36 megapixel camera  Camera Control Software  Adobe Lightroom (white balance, tone curve adjustment, jpg & dng export) Specimen Imaging

7. Label Transcription  Skeletal Data and Images Uploaded to Portal (Macroalgae.org)  Label Transcription Online in the Portal

8. Georeferencing  Using GEOLocate Tools directly from Macroalgae.org Portal

9. Progress to Date

11. We can use your help! Have we left out important collections? Goal is to digitize all macroalgal specimens in U.S. herbaria You can apply for NSF PEN funding Deadline October 16, 2015 What data visualization tools would you like to see? Distribution changes over time Community structure changes Seasonality shifts

12. <1950<1965 <19852015 Codium fragile

13. Acknowledgments This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (NSF Grant Number:1304924) Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

20. Take a look …. http://macroalgae.org chris.neefus@unh.edu