| Description: |
The digitisation of the world’s natural science collections is expanding massively and providing a unique global resource for answering some of the most fundamental bio- and geodiversity questions. However, digitisation at this scale can only be done in stages, increasing the variation in the level of digitisation both between and within collections. The ability to measure and monitor the level of digitisation of each individual specimen and, by extension, each collection on a national or global scale has never been more important. The Minimum Information about a Digital Specimen (MIDS) standard is being developed to provide an international digitisation standard within the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) organisation. The standard, along with implementations which can calculate the MIDS level of specimens and, by extension, datasets, provide users with tools to help develop a digitisation strategy as well as plan, manage and monitor a digitisation programme, including prioritisation and data enhancement. For researchers, whilst the MIDS level of published specimens does not provide information about the quality of the data present, it does indicate the expected amount of associated data for intended analyses, including geographic coordinates and identifiers.The MIDS website provides access to the current draft of the standard. The four MIDS levels (MIDS0 to MIDS3) are described, and for each level the purpose is included. The purpose has been key to defining the information that is required to be present.The information recorded for each specimen is categorised into information elements. A detailed schema for the information elements includes the label, definition, usage note, purpose and examples as well as the disciplines for which each element is required (Biology, Geology, Palaeontology). The information elements required for each MIDS level are cumulative, with each level adding additional information relevant for the purpose of the level. Specimen data recorded in collection databases and ... |