TDWG Subgroup on Biological Collection Data

Software for Biological Collection Management

Multiple collection types | Botanical gardens | Herbaria | Entomology | Surveys | Palaeontology | Other software sites | Data quality control

This page is maintained by the BGBM for historical reasons, we do not update these pages.

This page lists software which is used in collection management. It is an uncritical listing, the software has not been tested or approved by the subgroup in any way. The selection is based on the following criteria:

• The software helps to manage specimens or observations of biological objects ("units"). Taxonomic tools helping to generate checklists etc. are not included if they do not include unit management functions.
• The software must be functional and in use by at least one collection (however, some beta versions have been included).
• The software must be freely available (for free or as a commercial product).
• It should not need re-programming to be adapted by the new user.
• Some help in the installation of the software should be available from the authors.

* Links (temporarily?) not available.

Multiple Collection Types

* BIOLINK. http://www.ento.csiro.au/biolink/software.html

BioOffice - Database and GIS / Datenbank und geographisches Informationssystem. http://www.biooffice.at/ 

BIOTICA - Systema de Información. http://www.conabio.gob.mx [Look under "Sistema de Información BIÓTICA".]

BIOTA - The Biodiversity Database Manager. http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu/Biot

* DEMUS - museum collection system (currently only in Czech). http://www.mzm.cz/engmzm/demus/demus.html  

* KE EMu - Electronic Museum. http://www.ke.com.au/ke/products/emu/emu.html

FieldNote - Mobile computing in a fieldwork environment. http://www.cs.ukc.ac.uk/projects/mobicomp/Fieldwork/Software/index.html 

* Multi MIMSY 2000. http://www.willoughby.info/mimsy/  

RECORDER http://www.recordersoftware.org/

SAMPADA - Natural History Collection Database Software. http://www.ncbi.org.in/sampada/index.html 

SPECIFY. http://www.specifysoftware.org

SysTax  http://www.biologie.uni-ulm.de/systax/index.html

TAXIS - Taxonomic Information System: http://www.bio-tools.net/products/taxis/

VERNON - Collection Management System: www.vernonsystems.com 

Botanical Gardens

Bauble Biodiversity Collection Manager. http://bauble.belizebotanic.org/

BG-BASE Collections Management Software.  http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/BG-BASE/
BG-MAP Botanical Garden Mapping System/GIS [for BG-Base]. http://www.bg-map.com/ 

Calypso.  [Russian:] http://hortus.karelia.ru/com/soft.htm 

IRIS - Botanical Garden. http://www.difo.no/page_iris.aspx

Herbarium collections

Bauble Biodiversity Collection Manager. http://bauble.belizebotanic.org/

BibMaster - A database application for nomenclature, literature and specimen management. http://www.gbif.es/bibmaster/bibmaster_in.php

BRAHMS - Botanical Research And Herbarium Management System. www.brahmsonline.com 

HERBAR - una aplicación en MS-Access para la gestión de herbarios. http://www.gbif.es/herbar/herbar.php

The PANDORA taxonomic database system. http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/biology/ecology+evolution/software/pandora/

PLabel: Herbarium Label Program. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herbarium/pl/ 

TRACY - A Herbarium Management System. http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/input/inputsys.html

University of California Davis Herbarium Management System. http://herbarium.ucdavis.edu/database.html

Virtual Herbarium Express. http://www.nybg.org/bsci/vh/ 

Entomological collections

Mantis - A Manager of Taxonomic Information and Specimens. http://140.247.119.138/mantis/

Mandala. http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cee/therevid/mandala/

Surveys / Observations

AditSite Wildlife Recording System http://www.adit.co.uk/html/aditsite.html 

AviSys Birding Database Software http://www.avisys.net/ 

BIRDBASE and BIRDAREA Birding Software http://members.aol.com/sbsp/bbba.htm 

Birder's Diary by Thayer Birding Software http://www.thayerbirding.com/ 

Bird Info for Windows - Birding Software http://netspeed.com.au/birds/birdinfo/ 

Bird Recorder 32 http://www.wildlife.co.uk/ 

Faunist http://home.hccnet.nl/mp.van.veen/ 

Field Map - Tool designed for computer aided field data collection http://www.fieldmap.cz/

LANIUS Bird Sighting Database http://www.onmymountain.com/ 

LANIUS Excalibur 2.0 - The Ornithological Database for the Natural World http://www.laniussoftware.com/excalibur.htm 

LEPILIST Lepidoptera Listing Software http://members.aol.com/sbsp/lepilist-info1.htm 

RECORDER http://www.recordersoftware.org/

Palaeontological collections

PaleoTax - Information System for Palaeontologists. www.paleotax.de

Other software sites:

Digital Taxonomy, Database Software http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/8695/software.html#Databases 

Data quality control (here: distribution mapping and modelling)

Jones P.G. and Gladkov, A. (2001). Floramap Version 1.01. Cali, Colombia: CIAT. http://www.floramap-ciat.org/ing/floramap101.htm

Hijmans, R.J., Guarino, L., Bussink, C., Barrentes, I. and Rojas, E. (2003) DIVA-GIS Version 3. A geographic information system for the analysis of biodiversity data. http://www.diva-gis.org

TDWG-Accessions subgroup homepage. This page last updated February 17, 2007. Editor: W. Berendsohn, wgb@zedat.fu-berlin.de