Digitized herbaria: how to use them

For many years, documentation on biodiversity and its distribution in time and place was used principally for studies in taxonomy – the identification and description of new species. However there are many other uses, direct or indirect, for the primary data on the occurrence of species, such as research into bio-geography (the history of the distribution of species, populations and communities), the study of climate change, agriculture, forestry engineering, conservation programs or biology itself. New information and communications technology presage a previously unimaginable culture of cooperation and collaboration. The challenge lies in the engagement of the community and in the establishment of minimum standards which will make the integration of data from diverse sources possible. The production of syntheses and diagnostics intelligible to the most diverse segments of organized society, the development of tools for the integration of data and the interaction between systems are also essential.