Annual Report 2010-2011 (PDF - 2.47 mb) - Royal Botanic Gardens ...
Annual Report 2010-2011 (PDF - 2.47 mb) - Royal Botanic Gardens ...
Annual Report 2010-2011 (PDF - 2.47 mb) - Royal Botanic Gardens ...
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Contents<br />
OUR achievements – Strategic Priority 1B<br />
Business Plan specific outcomes<br />
(and associated Corporate Plan actions)<br />
Progress against specific outcomes and actions<br />
Specific Outcome 9<br />
(Relating to Corporate Plan Action 6)<br />
Improve accessibility to the unique collections,<br />
research and expertise of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Botanic</strong><br />
<strong>Gardens</strong> by:<br />
a. promoting the use of the Online Plant Census of<br />
the RBG Melbourne and RBG Cranbourne living<br />
collections database of plants, with additional<br />
links and tags to other information sources<br />
b. continuing to expand promotion of achievements<br />
of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Botanic</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong> using the website,<br />
with links to water conservation information,<br />
seminars, achievements/awards and fungi<br />
information<br />
c. supporting digital visitor information systems,<br />
such as interpretive signs and plant labels,<br />
through the utilisation of current data and<br />
technology, and<br />
d. representing the technical interests of the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Botanic</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong> in the Herbarium Information<br />
Standards Committee (HISCOM), the Biodiversity<br />
Information Standards Working Group (TDWG),<br />
Australia’s Virtual Herbarium (AVH) and the Atlas<br />
of Living Australia (ALA) forums.<br />
Initiatives to improve accessability to the unique<br />
collections, research and expertise included:<br />
a. The Online Plant Census, which is hosted on the<br />
<strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Botanic</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong>’ website, was successfully<br />
linked to ‘Trust Trees’, an iPhone application of<br />
the National Trust of Victoria. This application now<br />
includes details about the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Botanic</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong>’<br />
significant trees. Additional links have been placed<br />
in numerous places throughout the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Botanic</strong><br />
<strong>Gardens</strong>’ website to facilitate traffic to the Online<br />
Plant Census.<br />
b. and c.<br />
The Living Plant Collection Database was<br />
significantly updated to improve its ease of use.<br />
Updates included new reports and maps, in<br />
particular to manage the threat from a new<br />
pathogen, Myrtle Rust (see Specific Outcome 6b).<br />
Exporting of data from the Living Plant Collection<br />
Database to the Geographic Information System<br />
(GIS) was further developed. Continuing<br />
expansion and updating of content, with the<br />
creation of additional links, is expected to result in<br />
more visitors to both the Living Plant Collection<br />
Database and the GIS sections of the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>Botanic</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong>’ website.<br />
d. Staff from the Information Services branch<br />
attended the HISCOM meeting in Christchurch,<br />
New Zealand, in Nove<strong>mb</strong>er <strong>2010</strong>. The ALA<br />
sponsored meetings about the future of AVH in<br />
March and May <strong>2011</strong> and, since October <strong>2010</strong>,<br />
the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Botanic</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong> has run and hosted<br />
the entire AVH. In October <strong>2010</strong>, <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Botanic</strong><br />
<strong>Gardens</strong>’ staff organised two Specify (the new<br />
Herbarium database software) workshops in<br />
Perth and Canberra for me<strong>mb</strong>ers of the ALA. A<br />
geo-referencing workshop for me<strong>mb</strong>ers of the<br />
ALA was held in February <strong>2011</strong>. Information<br />
Services branch staff are also involved in the ALA<br />
National Species List project, of which the moss<br />
and fungi names project that runs at RBG<br />
Melbourne is part.<br />
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