"Electronic Guide to Wildflowers: Maintaining an Online Database for Natural Areas"
Subject
Electronic publishing.; Iowa wildflowers.; Electronic wildflower guide.; Flower database.; Online wildflower guide.; Prairie ecology--North America--Congresses.Abstract
An online guide to wildflowers of the Saylorville Lake Recreation Area, Des Moines River Basin, Polk Co., Iowa, is maintained as a public information project in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Each wildflower is represented by a digital image and scientific description. Digitally created diagrams of leaf and flower structure are also included. Issues associated with maintenance of the online guide are discussed. These include: (a) collection of data and online delivery methods, (b) features of a traditional guide compared to those of an electronic guide delivered online, (c) an electronic guide as a database, (d) incorporatig online data in CD-ROM and PDF formats, and (e) publishing online data through the peer review process.
Description
Richard S. Wacha is Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology at Drake University. He can be contacted at richard.wacha@drake.edu