The Ivan L. Boyd Arboretum

June 3, 2009 10:14 AM

The Ivan L. Boyd Arboretum
This Google Map plots the 100+ specimens constituting the Ivan L. Boyd Arboretum, located at Baker University in Baldwin City, KS. Each point on the map represents a specimen and contains required (and some optional) record-level Darwin Core metadata and a link to a Flickr photo set. The photo sets have been organized by species and by season (fall, winter, spring). The description in each photo set contains links to resources from the USDA and (very basic!) keyword searches in Stanford's HighWire database, WorldCat and a subscription database. More photos -- mainly closeups of foliage, flowers and fruits and seeds -- will be added to the species sets in time.

I still have to complete uploading the spring set, shoot and upload the summer set, and remove a few searches that pull no results. As it stands right now, though, the map, metadata and photo sets constitute a complete record of the arboretum. Any suggestions, corrections and/or criticisms -- particularly regarding photographic techniques or errors in specimen nomenclature -- are very welcome.

posted by cog_nate (1 comment total)

This is the begining of a great resource. Sounds like a huge task, but worthwhile as you get down to seasonal data and closeups. Could make for a wonderful interactive visit, plus it can eventually be updated as some plants are removed and replaced.
posted by mightshould at 1:40 PM on June 5, 2009