[Science News] - EarthCape, a new database system for the collections

On September 23 and 24, Meise Botanic Garden organized a two-day meeting for EarthCape users, including the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Ghent University and the National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg.

EarthCape is the new collection management system that will replace the outdated BG-BASE for managing all our collection data. Our team is currently in the midst of migrating the herbarium, after which the living collection, the seed bank and the molecular lab will follow. By consolidating all collection data into one system, we can streamline our workflows and unlock new possibilities.

This first EarthCape meeting offered a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences and to discuss new functionalities with the software developer. The challenges involved in transferring the data were thoroughly addressed, covering topics such as gathering user requirements, testing migration scripts, configuring the user interface and training end users. Additionally, ideas were shared on current developments, such as integrating international taxonomic standard data and developing a mobile app. Besides the technical sessions, participants enjoyed an inspiring tour of the Green Ark, the garden and the herbarium, where practical examples of collection management were discussed.

By collaborating as an international community, we are pooling our strengths to achieve our ultimate goal: an integrated system that fully supports all users in their daily work.