John Pickering - 3 October, 2000
Re: Barcodes / New Zealand Arthropod Collection
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2000 14:40:10 -0400
To: Marie-Claude Lariviere
From: John Pickering
Subject: Re: Barcodes / New Zealand Arthropod Collection
Cc: sackley@compuserve.com, ashe@falcon.cc.ukans.edu, brianb@mizar.usc.edu,
bclark@acofi.edu, colwell@uconnvm.uconn.edu, Furth.David@NMNH.SI.EDU,
tgreer@intermec.com, whallwac@sas.upenn.edu, djanzen@sas.upenn.edu,
Johnson.2@osu.edu, juddd@ava.bcc.orst.edu, dkavanaugh@calacademy.org,
mkaspari@ou.edu, Keith_Langdon@nps.gov, longinoj@elwha.evergreen.edu,
smiller@icipe.org, Gary.Murphy@intermec.com,
pin93001@uconnvm.uconn.edu, becky_nichols@nps.gov,
Chuck_Parker@nps.gov, rob_roughley@umanitoba.ca,
msharkey@byron.ca.uky.edu, skillen@pick.uga.edu, ctemple@intermec.com,
cthompso@sel.barc.usda.gov, jugalde@inbio.ac.cr, weickkd@aol.com,
windsord@tivoli.si.edu
Dr Marie-Claude Lariviere
N.Z. Arthropod Collection
Dear Marie-Claude,
Thanks for your inquiry regarding barcoding insect collections. You're
email is very timely because we're in the process of upgrading insect
labelling technology. Rather than rewrite a letter that I just sent to
Jack Longino, the PI on the ALAS project in Costa Rica and one of Rob
Colwell's collaborators, I've appended a copy of my letter to Jack and
Jack's reply. It gives you another URL that you should
visit to see an image of these new labels and get an overview of the new
system.
In short, having built a collection with over 300,000 pinned specimens with
unique Code 49 labels since 1991, I'm in the process of switching to data
matrix symbols for new specimens -- a far superior technology that holds
much more information per unit area than barcodes.
At the Entomological Collections Network meeting last December, I was given
a mandate to develop a system that hopefully will be generally adopted by
collections to allow exchange of specimens that are labelled with globally
unique, standard identifiers. Rather than waiting for government funding,
I've formed a commercial company, Polistes Corporation, that is working
with Sprague Ackley and Intermec Corporation, the hardware manufacturer, to
develop the hardware and software to fit the special "small" needs of
insect collections. In the first quarter of next year, we should have a
complete solution ready. To make the solution cost-effective to both
amateur collectors and large collections, Polistes will sell both (1)
printed labels that you can format and order over the Web and (2) complete
labelling systems in which you have a local printer that is driven through
a Web interface. The complete system will require Intermec's 3240 printer
that is the only printer available capable of making labels to our
high-quality specifications.
My ultimate goal to develop a global labelling system and I would be
delighted if you would join us in this effort. Please take a look at the
correspondence and URL below. If you are interested, I'll send you some
sample labels. It would be great to have this technology adopted on your
side of the globe.
Cheers,
Pick
_________________________________________________________
John Pickering Office:
706-542-1115
Institute of Ecology Messages: 706-542-6676
711 Biological Sciences Building Laboratory: 706-542-1388
University of Georgia Department: 706-542-3379
Athens, GA 30602-2602 FAX: 706-542-3344
e-mail: pick@discoverlife.org Home: 706-353-7076
Web sites:
_________________________________________________________
>Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 08:02:30 +1200
>From: Marie-Claude Lariviere
>To: pick@pick.uga.edu
>Subject: Barcodes / New Zealand Arthropod Collection
>
>Dear Dr Pickering,
>
>I am the Curator of Hemiptera at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.
>
>We are looking at using barcodes to database specimens in our
>collection. I have recently been in touch with Rob Colwell because we
>also want to trial his Biota programme.
>
>Until recently I had pretty much made up my mind that we would use
>Code128 for vials and Code 49 for pinned specimens and microscope
>slides. However, I had not started looking into availability, methods of
>production, scanners etc
>
>Rob tells me that he is using Code 49 for everything, i.e., vials, slides,
>pinned material. This is an attractive proposition as we would only need
>to buy or produce one code and code49 can cary quite a bit of
>information.
>
>However, I looked at some 1999 correspondence between yourself and
>other North American colleague on www.discoverlife.org/sc/ui and I got
>a bit disappointed to hear that 1) Code 49 may not be available
>anymore, 2) that it is very difficult to read.
>
>I also read the letter by Ashe suggesting that code 128 could be used
>for vials, slides and pinned material; it is in fact not much bigger than
>most insects labels in collections already.
>
>We are starting from scratch here. We need a flexible and affordable
>solution. I am also conscious of the need to work according international
>standards for material and information to be shared globally.
>
>Finally, ideally I would like us to be able to produce the codes ourselves
>on our laser printers.
>
>Would you have any recommendations to make re: code to use,
>methods of production, or other aspects of barcode use for insect
>collections given the fact that we are starting from scratch and are thus
>open to adopt the current best practices in this area.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Marie-Claude Lariviere
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Dr Marie-Claude Lariviere
>Invertebrate Systematist &
> Curator of Hemiptera
>
>N.Z. Arthropod Collection
>Landcare Research
>Private Bag 92170
>Auckland, New Zealand
>Ph. 64 9 815 4200 ext. 7064, Fax 849 7093
>E-mail LariviereM@landcare.cri.nz
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 19:06:31 -0400
To: "John T. Longino"
From: John Pickering
Subject: Re: barcodes + rogadines
Cc: msharkey@byron.ca.uky.edu
Jack,
Thanks for your inquiry about barcodes. Generally good news. I've spent
most of my summer developing a new and improved solution. I even visited
Intermec to get their help. I'm nearly there on most fronts. If
everything continues on tract, I'll have a fantastic solution ready for
testing late this fall and plan to wow everybody at ECN.
I'm fine tuning a new label that employs data matrix symbols. Go to
to get an idea of what it looks like. Follow links
under "Labels" and then "Overview." What you see is where I was about a
month ago. The symbol is now somewhat smaller. Bottom line, I can print
"all-in-one" labels that combine a conventional label and a unique symbol
into a single INBIO-sized label.
I'm writing a Web interface for a database that will allow authorized users
to format globally unique labels via their browser and print them on
Web-based printers. My ultimate goal is then to allow any authorized user
to use the Web to associate additional data with the labels, such as info
on determinations, and for the general public to retrieve what we wish to
disseminate.
Some hurdles still exist before I have a complete solution that will work
for everyone. While I can read the new labels very, very quickly with a
1470 imager on my UNIX box, it will be next year before Mac and Wintell
users will be able to do the same -- unless they are willing to write a
software interface for the 1470, which unfortunately doesn't come with a
keyboard wedge interface. Sometime around March, Intermec plans to have a
new USB imager that will solve this problem and make reading the labels
possible on machines with USB ports without writing any software.
Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions. If you like, I
could send you some samples. I also have some gummed labels for slides and
vials in a formative stage. Ideally, I'd like you to be a beta test site
early next year.
Mike just wrote to me about getting more ALAS rogadines from your mountain
transect. Delighted. I'm planning on it. Thanks.
Cheers,
Pick
______________________________________________________
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 16:50:55 -0700
To: John Pickering
From: "John T. Longino"
Subject: Re: barcodes + rogadines
Pick,
This looks fantastic. I think we would be happy to be your guinea
pig. Suggestion:
For the old-fashioned entomologists worried about archival qualities
of synthetic label stock, and also for people who mount big bugs that
would cover a face-up label, can you have an option for those who
want a smaller label, 15-16mm wide, with just the symbology and the
printed code? In other words, some of us will want to maintain the
current system, with a standard locality label offset printed on
acid-free cardstock, and a separate barcode label that can go upside
down underneath.
Although I just thought of an alternative! (ignoring the big bug
problem for the moment). We could have your up-facing
symbology/locality combo label, and put a traditional offset print
locality label with the same data right under it and flush with it.
To satisfy the archivalists. If the synthetic label fades or crumbles
with time, the paper one will be there underneath.
I guess big bug people could put a traditional label face up, and
your label face down. That would actually be great, because you could
read the locality data for big bugs, instead of having to squint
underneath it.
Will the imager work for barcodes in vials, pressed up against the
glass like ALAS uses? The laser scanner reads these very well.
So what about the Taiwanese rs232-usb adapter? Think it will work?
Jack
******************************************************
John T. Longino
Lab I, The Evergreen State College
Olympia WA 98505 USA
longinoj@evergreen.edu
Ants of Costa Rica on the Web at http://www.evergreen.edu/ants
Project ALAS at http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu/ALAS/ALAS.html
******************************************************