WOLF, STEVEN J. Department of Biology, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, CA 95382. - Creating a web based digital image database.
The Internet and its concomitant technologies have led to a revolution
in both the storage and distribution of scientific information.
Research data, publications, teaching materials and digital images are
now routinely made available via the web. However, as anyone who owns
a large 35 mm slide collection knows, storing and retrieving images
presents a special challenge. Few images fit into just one easily
identifiable category, necessitating either an extensive cross
referencing system or serious compromises. For example, it is unlikely
that a taxonomist, ecologist and morphologist would file and/or search
identical image collections in the same way. Making images available
via the web further compounds the problem since it is impossible to
“thumb through” large collections all at once. Therefore, most web
based image collections are presented as a series of pages the user
must drill down through. However, no matter how well these pages are
organized, cross referenced and indexed, they may not meet the needs
of every potential user. Web based digital image databases, which
allow images to be retrieved via keywords, provide a more convenient
and flexible way to serve up digital images. Such a database requires
minimal maintenance and virtually no web authoring. The author need
only add images and key words to the database as it grows. Each user
is essentially a web author, generating their own personal web pages
“on the fly”. The construction of a web based digital image database,
requiring absolutely no knowledge of programming, will be
demonstrated. An example of such a database is available at:
http://arnica.csustan.edu/photos.
Key words: computer, database, digital images, internet, teaching