In order to become citizen scientists you will record a video/take images of your plant/fungi
specimen and send your captures and basic botanical data to PlantGang who will process it into a unique 3D-model specimen!
<aside> 1️⃣ Watch our scanning tutorial below:
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<aside> 2️⃣ Level up scan quality with our top tips:
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When recording your specimen video:
- [ ] Record you specimen from all angles by walking around it slowly in a circular loop as you film. Repeat this capturing the specimen from a lower, middle and high perspective to produce a data set with full coverage.
- [ ] Avoid scanning in windy conditions or physically disrupting the specimen. Movement can significantly reduce scan quality, especially when capturing thin areas like leaves and stems.
- [ ] Keep the camera steady and maintain the same distance between your camera and object during capture to keep the object in focus.
- [ ] Record at the highest quality possible on your phone or camera
Want to take your scans to the next level?
- [ ] Slow motion video is a great way to capture lots of information on your specimen in a short period of time, reducing the chances of subject movement.
- [ ] Edit your video capture to improve the uploaded video data set and therefore scan quality. This can help remove unwanted sections of video where the subject is blurry or out-of-frame. Editing can be achieved by…
- [ ] Using a basic video editor software
- [ ] Exporting your video into single frames to ensure the object is in focus in all frames.
…and with a bit of practice, great results can be achieved!
<aside> 3️⃣ Record your specimen data:
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In addition to capturing 3D models of plant specimens, PlantGang also aims to preserve the real-world context associated with each 3D specimen. This is possible by collecting basic scientific metadata mentioned below. By recording these elements accurately, you contribute to the scientific value and integrity of our Virtual Herbarium.
You only need to start with collecting the Essential data below, but can collect Additional data as you improve your citizen scientist skills! Let's get started!
| Essential Data Collection | Collection Guide |
|---|---|
| Collection Date | Use a basic calendar or date format (DD/MM/YYYY) |
| Geolocation | Geolocation in latitude and longitude coordinates provided in degrees, minutes, and seconds format (e.g. 40°15'30"N, 75°30'45"W). |
| Country | Country where the specimen was collected |
| Species ID & Family | 2 options: |
| Add specimen ID if known (help using field guides, ID apps, botanists) | |
| Tick box to state ID unknown | |
| Locality | Provide a brief description of the specific area where the specimen was collected. Include any landmarks, features, or notable aspects of the locality. |
| Additional Data Collection | Collection Guide |
|---|---|
| Phenology | Note the stage of development of the plant specimen at the time of collection. Use terms like flowering, fruiting, vegetative, or specific growth stages if applicable. |
| Associated Species | Identify and list any other plant species growing in close proximity to the collected specimen (use scientific names if known). |
| Contextual Images | Add images of plant features that will help with identification. This can include overall habitat, leaves, flowers, fruits, stems and any indicators of scale/measurement reference. |
| Collected by PG | This data will be collected automatically from uploaded Video/Image Files. |
|---|---|
| Specimen Collection number | Assign a unique identification number to each plant specimen captured by a scanner starting at 1. |
| Specimen Scanner | Uploader is the specimen scanner unless written otherwise |
<aside> 4️⃣ Upload your specimen video & data:
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Upload your images/videos and basic data to our google form and PlantGang can process your videos into interactive 3D model specimens, which will then be openly accessible to all!
UPLOAD HERE**? ⇒**