Born Twice: A Single HTML File That Records Specimens at the Moment of Collection
Born Twice: Specimen and Record at the Moment of Collection
T.M. Jones introduces the Independent File (IF), a 750 KB HTML document that captures voucher data—UUID, QR code, photos, collector, locality, date—right when a plant is collected. It runs offline in any browser, validates fields, maps to Darwin Core, and exports JSON, CSV, XLSX, and packages for Symbiota, Specify, and DiSSCo. The goal: start the record early, so herbaria receive a complete record instead of rebuilding one.
The record begins too late. Digitization has never lacked ambition. Large programs have spent decades databasing, imaging, georeferencing, and mobilizing collections. The Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle has imaged all 5.4 million of its vascular-plant sheets, yet holds field-collection information for only 16%.