ORCHID NEWS, a virtual magazine and its part in the divulgation of the scientific and horticultural knowledge through the Internet.
by Sergio Araujo and Delfina de Araujo - Brazil

The creation of the site BRAZILIAN ORCHID dated from l996 and in a short time, the site became a reference in orchidology and orchidophilia in Brazil and abroad. In spite of the new topics, periodically added and frequent a actualization the others, the editors felt the necessity of stimulating the return constant to the site and making it more dynamic as well as to publish the works done in this area. The answer to those needs was the edition of the first virtual magazine of orchidophilia and orchidology ORCHID NEWS, edited exclusively by Sergio Araujo and Delfina Araujo. Since then more than 24 editions have been put on the Internet accomplishing the function of helping to make known the works on orchids (done in Brazil or abroad however mainly about Brazilian species), to redeem the national orchidophil memory and to stimulate the cultivation. The editors are not only concerned about the specialist visitant (researcher) but also the amateur orchidists. So aiming to be an attractive magazine for both, the topics are diversified. There are scientific works, non -scientific approaches, scientific drawing and artistic photography, raising healthy discussions and taking advantage of the Internet as a modern way of communication in the divulgation of scientific and horticultural knowledge.

Sergio Araujo is graduated in Music at the University of Rio de Janeiro, journalist, photographer. He has his studio specialized in publicity in Rio de Janeiro, for more than 20 years. Creator, editor and webmaster of the site Brazilian Orchids and the on-line magazine Orchid News.
Delfina de Araujo is graduated in Music at the University of Rio de Janeiro, manager and associated to the photographic studio SERGIO ARAUJO FOTOGRAFIA, orchidist and orchidologist since 10 years ago, co-editor of the site Brazilian Orchids and the on-line magazine Orchid News.

Orchids of Southeast Asia on CD-ROM
by Dr. Ed de Vogel and André Schuiteman - Netherlands

An urgent need exists for easily accessible information on Orchidaceae. Orchid information is traditionally stored in books. An electronic information retrieval system has been designed by ETI (Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification) which can present an interactive multi-entry identification system and descriptions and other information on taxa, and a few thousand color photographs and drawings which can be retrieved and even printed. The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland is producing Orchid publications in this system on CD-ROM’s, in close co-operation with Papua New Guinean, English, Danish, Philippine, and Vietnamese Herbaria and Botanic Gardens.
Present activities involve producing a series of 6 CD-ROMs on the Orchid genera and Species of New Guinea (2 published), as well as on the orchid genera of the Philippines (1 published) and Vietnam.
The CD-ROM’s will contain for each taxon a combination of the following data: the name and synonyms, literature references, a description, its distribution, drawings, photographs, type(s), notes on cultivation, etc., with identification keys and a hyperlinked glossary. New insights will be included, but the main strength of this project is bringing together the vast quantity of existing data on Southeast Asian Orchidaceae buried in literature and books.
The versatility and power of this identification system, combined with the simplicity in use, will be demonstrated by overhead projection with the three already published CD-ROM’s of the New Guinea series:
Flora Malesiana. Orchids of New Guinea Vol. I: Illustrated checklist and genera.
Flora Malesiana. Orchids of New Guinea Vol. II: Dendrobium and allied genera.
Flora Malesiana. Orchids Flora Malesiana. Orchids of New Guinea Vol. III: Genera Acanthephippium to Hymenorchis (excluding Bulbophyllinae and Dendrobiinae).

André Schuiteman is taxonomist currently a staff member of the National Herbarium of the Netherlands and the main author of the CD-ROM series Flora Malesiana: Orchids of New Guinea. He visited Tanzania, Colombia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to study the local orchid flora.
Ed de Vogel was until his retirement in 2004 senior researcher at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands in Leiden. He has done fieldwork throughout Indonesia as well as Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. He was founder and editor of the now discontinued journal Orchid Monographs and he is second author of the CD-ROM series Flora Malesiana: Orchids of New Guinea.

Picture documentation in electronic form
by Frank Slaughter Jr - USA

Brief description: To document its awards granting endeavors, the American Orchid Society (A.O.S.) has accumulated more than 45,000 color slides. Recognizing the perishable nature and educational value of its award slides holding, subject to the availability of volunteer and financial resources, the A.O.S. is attempting to scan its entire, growing award slides collection. This talk will review how scans at 4000 pixel per inch resolution are being made and how their color accuracy is being safeguarded. Special attention will be given to how the use of ICC profiles for digital scanners, computer monitors, printers, and digital projectors contributes to achieving accurate color both in the acquisition and use of orchid slide scans. The talk also will demonstrate custom software that has been developed to automate deriving lower resolution images from high resolution scans. Ready availability of color accurate, lower resolution images supports A.O.S. publications, strengthens visual offerings on A.O.S. web sites, and can better inform orchid judging decisions by providing rapid access to comparative pictorial information.

Frank Slaughter, Junior is a retired academic mathematician, former A.O.S. Trustee, and accredited orchid judge. He chairs the A.O.S Technology Task Force, the research and software development body in charge of the digital award slides scanning project.

BIBLIORCHIDEA - the Orchid Literature Database
by Rudolf Jenny - Switzerland

Literature is still playing a major role in science and research, on one side because it is a documentation of research already done and a demonstration of the results. On the other hand it is also a record about recent research. At least for the time being, literature search is a part of any scientific work or project. Whoever has done literature search knows about the difficulties to reach an overview of the literature in connection with a project in an acceptable time and with acceptable effort. Computer technology today provides us with a large selection of very helpful tools to limit time and effort for literature search.
BIBLIORCHIDEA was build up over a period of about 15 years as a database about orchid literature in all its aspects, providing a fast and actual access to books and articles about or in connection with Orchidaceae. Special emphasis was given to taxonomy and systematics. Today BIBLIORCHIDEA consists of more than 125'000 documents. Because of copyright regulations BIBLIORCHIDEA is a collection of citations only, together with a extensive list of keywords based on the “hard-copy” of the publication in one of the most complete orchid literature collections worldwide.
The actual form of BIBLIORCHIDEA as it is accessible through internet (www.Bibliorchidea.net), will allow the user different kinds of search or also the connection of different search methods. These are:
direct search for author and co-author
direct search for the year of publication (selection direct or in a bos or window)
search with text-input in the fields Title, Literature quotation, Editor, Publisher, “Above species” and “Species and below” (free-text search)
direct search for new descriptions in the respective fields “Above species” and “Species and below”
search for keywords by direct selection from the keyword catalogue as single keyword or in connection with other keywords by using the connecting terms and / or (Boolean connections)
enlarge the result by using one of the above mentioned methods.
restrict (decrease) the result by using one of the above mentioned methods (“decrease to” and “decrease by” – functions).
Besides the search mechanisms, the software naturally allows the sorting of results by different criterions and the printout as list of documents or as single document with all the detailed information. The important addition is the fact that all documents the user can find in BIBLIORCHIDEA are also available as physical copy, hence a very fast access is guaranteed.

Rudolf Jenny, chemist by training, working with Orchids since more than 30 years, especially interested and active in the subtribes Pleurothallidinae, Catasetinae and Stanhopeinae. Author of monographs of Gongora, Sievekingia and Stanhopea. Author of the worldwide most comprehensive database about Orchid literature BIBLIORCHIDEA.