Results and insights from the NCSU Insect Museum GigaPan project

Zookeys. 2012:(209):115-32. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.209.3083. Epub 2012 Jul 20.

Abstract

Pinned insect specimens stored in museum collections are a fragile and valuable resource for entomological research. As such, they are usually kept away from viewing by the public and hard to access by experts. Here we present a method for mass imaging insect specimens, using GigaPan technology to achieve highly explorable, many-megapixel panoramas of insect museum drawers. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the system, and describe future avenues of collections research using this technology.

Keywords: collection; gigapixel; imaging system; megapixel; panorama; specimen.