Bugs on the Internet...

A system being developed by the Natural History Museum in London will make it easier for anyone, anywhere in the world, to rapidly find out what kind of insect is attacking a crop. The system, known as DAISY (Digital Automated Identification System) is a computer programme to assist people who may have little knowledge of insects. The only expertise required is the ability to detach a wing from the insect and place it on a slide. The image of the wing is transferred to a computer monitor through a microscope linked to a digital camera. An identification is quickly given together with a page of information about the insect. At present only three groups of insects, 11 species of parasitoid, five species of parasitic wasp and 40 species of biting midge are held in the system's memory. In time, the number of species covered by the system will grow. The researchers responsible for DAISY are confident that it will soon be possible to transfer these images electronically to the Internet. When this happens people in remoter parts of the world will also be able to get rapid identification without needing to send specimens abroad for identification; a process that can sometimes take months. Entomology Department Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD UK

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Format:	News Item biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation 1997
Online Access:	https://hdl.handle.net/10568/48624 http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Jcta67e/
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