Design and Implementation of a Digital Herbarium Database: The Case of the Bilgehan Bilgili Herbarium

Abstract

Herbaria are essential repositories for documenting plant biodiversity and provide irreplaceable data for taxonomic, ecological, and conservation-oriented research. However, the rapid growth of herbarium collections has increasingly challenged the efficient management, accessibility, and long-term sustainability of specimen data. In this study, the design and implementation of a digital herbarium database are presented through a case study of the Bilgehan Bilgili Herbarium at Kastamonu University (Türkiye). Approximately 2,000 vascular plant specimens, primarily collected from northern Türkiye, were revised, standardised, and digitised in accordance with international herbarium and data management standards. Specimens were identified using up-to-date taxonomic sources, relabelled where necessary, imaged using high-resolution digital photography, and integrated into a relational database developed with Microsoft SQL Server. A web-based virtual herbarium interface was subsequently created using ASP.NET technology to enable remote access to specimen data and images. As a result, 1,563 taxa belonging to 107 families, including 134 endemic taxa, were recorded and made digitally accessible. The most represented families were Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae, while Euro-Siberian phytogeographical elements predominated. The developed digital infrastructure significantly enhances data accessibility, reduces risks associated with physical specimen handling, and supports regional floristic research, biodiversity analyses, and conservation planning. This study demonstrates that the digitisation of herbarium collections provides a sustainable and scalable model for improving the management and global accessibility of botanical data, and it offers a practical framework for similar initiatives in Türkiye and beyond.