SPECIFY 4.0 

URL: 

http://usobi.org/specify/

Source of information: 

website and in house expertise (GBIF.DE project) 

Last updated:   

July 2003 

Contact 

Name:  

Specify Software Project 

information 

Address: 

Biodiversity Research Center 

The University of Kansas 

  1345 

Jayhawk 

Boulevard 

  Lawrence, 

Kansas 

66045 

  USA 

Email:  

specify@ku.edu

Availability and 

Freely avaible, download from 

http://usobi.org/specify/

. Free of 

cost 

charge (client server environment needs MS SQL Server software 

and licensing). 

Specialization by 

All taxa. User interface can be pre set for specific collection types 

taxonomic group 

by means of downloadable sets of customised forms for botany, 

entomology, herpetology, ichthyology, invertebrate palaeontology 

(under development), mammalogy, ornithology, palaeobotany  

(under development), and vertebrate palaeontology. The forms can 

be further modified to suit specific user needs.  

Computing 

Microsoft Windows XP Professional (not XP Home), 2000 Server, 

platform 

2000 Professional, 98SE. 

Limitations to 

No limitations documented, database engine is 

MSDE

 / 

Microsoft 

scalability 

SQL Server

/ 

Data import 

Specify project helps to convert and import existing collection data 

capabilities and/or 

sets. 

limitations 

Import of taxonomic authority files (in ITIS format) possible, 

extensive files available. 

Data export 

Data export into delimited text format and MS Access files via 

capabilities and/or 

query reporting function.  

limitations 

Specify is able to produce reports with a wide variety of options for 

layout, fonts, graphical design, bar codes, and other formatting 

features. 

Size and 

At least 100 installations (incl. version 3.x) worldwide. 

distribution of user 

base 

Source of user 

Extensive user manual available with by download: 

documentation 

http://usobi.org/specify/4_whatisspecify/usermanual40.htm 

Database model 

http://usobi.org/specify/3_whatisspecify/datamodel.htm 

documentation 

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