On 19 Aug 2005 20:53:08 -0700, "Ted"
wrote:

Actually, I have conceived a design for a web application that may
prove useful to both growers and consumers. Wat I was thinking is that
the application would provide two different ways to identify, as well
as one can, plants.
Cheers,

Ted

This was posted on the Orchid Digest. It should carry the news
source from a London paper.


Quote from OD --
From a news story : "LONDON, England...

A group of London-based scientists hope computer software they
are creating will help uncover previously unknown plant ...
species.

Professor Norman MacLeod, ... Natural History Museum, is among
those creating a database of every known species, covering all
known ... plant life on Earth.

The system, called Digital Automated Identification System
(Daisy), will eventually give anyone in the world the ability to
identify species almost instantly...

"Only a handful of experts are currently able to identify species
in any given group of organisms accurately, and even these
experts disagree with each other over aspects of these
identifications and can make mistakes," he said.
....
"This technology will not replace basic human expertise, but it
will give access to that expertise to people in remote locations,
where the identifications are often needed most."
.....
"If we can identify species more quickly and accurately then we
can use this information to focus more on addressing the larger
issues of evolution and biodiversity."

Previously, if, for example, a botanist discovered what was
believed to be a new species of orchid, they would need to take
the specimen to an expert, which could often mean transporting it
to the other side of the world.

By using Daisy, the botanist would be able to confirm the type of
species with the click of a mouse.

The software program works by combining artificial intelligence
and computer vision technologies, which will load computers with
virtual collections of identified specimens.
....
a user could simply photograph a specimen with a mobile phone
camera out in the field, upload it to a computer which has the
Daisy software on it, and the identification could be made in
seconds.
....
MacLeod presented his vision for the automated identification of
biological groups in a conference at the Natural History Museum
Friday [19 August 2005].

source and complete news item :

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/08/19/s...ion=cnn_latest

End Quote

Great ideas often have many working on them at once. Good Luck.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php