A new methodology for the retrieval and evaluation of geographic coordinates within databases of scientific plant collections

Several types of research can be conducted with data about plant collections stored in databases. Although geographic coordinates are on many specimens, the accuracy of this information is often questionable due to several factors. This paper introduces a new method to analyze the quality of spatial data and, when necessary, a way to search for coordinates based on data in other existing fields in a herbarium database. We propose implementing a tool to assist curators in evaluating and improving the quality of geographic data that is made available to the public and used for scientific research, establishing public policies, and environmental management. To validate our approach and its efficiency, a case study was conducted. The present work demonstrates that it is possible to develop and apply a methodology to streamline the process of improving data quality in databases of herbarium collections.