  Botanical specimens are shared as long-term consultable research objects in a
global network of specimen repositories. Multiple specimens are generated from
a shared field collection event; generated specimens are then managed
individually in separate repositories and independently augmented with research
and management metadata which could be propagated to their duplicate peers.
Establishing a data-derived network for metadata propagation will enable the
reconciliation of closely related specimens which are currently dispersed,
unconnected and managed independently. Following a data mining exercise applied
to an aggregated dataset of 19,827,998 specimen records from 292 separate
specimen repositories, 36% or 7,102,710 specimens are assessed to participate
in duplication relationships, allowing the propagation of metadata among the
participants in these relationships, totalling: 93,044 type citations,
1,121,865 georeferences, 1,097,168 images and 2,191,179 scientific name
determinations. The results enable the creation of networks to identify which
repositories could work in collaboration. Some classes of annotation
(particularly those regarding scientific name determinations) represent units
of scientific work: appropriate management of this data would allow the
accumulation of scholarly credit to individual researchers: potential further
work in this area is discussed.
