At the Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, 5-6 June 2017, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, sponsored by iDigBio, we presented on options for organization and revenue models for the future of Specify Software. The two day meeting highlighted numerous leading edge approaches to specimen data acquisition, processing and research analysis.

While we were there, we held discussions with University of Michigan researchers and museum administrators; they confirmed their interest in participating in a non-profit, open-source, software consortium. John Torgersen ([email protected]) provides IT support for the biological collections at Michigan and has been instrumental in their migration to Specify as a Specify Project Technical Liaison working with researchers in the U of M’s outstanding new collections space.