Research paper
The palaeontological virtual collection of the University of Valencia’s Natural History Museum: a new tool for palaeontological heritage outreach
JOSÉ L. HERRAIZ
Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva. C/ Catedrático José Beltrán Martínez 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain. joheca@alumni.uv.es
JOSÉ A. VILLENA
Museu de la Universitat de València d’Història Natural. C/ Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. Jose.Villena@uv.es
ANDREU VILAPLANA-CLIMENT
Universitat de València, department of Botany and Geology. C/ Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. anvicli@alumni.uv.es
NATALIA CONEJERO
Museu de la Universitat de València d’Història Natural. C/ Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. Natalia.Conejero@uv.es
HONORIO COCERA
Museu de la Universitat de València d’Història Natural. C/ Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. hocolapa@gmail.com
HÉCTOR BOTELLA
Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva. C/ Catedrático José Beltrán Martínez 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain. hector.botella@uv.es
ANNA GARCÍA-FORNER
Museu de la Universitat de València d’Història Natural. C/ Doctor Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. Anna.Garcia@uv.es
CARLOS MARTÍNEZ-PÉREZ
Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva. C/ Catedrático José Beltrán Martínez 2, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain. Carlos-Martinez-Perez@uv.es School of Earth sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
Corresponding author
ABSTRACT
The rise of new digitalization technologies is changing the way to access to the fossil collections for palaeontology outreach, providing new tools to preserve our important palaeontological heritage. In this sense, museums and palaeontological institutions, aware of the advantages of applying these new technologies for the accomplishment of their functions, have started to develop their own online repositories to facilitate the access to the most representative fossil of their collections. Following this trend, the aim of this work is to present the creation of the new “Virtual 3D Collection” of the University of Valencia’s Natural History Museum, showing, as an example, the “Ichnofossil Collection”. This new Virtual Collection has been shown as a powerful tool for the preservation and dissemination of our palaeontological heritage throughout its free publication in online repositories.
Key words: Virtual Collection, 3D, ichnofossils, palaeontological heritage.
How to cite: Herraiz, J.L., Villena, J.A., Vilaplana-Climent, A., Conejero, N., Cocera, H., Botella, H., García-Forner, A. & Martínez-Pérez, C. 2019. The palaeontological virtual collection of the University of Valencia’s Natural History Museum: a new tool for palaeontological heritage outreach. Spanish Journal of Palaeontology, 34 (1), 139-144.
Received 12 February 2019, Accepted 31 March 2019, Published 30 June 2019
https://doi.org/10.7203/sjp.34.1.1549
