This was a one year sociological study (2005-2006) of two of the computerised data frameworks currently used in the UK for gathering data on biological diversity. The first, the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) was designed to collate the UK’s biological records. The second, Mapmate, is a computer software package used by many naturalists. The study involved looking in detail at the software that was initially most closely associated with NBN, ‘Recorder’. The research explored the differences between these two softwares in terms of their design and use and their compatibility with NBN goals. An issue which strongly informed the research was a palpable tension between the policy-led drive to standardise and globalise biological data and the different set of motivations and expectations which drive the disparate members of the UK biological recording community.
The study therefore considered the perceptions and visions of software designers, data contributors and data users. It used participant observation, qualitative interviewing and focus groups with 3 communities: 1) software and database designers, 2) data contributors, 3) database users.