Frequently Asked Questions

How long does delivery of your digitization system take?

Delivery time from order is 3-4 months for the insect line and 6-8 months for the herbarium line.  To these figures the shipping time overseas must be added. However, we do have some used equipment in stock, which may be delivered faster and could be rented as well — please ask.

What does the delivery of a digitization system include?

As will be agreed, but at least a customized design, all hardware and software, installation, and initial training.

Can you ship worldwide?

Yes.  However, electrical certification may take extra time and effort in some cases.

Do you offer support after installation?

Yes.  One year of remote support after installation is included in the price.  If there are problems, we will connect to the Control Computer via the TeamViewer remote access system, for which the user has to furnish us with access code.  After one year, you can order an additional support package or purchase support at a daily rate.

Are your systems patented?

No. We think that putting a camera over a conveyor belt is an obvious solution, already used in many industries, and not patentable. Moreover, our solutions have been publicized widely, which will derail any attempt to patent similar technology by others.  What is proprietary is the software and its embedded logic that integrates the system. 

Can customers have the source code of the software?

Our customer receive the full source code and can enhance it for their purposes. The system has been written in Java and TwinCat. The software was originally developed by Digitarium in 2012-2017 and the copyright still belongs to the University of Eastern Finland. Bioshare Digitization is their authorized representative and licenses the software further to its customers.

How can your digitization system be integrated with our collection management database?

The digitization system uploads automatically all data and images on a Linux server, which server the customer shall provide.  Every specimen gets on that server a dedicated folder where all the images and metadata will reside.  Post-processing software which runs on the server will take care of renaming the folders according to the barcoded ID on the specimen images. These folders form a the basic Digital Objects of the specimens, and can be imported to the collection management database, if wanted.