Research news on digitization

Digitization, as a method, refers to the systematic conversion of analog signals, physical objects, or continuous data into discrete numerical representations suitable for processing, storage, and transmission by digital systems. It typically involves sampling (discretizing time or space), quantization (discretizing amplitude or intensity), and encoding (mapping to binary or other digital formats). In research workflows, digitization underpins data acquisition from sensors, imaging modalities, or archival materials, enabling reproducible analysis, error detection and correction, algorithmic processing, and integration into computational pipelines. Methodological considerations include sampling rate, resolution, dynamic range, noise characteristics, and fidelity relative to the original analog or physical source.

Researchers digitize pollen from 18,000 plant species

A team of researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is digitizing images of pollen from more than 18,000 plant species from the tropics. The work is published in the journal PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET.