AMRI Collection Enhancement Project

An exciting mass digitisation project that aims to digitally capture and provide access to the Australian Museum’s vast collections.

The Collection Enhancement Project (CEP) aims to provide digital access to the Australian Museum’s diverse natural science collections. It commenced in 2020.

Not all of the estimated 22 million specimens in our collections have a digital record. This means that they not accessible without visiting the museum in person. Digitisation breaks down this barrier.

The project will improve our ability to audit, secure, value, manage, research, and provide public access to the collections.

What are the AMRI digitisation priorities?

  • Registering
    Transferring specimen information into our database
  • Imaging
    2D and 3D imaging, CT scans and x-rays of high value specimens
  • Barcoding
    Adding barcodes to specimens and their locations

Digitisation of the Australian Museum collections is important. By mobilising our digitised data we are able to give scientists, policy makers, environmental planners and land managers, industry and the general public access to it. Scientists and planners can use this information to understand, manage and conserve biodiversity.

How can these data and images be used?

The data we are digitising includes species names, specimen collection dates and places, publication citations and storage details.

Each specimen is being given a unique barcode as part of our collection digitisation project.

Within the museum this can help us:

  • track specimens as they travel through the museum from storage, to
    photo studios, to education rooms, to conservation lab
  • locate specimens quickly to answer research inquiries or send them
    out on loan.
Data such as x-rays will be part of the digital record of a specimen.

Outside the museum, these data and images can:

  • help researchers identify species by comparing morphological or
    genetic characters
  • improve our understanding of Australian species' distributions.
The digitisation team at work behind-the-scenes with trays of insect specimens.
Behind the scenes of the Collections Enhancement Project (CEP) - Entomology at the Australian Museum. Image: Louise Reily
© Australian Museum
Specimens stored in drawers in the Mineralogy and Petrology Collection.
Behind the scenes of the Collections Enhancement Project (CEP) - Mineralogy and Petrology at the Australian Museum. Image: Louise Reily
© Australian Museum
A bird specimen is tagged with a unique scannable barcode.
Barcoding of bird specimens in the Ornithology Collection as part of the Collections Enhancement Project (CEP) at the Australian Museum. Image: Louise Reily
© Australian Museum
The DigiVol project recruits volunteers to help us digitise our collection records.
Inside the DigiVol Lab, the volunteer citizen scientist digitisation project at the Australian Museum. Image: Louise Reily
© Australian Museum
Each bird specimen tag has a barcode added to scan and track it.
Barcoding of bird specimens in the Ornithology Collection as part of the Collections Enhancement Project (CEP) at the Australian Museum. Image: Louise Reily
© Australian Museum
Butterfly specimens are pinned in rows in drawers in the Entymology Collection.
Behind the scenes imagery of the Collections Enhancement Project (CEP) of Entomology at the Australian Museum. Image: Louise Reily
© Australian Museum

Learn more about our collections

Collection Enhancement Project staff

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X-ray of I.51711-001, Twin butterflyfish, <i>Prognathodes geminud</i>.

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10 July 2025
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