NAPIS® Collection: Collection: Color Communication
Color communication is an example of how to manage "data" rather than "knowledge". In NAPIS, documenting the color of an organism or its parts is done using primary or secondary color names, in addition to the appearance (e.g. light or dark) of the color. The database model follows the National Cancer Institute (NCI) system for assigning colors including appearance, color and shade (each in separate database fields with corresponding letter-codes). Example valid color names are Dark - Red - Brown (instead of burnt sienna) and None - Yellow - Brown (instead of Aztec Gold). This allows for consistent and realistic database searches.
Use the 'Set' buttons within the external and internal color communication boxes to open the color specification dialogs. Color is communicated using a radio-button method for picking appearance, color, and shade, or by selecting 'Yes' in the PANTONE NO. box and using the PANTONE® Color Matching System, explained below.
The PANTONE Color Matching System, an internationally available standard in the graphic arts industry, eliminates subjectivity in color communication. PANTONE Formula Guides are small fan decks (4 x 4 x 20 cm) of more than 1000 uniquely numbered colors, providing a convenient and portable color reference library that can accompany you in the field. Pantone, Inc., recommends updating your PANTONE Formula Guide each year as the colors change due to ink and paper degradation.
Pantone does not provide color names with their numbers. NAPIS color name assignments to PANTONE Numbers were determined by a panel of three color experts. Each expert performed an independent color assignment review; the three reviews were compared and discrepancies identified and resolved by the panel. The result is a critically reviewed dataset of primary and secondary color names assigned to PANTONE Numbers, with notation of appearance where appropriate. The NAPIS color dataset is also available separately, free of charge. The objective is to communicate color using standardized terms that allow realistic database searches, and to rely on the PANTONE Color Matching System for careful color communication on a case specific basis.
PANTONE® is a registered trademark of Pantone, Inc.