A workshop is proposed to investigate the potential application of visual database systems to research in marine biology. Visual database systems link relational databases with extensive video or image libraries. Such systems can be used to construct a generic resource of combined factual and visual information about marine organisms and about their environments. Such a resource could support a range of research, environmental assessment, and educational applications in the marine sciences. At this time there is a logistics crisis in the management of visual information relating to taxonomic work needed to support marine research. Much visual information has already been collected, but is essentially inaccessible. The amount collected by various automated and remotely operated vehicles is increasing. Furthermore, it is getting increasingly difficult to process existing and new collected material. Prototypes have shown the technical capabilities of visual database systems meet perceived needs in the marine sciences. A window of opportunity currently exists to use visual database systems to deal with the above problems. Decisions have to be made about the visual database system features which will result in the "best conomically possible format" allowing transfer of information between user sites, about the priorities of development, and the logistics of continued maintenance. Input from potential users of such systems will allow development of a comprehensive resource and workstation delivery environment to be guided by immediate and future application criteria.
