Paleo Digitization Working Group
The Paleo Digitization Working Group was inspired by the paleo digitization workshop held in New Haven, CT in conjunction with the Yale Peabody Museum, 23-25 September 2013. The focus of the group is to examine issues and create community-generated documentation related to the digitization of paleontology collections.
Stay connected
You can link to this wiki page using the short link https://bit.ly/paleo-digi. We currently have three communication channels associated with this group:
(1) The Paleo Data Google Group is for topical conversations and announcements. Access the forum to view past discussion and sign up here for email alerts. This communication channel is open to anyone and is a place to have conversations that can be viewed later by people who didn't originally participate in them, thanks to the way Google Groups are set up.
(2) A Paleo Data Slack workspace to accompany the Paleo Data Google Group. Anyone is welcome to join the Slack workspace! If you are unfamiliar with Slack, see this 3-minute video overview of how to set it up for the Paleo Data workspace. Please contact Erica Krimmel (ekrimmel@fsu.edu) to receive an invite to join this Slack workspace.
(3) The iDigBio Paleo Digitization Listserv is a more traditional listserv. To subscribe email listserv@lists.ufl.edu with the following command in the email "subscribe IDIGBIOPALDIGI-L first_name last_name" (e.g. "subscribe IDIGBIOPALDIGI-L Jane Doe"). To post, send an email to IDIGBIOPALDIGI-L@LISTS.UFL.EDU.
In addition to the communication channels above, members of this working group store shared, active files in a Google folder here.
2022 Activity
Paleo Data Happy Hours
Join colleagues in an informal, biweekly discussion on various topics related to digitizing paleontology collections and sharing the digitized data. No advance registration required, and you are welcome to drop in for only part of the hour! See the calendar announcement for more details.
- 2022-01-11, 2022 Roadmap: Wikidata workshop series, DwC topical working groups (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-01-25, Managing collections identifiers and metadata in the GBIF Registry of Scientific Collections (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-02-08, Working session for taxonomic data, Part I (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-02-22, Working session for taxonomic data, Part II (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-03-08, Updates (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-03-22, Working session for preparation data (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-04-05, Working session for morphology data (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-04-19, Working session for geologic context data (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-05-03, Review of implementation guidelines for georeferencing data (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-05-17, Working session for identifiers (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-05-31, Managing taxonomic data in TaxonWorks (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-06-14, Review action items related to geologic context data (notes)
- 2022-06-28, Post-SPNHC/mid-year check-in (notes)(video recording)
- 2022-07-12, Open deliverable working session
- 2022-07-26, Open deliverable working session
- 2022-08-09, Open deliverable working session, including a demo of new Wikidata integrations in CollectiveAccess (recording)
- 2022-08-23, Open deliverable working session
- 2022-09-08, Taxonomic identifications (notes)([recording])
- 2022-09-22, TBD (notes)([recording])
- 2022-10-06, Wrap up from Wikidata workshop part II (notes)([recording])
- 2022-10-20, Conference briefing: GSA, TDWG, SVP (notes)([recording])
- 2022-11-03, TBD (notes)([recording])
- 2022-11-17, TBD (notes)([recording])
- 2022-12-01, TBD (notes)([recording])
- 2022-12-15, Holiday social hour
Workshops
- Using Wikidata to Capture and Share Information about Paleo People (29-31 March, 2022), virtual
- See also, post-workshop report
- Using Wikidata to Capture and Share Information about Paleontological Collecting Sites, TBD dates and venue
2021 Activity
Paleo Data Happy Hours
Join colleagues in an informal, biweekly discussion on various topics related to digitizing paleontology collections and sharing the digitized data. No advance registration required, and you are welcome to drop in for only part of the hour!
- 2021-01-14, Paleo collections data resolutions for 2021 (notes)(audio recording)
- 2021-01-28, Tools and strategies for tidying data (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-02-11, Making people data discoverable with Bionomia and wikidata (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-02-25, How the Paleobiology Database (PBDB) relates to our shared datasets (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-03-11, Extra discussion time to debrief from February Happy Hours, and to plan group priorities for upcoming Happy Hours (notes)(audio recording)
- 2021-03-25, Getting started with wikidata (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-04-08, Understanding the new Collections Description standard (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-04-22, Geography revisited (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-05-06, Further discussion on the new Collections Description standard (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-05-20, open Zoom room to talk about SPNHC and Digital Data conferences (debrief, discuss further, etc.)
- 2021-06-03, Overview of the Paleobotany Database (PBOT) project (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-06-17, Evaluating vocabulary for describing relationships between fossil specimens (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-07-01, open Zoom room to talk about whatever people want (notes)
- 2021-07-15, open Zoom room to talk about whatever people want (notes)
- 2021-07-29, Bias in paleo collections (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-08-12, Managing plastercasts, murals, and other non-specimen objects (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-08-26, Managing trace fossils and trackways (incl. ichnotaxonomy, cataloging trace fossils, quantifying trace fossils, publishing associations between traces and other organisms, etc.) (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-09-09, Sharing data about interactions in the fossil record (with GloBI) (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-10-07, Digital assets and copyright vs. usage rights (notes)(video recording)
- 2021-11-04, Identifying connections between earlier Happy Hour topics and action items (notes)(recording)
- 2021-11-18, Working session to plan wikidata workshop (recording)
- 2021-12-02, Working session on recommendations for use of Darwin Core terms in paleo collections (notes)(recording)
- 2021-12-16, Holiday social time!
2020 Activity
Paleo Data Happy Hours
Join colleagues in an informal, biweekly discussion on various topics related to digitizing paleontology collections and sharing the digitized data. No advance registration required, and you are welcome to drop in for only part of the hour!
- 2020-05-21, Public lands and sensitive localities (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-06-04, Sharing georeferencing resources (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-06-18, Tools for georeferencing (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-07-02, Georeferencing data management issues (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-07-16, Implementing data standards (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-07-30, Stratigraphy (notes)(video recording)
- 2020-08-13, Preparations and Standardizing Anatomical Elements terms (notes)(video recording)
- 2020-08-27, Citing collections data (notes)(video recording)
- 2020-09-10, Taxonomy Part I (notes)(video recording)
- 2020-09-17, Taxonomy Part II (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-10-08, Updates from iDigBio Summit, TDWG Part I (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-10-29, Updates from SVP, TDWG Part II, GSA (notes)(audio recording)
- 2020-11-05, How do we count things? e.g. slabs (notes)(video recording)
- 2020-11-19, How do we count things? Part II (notes)(video recording)
- 2020-12-03, Identifiers for specimens, localities, people, etc. (notes)(video recording)
Workshops
2017 Activity
Webinars
- 2017-01-19, Scott Foss: Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) of 2009 (presentation PDF)
- 2017-02-16, Denné Reed: Digital Data Management for Paleobiology: Data standards and best practices for fossil data (video recording)
- 2017-03-16, Erica Clites: Serving your georeferencing data via data aggregators (presentation PDF)(video recording)
- 2017-04-20, Emma Bernard, Lil Stevens, Pip Brewer: eMesozoic
2016 Activity
Webinars
- 2016-01-12, Kathy Hollis and Scott Foss: Federal collections discussion session, Part I (video recording)
- 2016-02-16, Scott Foss and Elizabeth Varner: Federal collections discussion session, Part II (video recording)
- 2016-03-09, Dana Ehret: Makerspace and 3D printing (video recording)
- 2016-03-23, Laura Vietti: Digitizing small paleo collections (presentation PDF)(video recording)
- 2016-05-03, Kerstin Lehnert: Using the International Geo Sample Number (IGSN) for tracking and registering samples in the System for Earth Sample Registration (SESAR) (video recording)
2015 Activity
Webinars
- 2015-08-25, Dena Smith: STEPPE (Sedimentary Geology, Time, Paleontology, Paleoclimatology, Energy) (presentation PDF)(video recording)
- 2015-09-08, Doug Boyer: Morphosource (presentation PDF)(video recording)
- 2015-09-22, Sue Butts and Chris Norris: The iDigPaleo Portal (presentation PDF)(video recording)
- 2015-10-13, Gil Nelson and Shelley James: Navigating the iDigBio Portal (video recording)
- 2015-11-10, Amanda Millhouse: Data standards and database fields (video recording)
- 2015-12-08, Jessica Utrup: Georeferencing for paleo collections (video recording)
2014 Activity
Webinars
- 2014-01-14, Chris Norris: Redacting sensitive data on paleo specimens (presenter notes)(video recording)
- 2014-02-11, Una Farrell: Issues with stratigraphy (video recording)
- 2014-03-18, Bruce MacFadden: Linking ancillary data to specimen records in paleo databases (presentation PDF)(video recording)
- 2014-04-22, Mark Uhen: Paleobiology database and C4P (video recording)
- 2014-05-13, Nancy Stamm: USGS GeoLex (video recording)
- 2014-06-10, Jim Beach: Issues, input, and recommendations for changes to the Specify schema to better accommodate paleontological data (video recording)
Workshops
2013 Activity
Webinars
- 2013-12-17, Roger Burkhalter: Standard views for paleo images (video recording)
Workshops
Standard Views for Fossil Images
- Working Document
- Digital Plant Images as Specimens, Vulpia, Baskauf & Kirchoff & 2008
- Morphbank Standard Views
- Standard Views of Marine Invertebrate Fossils for Photography (from EPICC TCN)
Stratigraphy Resources
- Mark Webster, et al, Combining Stratigraphic Sections and Museum Collections to Increase Biostratigraphic Resolution
- Donald E. Owen, How to use stratigraphic terminology in papers, illustrations, and talks
- NORTH AMERICAN STRATIGRAPHIC CODE, North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature
- Murphy & Salvador, International Stratigraphic Guide — An abridged version
Controlled Vocabularies
Related Media
- Formed in Stone: The Natural Beauty of Fossils A YouTube video from Sam Noble, contributed by Roger Burkhalter, that accompanies an exhibit of large-scale images of various fossils taken with the museum's macrophotography setup. The video goes from collecting, to preparation, to blackening and whitening of the fossil, then photography using image stacking.