ZooArchNet: Connecting zooarchaeological specimens to the biodiversity and archaeology data networks

PLoS One. 2019 Apr 12;14(4):e0215369. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215369. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Interdisciplinary collaborations and data sharing are essential to addressing the long history of human-environmental interactions underlying the modern biodiversity crisis. Such collaborations are increasingly facilitated by, and dependent upon, sharing open access data from a variety of disciplinary communities and data sources, including those within biology, paleontology, and archaeology. Significant advances in biodiversity open data sharing have focused on neontological and paleontological specimen records, making available over a billion records through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. But to date, less effort has been placed on the integration of important archaeological sources of biodiversity, such as zooarchaeological specimens. Zooarchaeological specimens are rich with both biological and cultural heritage data documenting nearly all phases of human interaction with animals and the surrounding environment through time, filling a critical gap between paleontological and neontological sources of data within biodiversity networks. Here we describe technical advances for mobilizing zooarchaeological specimen-specific biological and cultural data. In particular, we demonstrate adaptations in the workflow used by biodiversity publisher VertNet to mobilize Darwin Core formatted zooarchaeological data to the GBIF network. We also show how a linked open data approach can be used to connect existing biodiversity publishing mechanisms with archaeoinformatics publishing mechanisms through collaboration with the Open Context platform. Examples of ZooArchNet published datasets are used to show the efficacy of creating this critically needed bridge between biological and archaeological sources of open access data. These technical advances and efforts to support data publication are placed in the larger context of ZooarchNet, a new project meant to build community around new approaches to interconnect zoorchaeological data and knowledge across disciplines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Archaeology* / statistics & numerical data
  • Biodiversity*
  • Databases, Factual
  • Humans
  • Information Dissemination
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Metadata
  • Publishing
  • Workflow
  • Zoology* / statistics & numerical data

Grants and funding

Funding for the development of ZooArchNet was provided to KFE and RG by the University of Florida Informatics Institute Seed Fund, the University of Florida (Office of Research) Research Opportunity Seed Fund, and the Florida Museum Collections Research Fund, and to MJL by the by the Florida Museum Professional Development Grant. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.