Workshop on Databases and Data-sharing in Paleoanthropology

American Museum Natural History, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The accumulation and analysis of large datasets, on hominids, as well as associated faunal, floral, and geological contexts, has allowed paleoanthropologists many exciting new insights and findings. Modern computing power and networking capabilities have greatly facilitated the collection, analysis, and dissemination of these datasets. As a consequence, the size and number of databases have increased in paleoanthropology and allied disciplines. However, datasets are controlled by the researcher(s) who collected them, and they may not be broadly available, even after they have been analyzed and published. Making paleoanthropological data more widely accessible and readily useable has been a concern among researchers for many years. It is appreciated that there are diverse stake holders in this process, including, but not necessarily limited to: those who collect material in the field, those who analyze data collected by others, and those charged with the management and care of paleoanthropological collections housed in various museums. A further issue is repeated collection of similar datasets by researchers (and especially students) unaware that such data have already been collected and may be available for study. Repeated collection of data on the same specimens is not only a poor use of limited research time and funds, but also potentially detrimental to the conservation of those specimens. Given these concerns, the PIs will hold a two-day workshop in New York to bring together representatives of these different stake holders, as well as colleagues from sister disciplines such as vertebrate paleontology and systematic museology, to exchange ideas and plan new approaches to this topic. Discussion topics will include: the need for collaboration on databasing and data access; the types of data to be included (catalogue "metadata", metrical data, digital imagery); levels of access to such data; types of database systems which could be employed and whether they should be local, centralized or linked. The intellectual merit of this project is that it will bring together representatives of diverse communities within and outside paleoanthropology to consider the value of facilitating data exchange and implementing ways to do so. The broader impacts of this workshop are that database development and the questions of open access to data and means of distribution are of general interest across a great range of science disciplines; a report on the deliberations at this meeting will be of value to colleagues in diverse fields, and may lower the barriers to database implementation for researchers considering this option for their data; the inclusion of colleagues from around the world helps to build infrastructure and global collaboration as they educate each other. Improved access to data, allowing sampling of broader datasets, will benefit the training of advanced students and also reduce duplication of effort through repetition of measurements. The study of human origins is a topic of great public interest, and wider access to data will broaden public understanding of and interest in paleoanthropology and related fields. Finally, as more and more types of data are quantified (and therefore lend themselves to databasing) these concerns will only grow in the future.