A New Stable Isotope Data Repository within the Neotoma Paleoecological Database

Summary

The Neotoma Database (neotomadb.org) functions as an interdisciplinary, open-access, and community-curated database for paleoecologists. Primary data types include proxies such as pollen, vertebrate remains, diatoms, and plant macrofossils. Because stable isotope data carry essential paleoenvironmental information about hydrology, diet, foodweb, and other signals, the structure of Neotoma has been modified to accommodate isotope data, thus facilitating the integration of these data with other paleo data. To date, the key bottleneck to our understanding of variability across not only spatial but also long-term temporal scales is not lack of data but rather a lack of exchange. Neotoma serves as a hub for storing and accessing diverse types of data that enable the building of ‘big data’ from the long tail of individual sites, and offers an unparalleled opportunity for visualizing the intersection of multiple strands for paleoecological reconstruction from the macroscopic to microscopic and biogeochemical scales. In addition to the launch and initial population of the stable isotope repository, issues that affect all so-called ‘big-data’ efforts exist as challenges for the future, including establishing best practices and standardization in recording/reporting, monitoring data quality, linking datasets, and increasing accessibility while protecting sensitive information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Frison Institute Symposium: The Future of "Big Data" in Archaeology

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16093