META DATA LITE:
Name of Database: Miocene Mammal Mapping Project (MIOMAP)
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URL for home page:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/miomap/
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URL for basic information page (the one that has this infomation listed):
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/miomap/miomappdn.htm
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Purpose:
MIOMAP is an archival database that was originally compiled to study
the relative effects of long-scale climate change, short-scale climate
change, and tectonic activity on terrestrial mammal communities.
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Scope:
MIOMAP records locality information, taxonomic information, catalog
numbers, NISP and/or MNI (when possible), geologic information, geochronologic
information, and taphonomic information for fossil mammal specimens
that range in age from about 30 million years old (Arikareean North
American Land-Mammal Age) through about 5 million years old (Hemphillian
NALMA). The geographic scope is restricted to the western United States
(i.e. between approximately longitudes 95º-125º W in the
USA, excluding the Texas Gulf Coast).
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Intended audience:
The paleontological research community.
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Platform / Software:
The database was compiled on IBM-compatible computers (Windows XP)
in Paradox 9.0. The Paradox tables were then slightly restructured
to optimize the database for a web interface. This involved joining
several of the Paradox tables into one table and adding fields used
as reference points among tables for processing web queries. The Paradox
tables that are left after the joining are: Locality, Faunal, Refer,
Comment, and Absolute. Once the Paradox tables were restructured,
the data were exported into tab-delimited text files which were then
uploaded into mySQL tables that mirror the structure of the revised
Paradox tables. The resulting mySQL database is housed on a Berkeley
Natural History Museum server. As the revised Paradox tables were
uploaded into mySQL, several error-checking scripts were run to help
ensure that the data did not contain errors.
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Data model (basic description of what fields are included and how
fields are related):
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/miomap/DATA-MIOMAP/mmap_data_structure.htm
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Terminology conventions for data entry:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/miomap/DATA-MIOMAP/MIOMAP_Shortcut_Tables.htm
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Output query system:
Web based queries in mySQL and map interfaces using Berkeley Natural
History Museums online maps.
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Extent of user support available:
On-line tips and critical information.
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How long has the database existed?
Data entry began in 2000 and concluded in 2005. As of 2005, this is
an archival database, meaning that the information is a static representation
of the data entered before June 30, 2005, with taxonomy and age assignments
appropriately converted to standards existing on that date. For use
in research applications, the complete or partial database can be
downloaded. Users should update the archival database as appropriate
for their purposes, and cite the MIOMAP project in publications. Currently
there are no plans to add to the database after completion of the
funding period in 2005..
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Where does it reside?
MIOMAP resides on the University of California Museum of Paleontology
(Berkeley Natural History Museums) website, with backup copies of
the data on Dell computers in the Barnosky Lab, UC Berkeley.
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What institutional and/or financial support is associated with its
maintenance?
Development of the database was funded by grants from the National
Science Foundation. The University of California Museum of Paleontology
and Department of Integrative Biology also contributed resources.
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What are the long-term maintenance plans?
Long-term posting of the data is on the UCMP web site (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/).
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Who is the person to contact about the database?
Tony Barnosky (barnosky@berkeley.edu) or Marc Carrasco (carrasco@berkeley.edu)
