THE NEOTOMA PALEOECOLOGY DATABASE: BUILDING COMMUNITIES AROUND PALEOECOLOGICAL DATA

The Neotoma Paleoecology Database serves global change science by providing a community-curated data resource (CCDR) for paleoecological and associated paleoenvironmental data. Neotoma currently holds over 4 million individual observations in over 31,000 datasets and 15,000 sites. Major dataset types stored include fossil pollen, vertebrate records, diatoms, ostracodes, testate amoebae, insects, macroinvertebrates, and charcoal, and the data model can be readily extended to other data types. The database also stores 5,000 geochronological age controls, mostly radiocarbon dates, along with associated age-depth model metadata and age inferences. Neotoma includes surface sample datasets with associated environmental variables for data calibration. Data upload, cleaning, and curation are performed by Data Stewards using the Tilia software system, with validation steps including checks of variable names, geographic coordinates, and site name duplication. Neotoma data can be explored and visualized using the map-based Neotoma Explorer and obtained using RESTful Application Programmatic Interfaces (APIs) and the neotoma R package. Third-party websites and apps drawing on Neotoma include the NOAA WDC-Paleoclimatology data portal, the Earth Life Consortium APIs for paleobiological data, the Global Pollen Project, and Flyover Country. Neotoma is governed by an elected Neotoma Leadership Council and welcomes community data contributions, new members, and new stewards.