SoCal Fossil Map Data Standard

To upload data to the SoCal Fossil Map data should be submitted as a pair of CSV files and photo files. One CSV file describes each fossil locality and the taxonomy of their related specimen and the other a list of photos. This document will also outline the requirements for photo files.

Localities

Localities are a detailed location where specimens were collected. Localities are represented in the SoCal fossil map as individual dots on the map. The data for a locality is aggregated and shown when an area boundary (i.e. county, region or neighborhood) is selected by the user. Below is an example table and a description of each field.

site

Type: string

site is the unique identifier for a locality.

category

Type: 'Vertebrate' | 'Invertebrate' |'SDNHM'

Used to distinguish a locality as an NHMLAC specimen from Invertebrate Paleontology or Vertebrate Paleontology. Choose institution code from above if providing data from outside of NHMLAC.

formation

Type: string

Geologic unit where locality was found.

start_date

Type: float

Geologic age of oldest material found at locality based on geologic formation or paleontologic data, expressed in Ma.

end_date

Type: float

Geologic age of newest material found at locality based on geologic formation or paleontologic data, expressed in Ma.

latitude

Type: float

Latitude of locality, in decimal degrees.

longitude

Type: float

Longitude of locality, in decimal degrees.

birds

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the class Aves.

brachiopods

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the phylum Brachiopoda.

bryozoans

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the phylum Bryozoa.

cephalopods

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the class Cephalopoda.

corals

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the class Anthozoa.

crocodilia

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the order Crocodilia.

crustaceans

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the subphylum Crustacea.

fish

Type: integer

Number of specimens rom a variety of taxa colloquially called "fish", including but not limited to: actinopterygians, hagfish, lampreys, ostracoderms, placoderms, ect. Not to be confused with sharks, which include elasmobranch specimens.

microfossils

Type: integer

Fossils below the size of approx. 1 mm in size, frequently of diatoms, forams or other microscopic taxa.

otters

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the subfamily Lutrinae.

seals

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the infraorder Pinnipedia.

sharks

Type: integer

Numer of specimens of the subclass Elasmobranchii.

sirenians

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the order Sirenia.

snails

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the class Gastropoda.

squamata

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the order Squamata.

starfish

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the class Asteroidea.

trilobites

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the class Trilobita.

turtles

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the order Testudines.

urchins

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the class Echinoidea.

whales

Type: integer

Number of specimens of the infraorder Cetacea.

worms

Type: integer

Number of specimens from a variety of taxa colloquially called "worms", including but not limited to: ananelids, nematodes, platyhelminthes, ect.

Photos

List of photos, with fields for taxon, description and lat/long coordinates. These records are used to populate the photo carousel of a selected area in the SoCal fossil map. Below is an example table:

specimenID

Type: string

⚠️**speciminID strings (values) should never repeat!** Records with repeat values will be deleted before their upload to the SoCal Fossil Map.

The catalog number for the photographed specimen (similar to dwc:catalogNumber (opens in a new tab)). The associated photo (i.e. .png file), should have the share its name with the specimenID so that the two can be related. Since the specimenID serves as the photo's filename, spaces ( ) should be replaced with underscores (_) and periods (.) with dashes (-).

It is added a caption in the photo carousel (see below).

locality

Type: string

The locality record that the specimen/photo is associated with. Should be the same value as the site field in a Locality record.

taxon

Type: string

The taxon of the specimen, added below the specimenID in the captions of the photo carousel (see photo above).

description

Type: string

Common name of the specimen (similar to dwc:vernacularName (opens in a new tab)) or a short description of the specimen if no common name is possible. Example: Tibula fragment of Smilodon. Used as title element in photo carousel (see photo above).

latitude

Type: float

Latitude of locality, in decimal degrees.

longitude

Type: float

Longitude of locality, in decimal degrees.

Photo files

Photos files accompany photo records. Photos are of specimens and populate the photo carousel when an area is selected. Photos must abide by the following requirements to be included in the SoCal Fossil Map:

• Be no more than 5MB in size

• Use the following file formats: PNG, WebP, TIFF

• Be at least 300x300px

• Use a transparent background

• Have a filename that is the same as a specimenID photo record (i.e. LACM_10228.png would be related to a photo record with specimenID LACM_10228)