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A specialist's audit of aggregated occurrence records
1Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia 7250.
Zookeys
|June 25, 2013
Summary
Comparing Australian millipede data from aggregators like GBIF and ALA with the Millipedes of Australia (MoA) website revealed numerous errors in aggregated datasets. Data quality checks are crucial for biodiversity informatics accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Biodiversity Informatics
- Zoology
- Entomology
Background:
- Occurrence data for native Australian millipedes is available through global aggregators like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA).
- The Millipedes of Australia (MoA) website serves as an independently compiled resource for Australian millipede records.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the accuracy and identify discrepancies between aggregated millipede occurrence data (GBIF, ALA) and a specialized, independently curated database (MoA).
- To highlight the prevalence of errors in aggregated biodiversity datasets and assess the effectiveness of data curation practices.
Main Methods:
- Occurrence records from GBIF and ALA were cross-referenced with records from the Millipedes of Australia (MoA) website.
- A systematic comparison was performed to identify and document errors and inconsistencies in both aggregated and independently curated datasets.
Main Results:
- The comparison identified previously unrecognized errors within the MoA database.
- A significantly higher number of errors and data quality issues were found in the aggregated datasets from GBIF and ALA.
- Corrections have been implemented in MoA and some contributing databases, but errors persist in GBIF and ALA pending provider updates.
Conclusions:
- Specialist volunteer audits are valuable for identifying data quality issues in biodiversity databases.
- Biodiversity data aggregators (GBIF, ALA) should enhance their data-checking protocols and actively query data providers about potential errors.
- Improved data validation by aggregators is necessary to ensure the reliability of aggregated biodiversity information.
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