Behind eMammal’s Success: A Data Curator With A Data Standard

Jennifer Zhao,William Mcshea

doi:10.7191/jeslib.2018.1154

Abstract

This paper explores the data challenges of a major collection method in the field of ecology: using infrared-activated cameras to detect wildlife. One such solution, eMammal, is now available to address these struggles. We delineate the key reason behind its success: a data curator who manages an established data standard and communicates with eMammal’s users and stakeholders. We outline the tasks of this data curator, mention how they can work with data librarians, and demonstrate that the data curator position is already applicable in several biological science fields with a few examples. We end by emphasizing the growth of such a position and how it contributes to the research field. <em>The substance of this article is based upon a lightning talk presentation at RDAP Summit 2018.</em>

Highlights

Monitoring the world’s biodiversity has traditionally been conducted through the collection and curation of physical specimens in museums
New technology, called camera traps, has emerged which can resolve many of these traditional collection issues
The utility of a data curator is not limited to eMammal, but is rather a more universal need

Summary

Introduction

Monitoring the world’s biodiversity has traditionally been conducted through the collection and curation of physical specimens in museums. New technology, called camera traps, has emerged which can resolve many of these traditional collection issues. The second challenge was to create a data standard and schema for consistency in the data collection of researchers and projects (Forrester et al 2016, e10197).

Results

Conclusion