Integrating Data Quality Feedback: a Data Provider's Perspective

Abstract

The Herbarium of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden [RSA-POM] is the third largest herbarium in California and consists of >1.2 million specimens, of which ~50% are digitized. As a data provider, RSA-POM publishes its data with several aggregators, including the Consortium of California Herbaria, JSTOR, Symbiota (which is subsequently pulled into iDigBio and GBIF), as well as its own local webportal. Each submission of data needs to be prepared and formatted according to the aggregator’s specifications for publication. Feedback on data quality (DQ) ranges from an individual user (often only a few records at a time) to large aggregators (frequently in large batches). While some DQ items are easy fixes with little time and effort to correct, others can be more challenging and often require expertise beyond the skillset of curatorial staff. In other instances, there are issues concerning an aggregator’s ability to provide updated data for repatriation. This talk will discuss the efforts of the RSA-POM Herbarium to provide data to various aggregators as well as perspectives on the challenges, limitations, and constraints when integrating DQ items from an aggregator back into the local database.