Fishing for data and sorting the catch: assessing the data quality, completeness and fitness for use of data in marine biogeographic databases.

ABSTRACT: Being able to assess the quality and level of completeness of data has become indispensable in marine biodiversity research, especially when dealing with large databases that typically compile data from a variety of sources. Very few integrated databases offer quality flags on the level of the individual record, making it hard for users to easily extract the data that are fit for their specific purposes. This article describes the different steps that were developed to analyse the quality and completeness of the distribution records within the European and international Ocean Biogeographic Information Systems (EurOBIS and OBIS). Records are checked on data format, completeness and validity of information, quality and detail of the used taxonomy and geographic indications and whether or not

SUBMITTER: Vandepitte L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4309024 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature