BioportalWebUi

URI*	https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo-search/cvterms https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo-search/cvterms
Abstract	Paleoscience data are extremely heterogeneous; hundreds of different types of measurements and reconstructions are routinely made by scientists on a variety of types of physical samples. This heterogeneity is one of the biggest barriers to finding paleoclimatic records, to building large-scale data products, and to the use of paleoscience data beyond the community of specialists. Here, we document the Paleoenvironmental Standard Terms (PaST) thesaurus, the first authoritative vocabulary of standardized variable names for paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental data developed in a formal knowledge organization structure. This structure is designed to improve data set discovery, support automated processing of data, and provide connectivity to other vocabularies. PaST is now used operationally at the World Data Service for Paleoclimatology (WDS-Paleo), one of the largest repositories of paleoscience information. Terms from the PaST thesaurus standardize a broad array of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic measured and inferred variables, providing enough detail for accurate and precise data discovery and thereby promoting data reuse. We describe the main design decisions and features of the thesaurus, the governance structure for ongoing maintenance, and WDS-Paleo services that now employ PaST. These services include an advanced search by variable name, an interface for thesaurus navigation, and a machine-readable representation in the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) standard. This overview is designed for developers of thesauri, data contributors, and users of the WDS-Paleo, and serves as a building block for future efforts within the broader paleoscience community to improve how data are described for long-term findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. See more...
Contact*	Noaa National Centers For Environmental Information (ncei.info@noaa.gov)
Object creation date property	http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/created http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/created
Submission date	May 29, 2025
Deprecated	false See more...
Description*	The World Data Service for Paleoclimatology defines measured variables using the PaST thesaurus of standard terms. These terms describe the quantity measured, the material on which it was measured, reported error, units, analytical or statistical methods, transformations made to raw data, reconstructed seasonality, data type, and data format. Standard terms organize heterogeneous paleoclimate datasets and improve the findability, interoperability, and reusability of data., This file contains concepts, labels, and relationships that make up the Paleoenvironmental Standard Terms (PaST) thesaurus. This representation of the thesaurus follows the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) data model and has Resource Description Framework (RDF) syntax. This file gives a snapshot of the thesaurus as of the date tagged in the SKOS ConceptScheme. Additional documentation as well as archived, static versions of the thesaurus are available at: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo-search/study/31892. Please cite the preceding URL, the publication listed at that URL, and the date accessed when referencing the thesaurus. See more...
Subject	https://data.ecoportal.lifewatch.eu/categories/EARTH See more...
License
Representation language*	SKOS See more...
Syntax	http://www.w3.org/ns/formats/RDF_XML http://www.w3.org/ns/formats/RDF_XML
Indexed or included in catalog or repository	https://ecoportal.lifewatch.eu https://ecoportal.lifewatch.eu
Generic type	http://omv.ontoware.org/2005/05/ontology#Vocabulary http://omv.ontoware.org/2005/05/ontology#Vocabulary
Keywords	Paleoclimate See more... Paleoclimate Reconstructions See more...
Known usage	Data of past climate and environment derived from unusual proxy evidence. Parameter keywords describe what was measured in this data set. Additional summary information can be found in the abstracts of papers listed in the data set citations. See more...
Object modification date property	http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/modified http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/modified
Natural language
Bibliographic reference	https://doi.org/10.1029/2020PA004193 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020PA004193
Creation date*	December 2, 2020
Status*	production See more...
URI Lookup Endpoint	https://ecoportal.lifewatch.eu/search?ontologies=PAST&require_exact_match=true&q= search?ontologies=PAST&require_exact_match=true&q=
Use guidelines	Please cite original publication, online resource, dataset and publication DOIs (where available), and date accessed when using downloaded data. If there is no publication information, please cite investigator, title, online resource, and date accessed. The appearance of external links associated with a dataset does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the Department of Commerce/NOAA does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this Department of Commerce/NOAA Web site. See more...
Version information	1.1.0 See more...

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