Data Quality
PRINCIPLES OF DATA QUALITY
Arthur D. Chapman1
Although most data gathering disciples treat error as an embarrassing issue to be expunged, the error inherent in [spatial] data deserves closer attention and public understanding …because error provides a critical component in judging fitness for use. (Chrisman 1991).
Australian Biodiversity Information Services PO Box 7491, Toowoomba South, Qld, Australia email: papers.digit@gbif.org
1
© 2005, Global Biodiversity Information Facility Material in this publication is free to use, with proper attribution. Recommended citation format: Chapman, A. D. 2005. Principles of Data Quality, version 1.0. Report for the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Copenhagen.
This paper was commissioned from Arthur Chapman in 2004 by the GBIF DIGIT programme to highlight the importance of data quality as it relates to primary species occurrence data. Our understanding of these issues and the tools available for facilitating error checking and cleaning is rapidly evolving. As a result we see this paper as an interim discussion of the topics as they stood in 2004. Therefore, we expect there will be future versions of this document and would appreciate the data provider and user communities’ input. Comments and suggestions can be submitted to: Larry Speers Senior Programme Officer Digitization of Natural History Collections Global Biodiversity Information Facility Universitetsparken 15 2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark E-mail: lspeers@gbif.org and Arthur Chapman Australian Biodiversity Information Services PO Box 7491, Toowoomba South Queensland 4352 Australia E-mail: papers.digit@gbif.org
July 2005
Cover image © Per de Place Bjørn 2005 Amata phegea (Linnaeus 1758)
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
Arthur D. Chapman1
Although most data gathering disciples treat error as an embarrassing issue to be expunged, the error inherent in [spatial] data deserves closer attention and public understanding …because error provides a critical component in judging fitness for use. (Chrisman 1991).
Australian Biodiversity Information Services PO Box 7491, Toowoomba South, Qld, Australia email: papers.digit@gbif.org
1
© 2005, Global Biodiversity Information Facility Material in this publication is free to use, with proper attribution. Recommended citation format: Chapman, A. D. 2005. Principles of Data Quality, version 1.0. Report for the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Copenhagen.
This paper was commissioned from Arthur Chapman in 2004 by the GBIF DIGIT programme to highlight the importance of data quality as it relates to primary species occurrence data. Our understanding of these issues and the tools available for facilitating error checking and cleaning is rapidly evolving. As a result we see this paper as an interim discussion of the topics as they stood in 2004. Therefore, we expect there will be future versions of this document and would appreciate the data provider and user communities’ input. Comments and suggestions can be submitted to: Larry Speers Senior Programme Officer Digitization of Natural History Collections Global Biodiversity Information Facility Universitetsparken 15 2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark E-mail: lspeers@gbif.org and Arthur Chapman Australian Biodiversity Information Services PO Box 7491, Toowoomba South Queensland 4352 Australia E-mail: papers.digit@gbif.org
July 2005
Cover image © Per de Place Bjørn 2005 Amata phegea (Linnaeus 1758)
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1
References: Release date: July 2005 these entities, but also historic information going back several hundred years (Chapman and Busby 1994)