CDI-Type II: Computational Methods to Enable an Invertebrate Paleontology Knowledgebase

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The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, founded in 1948 by an international consortium of paleontological societies, is considered to be the most authoritative compilation of data on invertebrate fossils. It holds an almost biblical significance and is to be found in every good library. The Treatise has found applications in many areas, such as understanding evolution, studying climate change, and finding fossil fuels. In order to maximize the possible benefit from this landmark effort, there is a strong desire in the paleontological community to make this vast repository of paleontological data available in electronic form for current and future scientists and laypeople. The object of the proposed research is to facilitate knowledge discovery activities in invertebrate paleontology by providing scientists with a general framework that takes advantage of the rich information extracted from the Treatise. The first mission is to turn the Treatise data into available knowledge. The second mission is to develop computational tools for analyzing, modeling, and visualizing paleontological data in order to facilitate knowledge discovery. The knowledgebase we propose to develop will play a central role in paleontological data management. It will facilitate paleontologists to further explore unexploited areas and to raise and answer research questions that are unsolvable under the current paradigm. Furthermore, it will provide a paradigm shift from the book-based knowledge system, which is perceived as supporting evidence of mainstream research and provides little knowledge regarding the patterns and relationships that are embedded within them, to a unified framework in which computational analysis and modeling are integrated with knowledge to derive a new era of paleontological research. Consequently, the knowledgebase will likely open transformational opportunities in scientific discovery to help understand the complexity of nature. Additionally, the website we will create will enable anyone to explore the world of fossils on the world-wide web, and to link with the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and their outreach programs for K-12 students and the general public.