Research and Responsibility: Virtual access to integrated fossil and archival material from the German Tendaguru Expedition (1909-1913)

从1909年到1913年，柏林自然博物馆的科学家们组织并进行了前往坦桑尼亚南部(当时的德国殖民地‘Deutsch Ostafrika’)的‘德国坦达古鲁探险’。柏林自然博物馆收藏的脊椎动物化石和相关文字和视觉材料，在古生物学和历史意义上都是独一无二的。藏品的核心由230吨恐龙材料组成，由于其突出的科学意义，可以同等程度地被视为世界文化和自然遗产的一部分。除了化石本身，大量存档的照片、信件、行政档案、账簿、日记、图纸等构成了处理古生物和历史问题的独特来源，特别关注这次探险的殖民背景。目前对古生物和历史坦达古鲁资料的数字化程度参差不齐，这不符合收藏对自然科学和社会科学研究的突出重要性，因为这些研究越来越多地以综合数字资源为基础。因此，该项目的总体目标是通过将历史上德国田纳古鲁探险队的所有数字内容(实物数字模型、数据、图像和文件、档案材料、结果、出版物)合并到一个数据门户(最惠国集团的“数据门户”)，使其可供所有对象组的特定目标群体共同研究和使用，并允许将数据输出与其他特定数据库(如GBIF、FossilWorks)链接，从而使全世界都能查阅这些收藏。我们的目标是创建一个全球可供科学家访问的数字收藏，并符合欧盟委员会公平数据原则专家组的公平数据原则。在全球范围内提供这些数据将成为各国不同社区制定自己的研究方法或将这些数据用于各种目的宣传的资源，并将支持那些无力出国参观其他收藏品的人的研究/方法，从而为减少科学机会的不平等做出贡献。通过该项目的进程，还旨在为更多脊椎动物化石标本的三维数字化的适当方法建立工作流程和模型，并制定工作流程和指导方针，以整合殖民地背景下的研究对象并使之数字化。

From 1909 to 1913, scientists of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin organized and conducted the ‘German Tendaguru Expedition` to southern Tanzania (at that time the German colony ‘Deutsch Ostafrika’). The collection of fossil vertebrates and related written and visual material that the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin holds from this expedition is unique in its paleontological and historical significance. The core of the collection is formed by the 230 tons of dinosaur material, which can be regarded in equal measure as part of the world cultural and natural heritage due to its outstanding scientific significance. In addition to the fossils themselves, the extensive archived photographs, correspondences, administrative files, account books, diaries, drawings and the like form a unique source for dealing with palaeontological and historical questions, with a specific focus on the colonial background of the expedition. The current patchy state of digitization of the paleontological and historical Tendaguru materials does not do justice to the outstanding importance of the collections for natural and social science research, which is increasingly based on comprehensive digital resources. Thus, the overall goal of this project is to make the collection accessible worldwide by combining all digital contents (object digital models, data, images and documents, archival materials, results, publications) of the historic German Tendaguru Expedition in one data portal (the “Datenportal” of the MfN) , make them jointly researchable and usable for specific target groups across all object groups, and allow linking an export of data to other specific databases (e.g., GBIF, FossilWorks). We aim to create a digital collection that is globally accessible for scientists and corresponds to the FAIR data principles of the European Commission Expert Group on FAIR Data principles. Making the data available worldwide will serve as a resource for different communities of all countries to develop their own research approaches or use the data for publicity for variable purposes, and will support those people in their research/approach, who cannot afford to travel abroad to visit other collections, thereby contribution to a reduction of the inequality of chances in science. Through the process of this project, it is also aimed to establish workflows and models for suitable methods of 3D digitization of larger collections of fossil vertebrates as well as to establish workflows and guidelines for integrating and making digitally available research objects from colonial contexts.