I would, however, like to make the same suggestion that Kevin Padian did on the VP-list: the project needs clear standardization in how the measurements are taken. Providing such standards is somewhat problematic given that they are mostly accepting published measurements. However, I would STRONGLY recommend providing some clear guidelines for new measurements at this early stage in the game.
As anyone who has measured a three-dimensional fossil knows, there are many ways to measure even a relatively simple shape (I would speculate that this is why the SV-POW crew did not start with vertebrae, which are about as three-dimensional as you can get). Length may be relatively straightforward for a long bone, but other dimensions might be more subjective. For example, something like "mid-shaft diameter" might be measured in a couple different ways. If it is not made exactly clear how, how is someone using the database to be certain that measurements for two different bones, especially from two different published sources, are really talking about the same thing? This isn't just me being nit-picky; I can envision the issue coming up during the review process for any manuscript incorporating this data.
I would recommend providing clearly labelled drawings of limb elements showing exactly how measurements should be taken. Here is a figure from my thesis to illustrate what I mean.
Providing clear measurement standards can help this database be improved and refined over time. For published limb measurements that are crappy or unclear, the standards could be used to eventually replace them with better ones. Through a slow process of replacement, we could have a standardized and continuously updated database of morphological data on dinosaurs. Wouldn't that be nice?
Another possible help might be photographs of the individual limb elements, or at least comments on the condition of the elements. Since vertebrate fossils tend to be a little fucked-up, it would be useful to any individual using the database to be able to evaluate the condition of an individual bone, and how distortion that occurred during fossilization, or preparation, might be impacting the measurement. One tibia I measured for my thesis was actually missing a big section of the midshaft, and the incomplete ends had been glued together. It was therefore a bit more compact than when it was in the animal's leg. Good to know, if you are interested in, say, limb bone allometry for a group of animals.
Just my two cents.
LNJ
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3 comments:
Great post, thanks for the advertisement and (insightful) commentary.
Re: photos, hopefully that will be down the road. . .the only thing preventing that from becoming a complete reality is the rather draconian policies on photo distribution that are adopted by some museums. But I agree, this would make the database invaluable!
Good substitute, but, did you consider whether they would actually want a ball? I mean, what would someone do with just one extra testicle? They don't bounce well, I guess you could freeze it in an ice cube for novelty at a Halloween party, or write limericks about it, but honestly, I think everyone is better off is you just keep on hanging on to those.
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