Data Quality Toolkit 2024: Difference between revisions

From iDigBio
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Update page links)
Line 53: Line 53:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Identified Date Earlier than Collected Date|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Identified Date Earlier than Collected Date|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Identified Date Earlier than Collected Date|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Identified Date Earlier than Collected Date|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Identified Date Earlier than Collected Date|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Identified Date Earlier than Collected Date|TaxonWorks]]


=== Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date ===
=== Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date ===
Line 64: Line 64:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date|TaxonWorks]]


== Geography ==
== Geography ==
Line 77: Line 77:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates are Zero|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates are Zero|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates are Zero|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates are Zero|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates are Zero|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates are Zero|TaxonWorks]]


=== Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit ===
=== Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit ===
Line 88: Line 88:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit|TaxonWorks]]


=== Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference ===
=== Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference ===
Line 99: Line 99:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference|TaxonWorks]]


=== Elevation is Unlikely ===
=== Elevation is Unlikely ===
Line 110: Line 110:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Elevation is Unlikely|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Elevation is Unlikely|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Elevation is Unlikely|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Elevation is Unlikely|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Elevation is Unlikely|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Elevation is Unlikely|TaxonWorks]]


=== Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes ===
=== Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes ===
Line 121: Line 121:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes|TaxonWorks]]


=== Invalid Coordinates ===
=== Invalid Coordinates ===
Line 133: Line 133:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Invalid Coordinates|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Invalid Coordinates|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Invalid Coordinates|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Invalid Coordinates|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Invalid Coordinates|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Invalid Coordinates|TaxonWorks]]


=== Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography ===
=== Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography ===
Line 144: Line 144:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography|TaxonWorks]]


=== Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched ===
=== Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched ===
Line 155: Line 155:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched|TaxonWorks]]


=== Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values ===
=== Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values ===
Line 166: Line 166:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values|TaxonWorks]]


=== Mismatched Geographic Terms ===
=== Mismatched Geographic Terms ===
Line 177: Line 177:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Geographic Terms|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Geographic Terms|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Geographic Terms|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Geographic Terms|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Geographic Terms|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Mismatched Geographic Terms|TaxonWorks]]


=== Missing Geodetic Datum ===
=== Missing Geodetic Datum ===
Line 188: Line 188:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Geodetic Datum|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Geodetic Datum|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Geodetic Datum|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Geodetic Datum|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Geodetic Datum|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Geodetic Datum|TaxonWorks]]


=== Missing Latitudes/Longitudes ===
=== Missing Latitudes/Longitudes ===
Line 199: Line 199:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Latitudes/Longitudes|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Latitudes/Longitudes|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Latitudes/Longitudes|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Latitudes/Longitudes|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Latitudes/Longitudes|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Missing Latitudes/Longitudes|TaxonWorks]]


=== Misspelled Geographic Unit Names ===
=== Misspelled Geographic Unit Names ===
Line 210: Line 210:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled Geographic Unit Names|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled Geographic Unit Names|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled Geographic Unit Names|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled Geographic Unit Names|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled Geographic Unit Names|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled Geographic Unit Names|TaxonWorks]]


== Taxonomy ==
== Taxonomy ==
Line 223: Line 223:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled or Invalid Taxonomic Names|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled or Invalid Taxonomic Names|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled or Invalid Taxonomic Names|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled or Invalid Taxonomic Names|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled or Invalid Taxonomic Names|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Misspelled or Invalid Taxonomic Names|TaxonWorks]]


=== Unknown Higher Taxonomy ===
=== Unknown Higher Taxonomy ===
Line 234: Line 234:


'''Solutions:'''
'''Solutions:'''
* Arctos
* [[Arctos Data Quality Toolkit#Unknown Higher Taxonomy|Arctos]]
* Excel
* [[Excel Data Quality Toolkit#Unknown Higher Taxonomy|Excel]]
* OpenRefine
* [[OpenRefine Data Quality Toolkit#Unknown Higher Taxonomy|OpenRefine]]
* Specify
* [[Specify Data Quality Toolkit#Unknown Higher Taxonomy|Specify]]
* Symbiota
* [[Symbiota Data Quality Toolkit#Unknown Higher Taxonomy|Symbiota]]
* TaxonWorks
* [[TaxonWorks Data Quality Toolkit#Unknown Higher Taxonomy|TaxonWorks]]


== Other Issues ==
== Other Issues ==

Revision as of 09:52, 19 March 2024


Overview

This page was created to aggregate common data quality issues and potential solutions to those issues in collection management systems and CMS-agnostic tools. Data quality issues are grouped into data categories, and links to resources for identifying and fixing the issues are provided.

This page was inspired by Bob Mesibov's Data Cleaner's Cookbook, GBIF's data quality flags, and iDigBio's data quality flags.

If you already know which tool or CMS you are using to clean your data, you can visit a tool- and CMS-specific toolkit: Arctos, Excel, OpenRefine, Specify, Symbiota, TaxonWorks.

Catalog Numbers and Other Identifiers

Duplicate Catalog Numbers

Problem: The same catalog number is used multiple times within your dataset. (This problem may or may not be intentional, depending on your collection's policies. It is generally best to not duplicate catalog numbers, when possible).

Solutions:

Dates

Date Hasn't Happened Yet

Problem: The date the specimen was identified, collected (often designated using the eventDate field), or georeferenced is in the future.

Solutions:

Date is Suspiciously Old

Problem: The date the specimen was identified, collected (often designated using the eventDate field), or georeferenced is outside the expected historical date range. The expected date range depends on the institution, but it is unlikely that most collections have specimens with dates prior to 1600.

Solutions:

Identified Date Earlier than Collected Date

Problem: The date the specimen was identified (dateIdentified field) is earlier than the date the specimen was collected (eventDate).

Solutions:

Year, Month, and Day Values Do Not Match Date

Problem: The event year, month, and day values do not match the provided event date. The event date is often the date of collection for preserved specimens.

Solutions:

Geography

Coordinates are Zero

Problem: The provided latitude and longitude values are 0.

Solutions:

Coordinates Do Not Fall Within Named Geographic Unit

Problem: The provided coordinates do not fall within the geographic boundaries of the named country, state, and/or county.

Solutions:

Georeference Metadata with no Associated Georeference

Problem: Metadata fields regarding coordinates, such as coordinateUncertaintyInMeters, georeferenceProtocol, georeferenceSources, georeferencedBy, georeferenceRemarks, and geodeticDatum are provided, but no coordinates are present. This is sometimes intentional, particularly when georeferencedBy and georeferencedRemarks are used to indicate whether a record was purposefully not georeferenced. However, it is rare that the other metadata fields can be used without associated coordinates (i.e., decimalLatitude, [ https://dwc.tdwg.org/terms/#dwc:decimalLongitude decimalLongitude], or verbatimCoordinates).

Solutions:

Elevation is Unlikely

Problem: Elevation values are either too high (>17000 m) or too low (-11000 m) to occur on Earth.

Solutions:

Improperly Negated Latitudes/Longitudes

Problem: The sign of the latitude (decimalLatitude) or longitude (decimalLongitude) does not match the sign/hemisphere of the given country. For example, all longitudes in the U.S. should be negative.

Solutions:

Invalid Coordinates

Problem: Coordinates deviate from accepted ranges or formats, like decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude exceeding -90 to 90 and -180 to 180, respectively. verbatimCoordinates have to be valid values for coordinates in decimal degrees, degrees decimal minutes, degrees minutes second.


Solutions:

Lower Geography Values are Provided, but No Higher Geography

Problem: Lower geography (e.g., county, state/province) values exist, but no higher geography values (e.g., country) are provided.

Solutions:

Minimum and Maximum Elevation Values Mismatched

Problem: The minimum elevation (minimumElevationInMeters) has a greater value than the maximum elevation (maximumElevationInMeters).

Solutions:

Mismatched Country and CountryCode Values

Problem: The provided value for country and countryCode do not match.

Solutions:

Mismatched Geographic Terms

Problem: A record has lower geographic terms (e.g., state/province, county) that do not exist under the provided higher geographic term(s). For example, country = Canada and stateProvince = Sussex. There is no Sussex province in Canada.

Solutions:

Missing Geodetic Datum

Problem: Geodetic datum is a key piece of a properly georeferenced specimen, but is usually left blank. Although it is commonly assumed to be in ‘WGS84’, this should be added and noted as such.

Solutions:

Missing Latitudes/Longitudes

Problem: A record has a latitude value, but not a longitude value, or vice versa.

Solutions:

Misspelled Geographic Unit Names

Problem: The geographic units (e.g., country, state/province, county) are misspelled, resulting in poor matching of geographic unit names to existing geographic lists.

Solutions:

Taxonomy

Misspelled or Invalid Taxonomic Names

Problem: Scientific names are misspelled, resulting in poor matching of taxonomic names to taxonomic databases.

Solutions:

Unknown Higher Taxonomy

Problem: Species may be missing higher taxonomic information.

Solutions:

Other Issues

Incorrect Character Encodings

Problem: Data inconsistencies arise when incorrect character encodings are used during data manipulation or transfer. This issue occurs when datasets are opened, downloaded, or imported across different software platforms, leading to misinterpretation and garbled text. For instance, special characters like accents or symbols may be rendered incorrectly, affecting the readability and accuracy of the data. (e.g., Carl Linné).

Solutions:

  • Arctos
  • Excel
  • OpenRefine
  • Specify
  • Symbiota
  • TaxonWorks

Incorrect Line Endings

Problem: When transferring text files between Unix/Linux and DOS/Windows systems, line endings can become inconsistent. Unix/Linux systems typically use line feed (LF) characters, while DOS/Windows systems use carriage return (CR) and line feed (LF) combinations. This mismatch can result in extra characters appearing in the data, causing visual artifacts and processing errors.

Solutions:

  • Arctos
  • Excel
  • OpenRefine
  • Specify
  • Symbiota
  • TaxonWorks

Invalid Individual Count

Problem: individualCount values may not make sense as a positive integer.

Solutions:

  • Arctos
  • Excel
  • OpenRefine
  • Specify
  • Symbiota
  • TaxonWorks

Non-standardized BasisOfRecord Values

Problem: Values in the BasisOfRecord field do not match the recommended controlled vocabulary. While using standardized terms in this field is not strictly necessary, doing so does improve the discoverability and interoperability of your data.

The currently accepted values for BasisOfRecord include: MaterialEntity, PreservedSpecimen, FossilSpecimen, LivingSpecimen, MaterialSample, Event, HumanObservation, MachineObservation, Taxon, Occurrence, MaterialCitation.

Note that even punctuation and capitalization differences in these values (e.g., Preserved Specimen) are discouraged.

Solutions:

  • Arctos
  • Excel
  • OpenRefine
  • Specify
  • Symbiota
  • TaxonWorks