MBA Repatriation

Zip files containing georeferences for repatriation are accessible from the links in the Insitution column of the Table of MBA Integration Results. Each zip file contains a tab-delimited text file called MBAGeorefsForRepatriation-[acronym].txt, where your institution's acronym should be substituted for [acronym] in the file name. This file contains one record for every specimen from your database that was georeferenced under the Mexican Bird Atlas Project. The file contains both the input and output fields listed below.

NOTE: The value in the Locality field for this dataset may have been changed from the original to correct errors or put the locality into a standardized form before it was georeferenced in the MBA project. It should be safe add georeferences to the original records if the MBA locality matches the original locality character-for-character. Most of the remaining georeferences may be correct, but they should not be attached to the original records without checking that the locality georeferenced is, in fact, the same as the locality currently in the specimen record, even if it does not match character-for-character. See recommendations in the Repatriation Process section, below.

Input Fields from MBA

The contents of the following fields are as received in the data used by the Mexican Bird Atlas Project:

InstitutionCode, CatalogNumber, Country, StateProvince, Locality

Output Fields from Georeferencing

DecimalLatitude - the latitude in decimal degrees using the datum recorded in the datum field.

DecimalLongitude - the longitude in decimal degrees using the datum recorded in the datum field.

GeodeticDatum - the geodetic datum used by the coordinates recorded in DecimaLatitude and DecimalLongitude.

CoordinateUncertaintyInMeters - the horizontal distance (in meters) from the given DecimalLatitude and DecimalLongitude describing the smallest circle containing the whole of the location, as defined by the MaNIS/HerpNet/ORNIS Georeferencing Guidelines.

VerbatimCoordinateSystem - the geographical coordinate system in which the original coordinates were determined before translation to decimal degrees.

GeoreferenceProtocol - a description or reference to the methods used to determine the spatial footprint, coordinates, and uncertainties.

GeoreferenceRemarks - notes or comments about the spatial description determination, explaining assumptions made in addition or opposition to the those formalized in the method referred to in GeoreferenceProtocol.

GeoreferenceSources - a list of maps, gazetteers, or other resources used to georeference the location.

GeoreferenceDate - the date on which the georeference was determined.

GeoreferencedBy - the person or organization responsible for determining the georeference.

GeoreferenceVerificationStatus - a categorical description of the extent to which the georeference has been verified to represent the best possible spatial description. The value for all records georeferenced in ORNIS is "requires verification."

NoGeorefBecause - the reason why a georeference was not determined for the locality.

StandardizedCountry - the name given in the Country field standardized to the accepted value in the Global Administrative Boundaries (GADM) database.

StandardizedStateProvince - the name given in the StateProvince field standardized to the accepted value in the Global Administrative Boundaries (GADM) database.

StandardizedCounty - the name given in the County field standardized to the accepted value in the Global Administrative Boundaries (GADM) database.

ADM_0 - the name of the Country-level administrative region from the Global Administrative Boundaries (GADM) database in which the georeferenced DecimalLatitude and DecimalLongitude lie.

ADM_1 - the name of the first-level administrative region from the Global Administrative Boundaries (GADM) database in which the georeferenced DecimalLatitude and DecimalLongitude lie.

ADM_2 - the name of the second-level administrative region from the Global Administrative Boundaries (GADM) database in which the georeferenced DecimalLatitude and DecimalLongitude lie.

EEZone - the name of the Exclusive Economic Zone from the VLIZ Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase (VLIZ 2009) in which the georeferenced DecimalLatitude and DecimalLongitude lie.