Welcome to the Fishes of Texas Project Documentation
Fishes of Texas Project Documentation
The current version of this project and its data should be cited as:
Hendrickson, Dean A., and Adam E. Cohen. 2015. Fishes of Texas Project Database (Version 2.0). doi:10.17603/C3WC70. Accessed (insert date).
Note that you can capture the current citation using your bibliographic data management program (e.g. for Zotero, click the icon for its browser extension, or use the similar metadata capture tool provided by most other major bibliographic management apps).
More detail and citations for all earlier versions are included below.
Our database is in constant evolution as we continue the massive job of normalizing, georeferencing, verifying identifications and generally managing the data. We update the website as possible following completion of major tasks and in the table below provide basic tracking of those changes via a versioning system as follows, in reverse chronological order.
Our version naming conventions reflect changes we are continually making to the database structure, website and the data they provide. Major revisions of our data schema, website/database interactions, or additions of other major new features are denoted by a whole number change (ex. 1.00 to 2.00). Addition of data tracks are denoted by single decimal version increments (ex. 1.00 to 1.10). Minor tweaking of the website and minor data edits are indicated by increments at the second decimal level (ex. 1.20 to 1.21). Details related to all version increments will be documented in our documentation.
We keep archived copies of all old versions of the site and its database. Users wishing to see the most recently retired version of the site and database can go here. Users should be aware that this is an exact copy of what was originally on our public (www) site and thus some links may be broken or direct users to what is now the current public version. For older versions of the website and database contact us.
For a complete summary of our project's status, users should look at this table, as well as Institutions Contributing Data, and Data Tracks.
| Version | Release Date | Data Tracks Available (see Data Tracks) | Citation and Notes (also see What's New) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | NA | 1,2,3 | This version introduces track 3 data to the database, which is our largest addition to the database so far, due to an influx of new specimens at TNHC (funded by TPWD) and our decision to add new types of data across a now larger geographic scope. The new data types include non-vouchered records; partial georeferencing of new and previously un-georeferenced records; use of GBIG backbone taxonomy for taxa synonymization; xx new georeferences to ore-existing records; xx new determinations; new taxonomic decisions for specific taxa; xx specimen photos added; new georeferences especially for old records (included research into old expeditions); import of coordiantes for neighbor state records; use of coordinates as received ; changes to the way catalog numbers and codons are formatted.; edits to colletor names; edits to dates often based on expedition docuements. |
| 2.0 | 4/20/2015 | 1,2 | CITATION: Hendrickson, Dean A., & Cohen, Adam E. (2015). Fishes of Texas Project Database (version 2.0). Texas Advanced Computing Center, University of Texas at Austin. http://doi.org/10.17603/C3WC70. Accessed (insert date of data access). NOTES: This version introduces track 2 data to the database, which has now been quality controlled and georeferenced. The update includes many new specimen determinations by FoTX staff based on specimen examinations to both track 1 and 2 datasets. Identified additional suspicious records and identified others that are no longer suspect. We've increased the number of taxa we are recognizing including several subspecies and species that are not formally described and justified those decisions in our documentation. The data have been restructured into collecting events by using an algorythm based on our georeferenced localities and edited dates. Now users can search for all specimen records tied to a single collection event. Event level attachments (locality images, fieldnotes) are now possible. Improved user feedback for user submissions. Fixed several bugs related to mapping tab. Uploaded numerous specimen images and fieldnotes from museum archives. Provide character matices useful for specimen identification in our "sandbox" experimental area. Edited documentation. |
| 1.10 | 3/14/2013 | 1 (and 2 as downloadable spreadheet only) | CITATION: Hendrickson, Dean A. and Adam E. Cohen. 2013. Fishes of Texas Project and Online Database (version 1.10) (http://fishesoftexas.org). Published by the Ichthyology Collection of The University of Texas at Austin. Accessed (insert date of data access). NOTES: It was unofficially available to select users for some months prior to this date. Track 1 data are still not finalized, and lack extensive results from our re-determinations of many species identifications, as well as many locality corrections and additional refinements of georeferencing for many records yet to be incorporated into the online database. Only data records from our own Texas Natural History Collection (TNHC) are available to the general public as data release permissions are pending from all other data donors. CITATION: Hendrickson, Dean A. and Adam E. Cohen. 2015. Fishes of Texas Project and Online Database (version 2.0) (http://fishesoftexas.org). Published by the Ichthyology Collection of The University of Texas at Austin. Accessed (insert date of data access). |
| 1.00 Beta | 2/11/2011 | 1 | CITATION: Hendrickson, Dean A. and Adam E. Cohen. 2011. Fishes of Texas Project and Online Database (version 1.0) (http://fishesoftexas.org). Published by the Ichthyology Collection of The University of Texas at Austin. Accessed (insert date of data access). NOTES: It was unofficially available to select users for some months prior to this date. Track 1 data are still not finalized, and lack extensive results from our re-determinations of many species identifications, as well as many locality corrections and additional refinements of georeferencing for many records yet to be incorporated into the online database. Only data records from our own Texas Natural History Collection (TNHC) are available to the general public as data release permissions are pending from all other data donors. |
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