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Integrative analyses of human evolution must overcome the independent nature of paleoanthropological data sets and in so doing face at least two key technical challenges: first, the comprehensive geospatial referencing of data relevant to paleoanthropology (geological, archeological, paleontological etc.); and second, having a common interchange format for combining data from multiple projects. This paper presents novel solutions to both challenges, and concrete examples of their implementation as applied to the paleontological collections from the Dikika Research Project area in northeastern Ethiopia.

Paleontological field methodology traditionally relies on a concept of a locality – an area for fossil collection that has a consistent spatio-temporal context – as the primary unit of data collection and data analysis. With the advent of small, fast, inexpensive and accurate GPS receivers, aggregate geo-referencing with localities is giving way to individual geo-referencing of fossils. Here we present a complete system (software, hardware, workflow and best practices) for recording the piece provenience of all paleontological occurrences efficiently.

Once collected, a common solution for disseminating data is uploading to a data repository. In this paper we present an alternative option, that of a distributed database system where data are maintained independently, but in a format and structure that follows an established protocol. We propose a format built upon the existing Dublin Core and Darwin Core (DwC) standards with added provisions for data unique to paleoanthropology. The current DwC schema accommodates spatial provenience and we are proposing changes and seeking suggestions for elements that would better accommodate stratigraphic provenience and geochronological age estimates.

 [I-H1]In TDWG perspective it would be interesting that this part is a bit more expanded in the abstract.