Geological Society of America

T79 Diversifying Geochronology: Innovations in Techniques, Applications, and Perspectives

Monday, 23 September 2019
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 225AB, North Building

SPARROW: A DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENT TARGETED AT GEOCHRONOLOGY LABORATORIES

Paper number: T79-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM

Authors

Daven P. Quinn Presenting Author
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Mark Schmitz
Boise State University, Boise, ID
Bradley S. Singer
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
John Williams
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Allen Schaen
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Kurt E. Sundell
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
George Gehrels
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Simon Goring
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Shaun Marcott
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Stephen Meyers
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Shanan Peters
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI
Jake Ross
New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM

Abstract

Data accessibility, archiving, and reusability are a key concern within geochronology; community-level standards and archival facilities (e.g. Geochron.org and IGSN) attempt to further these goals. Meanwhile, a new generation of time-integrated digital Earth models (e.g. Macrostrat and Neotoma) require calibration against robust, global age datasets. The uncompensated work required to transform, contextualize, and upload analytical data for repositories and consumers is a major barrier to the reuse of geochronology data. Purpose-built software can automate these integrations and reduce strain on laboratory workers.

Sparrow (https://sparrow-data.org), a new open-source software component funded by NSF EarthCube, provides a standard access layer for measurements produced by individual geochronology laboratories. The system can be deployed atop current, lab-specific systems and workflows for data collection, reduction, and storage. The standardized application programming interface (API) provided by Sparrow can be accessed by end users and centralized archives.

Sparrow also includes an extensible, web-based management interface that streamlines laboratory metadata management tasks such as controlling embargo, identifying and linking geologic and publication metadata, and generating aggregate summaries. The software straightforwardly implements FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data management principles for host labs; it is built to be lightweight, flexible, and standards-compliant.

Sparrow is now being deployed atop several distinct data-reduction pipelines at laboratories specializing in U-Pb, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, and cosmogenic nuclide dating. Where implemented, the software will provide a robust, structured data store for laboratory output and automate the incorporation of curated geochemical data into synthesis and archival facilities.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 51, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2019AM-340223

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