PteroTerra: a searchable pterosaur database web application that interfaces with Google Earth

Abstract

Recently, paleontologists have begun using Internet databases and Google Earth® as new tools to share data with the scientific community. The newly developed web application PteroTerra (http://pteroterra.herokuapp.com), implemented using the Ruby on Rails® web framework, is a specimen-based pterosaur database that interfaces with Google Earth®. This database currently catalogues over 1300 pterosaur specimens from all over the world and includes information about each specimen such as taxon name, classification, geologic age, geographic location of discovery, geologic formation, rock type, paleoenvironment, articulation, wingspan, proposed diet and housing institution. The application allows users to search for specimens based on keywords and to create groups of pterosaurs based on shared characteristics. Groups can then be downloaded as a.kml file, which can be automatically uploaded into Google Earth® in order to study geographic patterns of pterosaur specimens based on any criteria of interest. The use and continuous updating of PteroTerra will provide pterosaurologists and other paleontologists with a central location for storing and obtaining information about particular pterosaur specimens, as well as a way for researchers to observe pterosaur patterns on a worldwide scale. The principles behind this program can easily be expanded to other fields of study.