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Data Dictionary

This is the current version of the Data Dictionary for BIEN 3+ and RBIEN. It is also downloadable in Excel format.

Field Definition Value Function Family
access The access conditions, if any, for using a particular trait observation. If "public" the record may be used without first contacting the PIs, if "public (notify the PIs)" The PIs must be contacted prior to publishing using this record. BIEN_trait
class The taxonomic class that to which a taxon belongs. BIEN_taxonomy
collection_code The name or acronym identifying the institution, collection or data set from which the record was derived. Can be the same as custodial_institution_codes, or different if several collections are housed within the same institution. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
country The country associated with a given observation. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_list, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
county The county or other third-level political division associated with a given observation. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
custodial_institution_codes The name(s) (or acronyms) in use by the institution(s) having custody of the object(s) or information referred to in the record BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
datasource_id A unique integer that identifies an individual data set in the BIEN database BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
datasource The institution of person that provided the data set to BIEN (the proximate data provider). BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
dataset The name of the data set BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
dataowner The person or institution that produced and/or owns the data set and serves as primary contact for questions of authorship & access BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
date_collected The date which an organism or group of organisms was collected or observed. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
elevation Elevation of observation (in original units). BIEN_trait
elevation_m Elevation of observation (in meters). BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
growth_forms_included_all Were all plant growth forms included in the survey of the plot? "No", NA BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
growth_forms_included_epiphytes Were epiphytes included in the survey of the plot? "Yes", "No", NA, "partial" indicates that some (but not all) epiphytes were included. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
growth_forms_included_herbs Were herbs included in the survey of the plot? "Yes", "No", NA, "partial" indicates that some (but not all) herbs were included. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
growth_forms_included_lianas Were lianas included in the survey of the plot? "Yes", "No", NA, "partial" indicates that some (but not all) lianas were included. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
growth_forms_included_notes How was growth form inclusion determined? BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
growth_forms_included_shrubs Were shrubs included in the survey of the plot? "Yes", "No", NA, "partial" indicates that some (but not all) shrubs were included. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
growth_forms_included_trees Were trees included in the survey of the plot? "Yes", "No", NA, "partial" indicates that some (but not all) trees were included. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
higher_plant_group The higher plant group to which a given taxon belongs. Note that these include both monophyletic and non-monophyletic groups. "bryophytes", "gymnosperms (non-conifer)", "gymnosperm (conifers)", "flowering plants", "ferns and allies", "NA" BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_taxonomy, BIEN_trait
id A unique numeric identifier assigned to each trait observation. BIEN_trait
individual_count The number of individuals represented by this observation (applies to aggregate count observations only) BIEN_plot
is_cultivated Is an occurrence record likely from a cultivated individual plant? 1 indicates "Yes", 0 indicates "No", and a missing value indicates cultivated status could not be evaluated due to insufficient information. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_list, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
is_cultivated_in_region Is the species known to be commonly cultivated in the region (country or state/province) in which it was observed? 1 indicates "Yes", 0 indicates "No", and a missing value indicates insufficient information (either no checklist for the region of observation, or available checklists do not evaluate cultivated status). BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_list, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
is_geovalid Do the GIS coordinates fall within the declared country (and state/province for Brazil, Canada, and the USA)? 1 indicates "Yes", 0 indicates "NO", and "NA" indicates that geovalidation could not be completed due to missing or invalid geocoordinates or misspelled political division names.
is_new_world Is the occurrence record from the New World (North or South America)? 1 indicates "yes", 0 indicates "no", and a value of "NA" indicates that there was not sufficient information to determine this. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_list, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
isintroduced Is the occurrence likely to represent an introduced species? 1 indicates "Yes", 0 indicates "No", and a missing value indicates that there is not enough information to tell. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
latitude The latitude (in decimal degrees) associated with a given record Numeric, -90 to 90. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
locality The specific description of the place where an observation or collection was made. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
longitude The longitude (in decimal degrees) associated with a given record. Numeric, -180 to 180. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
lower_political The geopolitical division below county(or other third-level political division) associated with a given record. BIEN_trait
matched_taxonomic_status The taxonomic status of the name matched by the TNRS (see "name_matched"). That is, the status of the published name whose spelling most closely matches the verbatim name in the original data. BIEN_trait
method Short standardized name of the methodology used to generate the plot or trait data. BIEN_trait
methodology_description More detailed description of the methodology used to generate the plot or trait data. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
methodology_reference A URL source describing the the methodology in greater detail. URL BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
family_matched Family matched by the TNRS. Populated only if a family name was included in the original data. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
name_matched Scientific name with the highest match score in the TNRS. May be an exact match or a fuzzy match. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
name_matched_author Standard authority for the name_matched. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
name_submitted The name of the taxon exactly as it was submitted to the TNRS. Will included the family preprended to the scientific name, if family was present in the original data. BIEN_trait
native_status The native status of the observed taxon within the lowest political division evaluated by the NSR. Currently, observations within Canada, the US, and Brazil are evaluated to the second political division (state/province). Observations for all other countries are evaluated to the country level only. N Native to region of observation (RO), as declared by one or more checklists
Ne Native and endemic to RO
I Introduced, as declared in checklist for RO
Ie Endemic to other region and therefore introduced in RO
P Present in one or more checklists for RO, but no explicit status assigned
A Absent from all checklists for RO and not endemic elsewhere according to available checklists
UNK Unknown; no checklists available for RO and taxon not endemic elsewhere
BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
native_status_country The native_status within the country of observation. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
native_status_county_parish The native_status within the third political division (county/parish) of an observation. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
native_status_reason Reason(s) native status was assigned BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
native_status_sources The checklist sources that were used to assign native status. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
native_status_state_province native_status within second political division (state/province) of observation BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
observation_type Is an observation from plot or specimen data? "specimen", "plot" BIEN_occurrence
order The taxonomic order that to which a taxon belongs. BIEN_taxonomy
plot_area_ha The area of an ecological plot in hectares. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
plot_name The name identifying a given plot. Plot names (unlike subplots) are globally unique. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
project_pi The Principal Investigator (or contact author) of the study that published the associated trait data. BIEN_trait
recorded_by A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups, or organizations responsible for recording the original Occurrence. The primary collector or observer, especially one who applies a personal identifier (recordNumber), should be listed first. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
region The geopolitical region, typically above country level, where a trait observation was made. BIEN_trait
relative_x_m The relative position (in meters) of an observation within a plot, relative to the origin of the plot. BIEN_stem
relative_y_m The relative position (in meters) of an observation within a plot, relative to the origin of the plot. BIEN_stem
sampling_protocol The sampling protocol used to sample the associated plot. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
scrubbed_author The accepted author of the final scientific name resolved by the TNRS. Will be the author of the matched name if no accepted name found. See "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" for details. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_taxonomy, BIEN_trait
scrubbed_family The accepted APG III family of the final scientific name resolved by the TNRS. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_taxonomy, BIEN_trait
scrubbed_genus Genus portion of the final scientific name resolved by the TNRS. Will be the genus of the matched name if no accepted name found. See "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" for details. Null if name not resolved to genus. BIEN_taxonomy, BIEN_trait
scrubbed_species_binomial Binomial (species) portion of the final scientific name resolved by the TNRS. Will be the binomial portion of the matched name if no accepted name was found. See "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" for details. Null if name not resolved to species (e.g., a partial match to genus only). BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_list, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_taxonomy, BIEN_trait
scrubbed_species_binomial_with_morphospecies Genus or binomial (species) portion of the final scientific name resolved by the TNRS, plus any additional text not resolved by the TNRS. In many cases, may represent a morphospecies used intentionally by the original author (e.g., "Ocotea sp.2", "Miconia 'fuzzy leaf'"). In other cases, may include a specific epithet so badly misspelled it could not be resolved by the TNRS. In other cases, may be complete garbage. In plot data, this field usually represents morphospecies, and normally should be used instead of "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" to count species. In specimen or trait observation, this field is more likely to contain erroneous names (if different from "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author") and therefore in general should be not be used. Use with caution. BIEN_trait
scrubbed_specific_epithet Specific epithet portion of the final scientific name resolved by the TNRS. Will be the specific epithet portion of the matched name if no accepted name was found. See "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" for details. Null if name not resolved to species (e.g., a partial match to genus only). BIEN_trait
scrubbed_taxon_canonical Final scientific name resolved by the TNRS, minus the authority and rank indicators such as 'var.', 'subspecies', etc. See "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" BIEN_trait
scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author Final scientific name resolved by the TNRS, minus the authority. If the matched name (see "name_matched") was a synonym, the scrubbed name will be the accepted name. If no accepted name was provided by the taxonomic references consulted, then scrubbed name will be the matched name. Such names (scrubbed names whose taxonomic status is not equal to "Accepted") should be used with caution. See "scrubbed_taxonomic_status". BIEN_trait
scrubbed_taxon_name_with_author Authority of the final scientific name resolved by the TNRS. See "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" for details. BIEN_trait
scrubbed_taxonomic_status Taxonomic status of the final resolved taxon name returned by the TNRS. See "scrubbed_taxon_name_no_author" for details. BIEN_taxonomy, BIEN_trait
state_province The state, province, or other second-level political division associated with a given observation. BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
stateprovince The state, province, or other second-level political division associated with a given observation. BIEN_trait
stem_code Code applied to a specific stem in a plot to associate a field data entry with a stem in the database. BIEN_stem
stem_dbh_cm The diameter at breast height (1.3m), measured in cm. BIEN_stem
stem_height_m The height of a stem, in meters. BIEN_stem
subplot Identifier for a subplot, line, or any other subsample or subdivision of plot. Note that a subplot identifier is only unique within a given plot (i.e. there are many different plots that share subplot identifiers). BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
superorder The taxonomic superorder to which a taxon belongs. BIEN_taxonomy
taxa_included_all Were all land plant taxa included in the survey of the plot? "Yes","No", NA BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
taxa_included_bryophytes Were bryophytes included in the survey of the plot? "Yes","No", NA BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
taxa_included_exclusions What taxa were excluded from the survey of the plot? BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
taxa_included_ferns_lycophytes Were ferns and lycophytes included in the survey of the plot? "Yes","No", NA, "partial" indicates that some (but not all) ferns and lycophytes were included. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
taxa_included_seed_plants Were seed plants included in the survey of the plot? "Yes","No", NA, "partial" indicates that some (but not all) seed plants were included. BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem
taxonobservation_id BIEN-generated unique integer (primary key) assigned to each unique observation of a taxon. Unique within the BIEN database. BIEN_stem
tnrs_warning Warning returned by the TNRS if name not completely matched. "Partial match only" indicates that the name matched is at a higher taxonomic rank than the name submitted. For example, a species name is submitted but only a genus name was matched. Use this field in combination with "scrubbed_taxonomic_status" in deciding if the taxonomic name attached to a particular observation is correct and sufficient resolved to use. "Partial match only", NA BIEN_trait
trait_name The name of a trait. In many cases, these are standardized according to http://www.top-thesaurus.org/. BIEN_trait
trait_value The value of a particular trait. Usually numeric but can also be categorical (e.g. growth form). BIEN_trait
unit The unit that a trait is measured in. BIEN_trait
url_source The URL associated with a trait observation. BIEN_trait
verbatim_family The family name as recorded in the original dataset, before passing through the TNRS BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
verbatim_scientific_name The scientific name as recorded in the original dataset, before passing through the TNRS BIEN_occurrence, BIEN_plot, BIEN_stem, BIEN_trait
BIEN database current version: 4.1

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