Localities¶
Locality evidence explains what place claim the repository is actually willing to make for a sample. That may sound obvious, but it is where many historical datasets become overstated if the documentation is sloppy.
A place label can look precise long before it really is. A project name, a regional description, and a named site are not the same kind of locality claim.
What Locality Review Is Trying To Prevent¶
- treating a project-wide label as if it identified one precise site
- treating a broad regional note as if it were enough for exact map publication
- carrying forward place names that are still ambiguous across supplements, archive metadata, and article text
What You Should Be Able To Learn¶
- whether a sample is tied to one named site
- whether the place claim is broad, uncertain, or contested
- whether the location is strong enough to support downstream coordinate work
Why Place Claims Need Their Own Layer¶
A locality claim does more than name a place. It determines:
- whether a record can later be mapped precisely
- whether a country bundle is speaking about one site or only about a broader region
- whether the repository is showing direct archaeological context or a more cautious geographic approximation
What To Watch For¶
- a project or paper label being mistaken for one exact excavation site
- a regional note being read as if it were enough for exact coordinates
- a confident place name hiding unresolved disagreement between sources
Direct Files Behind This Surface¶
data/adna/species/ovis_aries/normalized/site_evidence.jsondata/adna/species/ovis_aries/review/sample_locality_evidence.jsondata/adna/governance/source_library/project_sample_site_review.jsondata/adna/governance/source_library/sample_locality_conflict_ledger.json
Why This Page Matters¶
If locality evidence is weak, every later step stays weaker too. Chronology and coordinates may still be useful, but they cannot rescue an unresolved place claim on their own.
Where To Go Next¶
- move to sample records if the identity itself is still uncertain
- move to coordinates if the locality is good enough to ask why a point did or did not publish
- move to chronology if the place is clear but the time claim is still the real source of doubt