Sample Records¶
The sample record is the durable unit of the animal ancient DNA database. Projects, papers, supplements, locality decisions, chronology review, and map outputs all meet here.
If you want to know what the repository actually knows about one animal record, this is the first place to start. Everything else downstream depends on the sample being stable enough to carry forward.
What A Sample Record Should Answer¶
A serious sample record should answer these questions clearly:
- what the stable sample identity is
- which project and paper lineage the row belongs to
- what locality claim is currently supported
- what chronology claim survives review
- which fields later drive country bundles and atlas outputs
In other words, the sample record should tell you what this row is before any map, summary, or country bundle tries to tell a broader story about it.
Why Projects Do Not Replace Samples¶
One project accession can contain many samples, and those samples can belong to different archaeological sites or carry different dates. Treating a project as if it were already one place or one timeline would flatten the evidence before it is reviewed.
The public map never outranks the sample database. If a point is visible, the sample record should already explain why.
What You Can Learn Here¶
- whether the sample identity is stable or still ambiguous
- whether the record belongs cleanly to one project and paper lineage
- whether later locality or chronology claims are being attached to the right sample
- whether a public-facing output is standing on one coherent sample foundation or on something still under repair
Why This Page Matters¶
Many downstream misunderstandings start here. If the sample unit is vague, the rest of the evidence chain becomes unstable before locality, chronology, or coordinates are even discussed.
That is why the repository keeps the sample record as the durable starting point instead of letting country bundles or atlas views become the primary identity surface.
Direct Files¶
data/adna/governance/animal_sample_foundation_truth.jsondata/adna/governance/animal_sample_product_contract.jsondata/adna/governance/source_library/project_sample_master_completeness.jsondata/adna/governance/source_library/sample_identity_ambiguity_ledger.jsondata/adna/governance/source_library/projects/PRJEB36540/sample_master.jsondata/adna/species/ovis_aries/normalized/sample_records.jsondata/adna/governance/source_library/projects/PRJEB36540/sample_sites.json
Where To Go Next¶
- move to localities if the next question is where the sample really belongs
- move to chronology if the identity is clear but the dating claim is not
- move to coordinates if the real dispute is why the sample became a map point