(Academic of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)., 2015-12) Van ver Walt, M.; Cooper, A.K.; Netterberg, I.; Rubidge, B.S.
A geographical information system (GIS) database was compiled of Permo-Triassic tetrapod fossils from
the Karoo Supergoup in South African museum collections. This database is the first of its kind and has
great time applicability for understanding tetrapod biodiversity change though time more than 200 million
years ago. Because the museum catalogues all differed in recorded information and were not compliant
with field capture requirements, this information had to be standardised to a format that could be utilised for
archival and research application. Our paper focuses on the processes involved in building the GIS project,
capturing metadata on fossil collections and formulating future best practices. The result is a multi-layered
GIS database of the tetrapod fossil record of the Beaufort Group of South Africa for use as an accurate
research tool in palaeo- and geoscience research with applications for ecology, ecosystems, stratigraphy
and basin development.