Welcome to
Dinosaur DataDig
A rich, dynamic reference
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A powerful learning environment
State-of-the-art software design with tabbed pages, slider panels, click and expand/drag/zoom, semi-transparent dialogs
What does it look like?
Audiences
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| Parents and caregivers | Children/ Students |
Educators/ Schools |
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Dinosaur enthusiasts |
Home schoolers |
Libraries and resource centers |
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| Museums and science centers | Anyone interested in dinosaurs | Those seeking an up-to-date dinosaur reference |
TESTIMONIALA modern, state-of-the-art interface
| Visual themes or skins | Tabbed pages | Slider panels |
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| Text rollovers | Semi-transparent dialogs | Click-grab controllers |
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Rigorous, quality data
Data
quality is ensured through the use of a large
number of highly-regarded references and then rigorous
validation by Scott Hartman, paleontologist
and Director of Science at the Wyoming
Dinosaur Center and Tracy Lee Ford, a respected independent
dinosaur researcher.
Three criteria are used when selecting the dinosaurs featured in DataDig. Firstly there are representatives from all major dinosaur groups. Secondly, records provide a balance between long-established favorites, significant but obscure genus and more recent spectacular finds. The final consideration of geographic diversity ensures they come from all continents and include representatives from the long-established fossils localities of North America, Europe, Africa and Mongolia as well as from digs of more recent times including those of South America, China and Antarctica.
Within the record, balance has be sought between the searchable/sortable fields and those fields that are longer and more descriptive. The fields are further balanced between factual data and those offering more inference and conjecture. In addition to the scientific fields are those with reference to popular culture that lend support to explorations of the role dinosaurs play in wider culture and vice versa.
Resources
used to compile DataDig's data
The record data
Fields are grouped into 6 organizers like "Classification" or "Lifestyle and biology". Taken all together DataDig is approximately 310,000 words and more than 1200 illustrations. And this is but "the core"; New records, glossary entries and new features will dramatically expand these tallies.
| NAME | PHYSICAL | CLASSIFICATION |
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Genus name Pronounced Type
species Other
species Other
names Describer Meaning Etymology |
Features Max length Max height Max weight Walking
habit Walking
speed Max speed E. Quotient Metabolic
type |
Taxon Order Suborder Infraorder Family Family
ties |
| WHEN | LIFESTYLE & BIOLOGY | EXTRAS |
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Period First
appears Last
appears Skeletons Eggs,
hatchlings and juveniles Fossil
info Displayed |
Habitat Diet Feeding,
offense and defense Growth
and development Social |
Hall of fame Media
appearances Guess
what? |
DataDig's database content
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NameThe eight fields in this section include Pronunciation, Meaning and Etymology, its Type species and Other species, its Other names (or synonyms) and information about its original Describer. |
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PhysicalThe features field contains a very comprehensive common language description of the dinosaur's physical characteristics and divided into the five subsections of "Head and neck", "Body", "Limbs", "Tail" and possibly "Integument" (the outer covering of an animal). Three fields in this section are related to size (Maximum length, Maximum height and Maximum weight) while another three relate to whether it was a biped or quadruped and its estimated Walking speed and Maximum speed. The final two fields suggest its Encephalization Quotient (also known as brain-to-body mass ratio and a rough estimate of the possible intelligence of an organism) and whether it may have had a lower, intermediate or higher Resting Metabolic Rate. |
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ClassificationThis suite of fields presents information about
dinosaur systematics and phylogenetic relationships. Four fields
deal with ranks of Linnaean classification: Order,
Suborder, Infraorder and Family.
Linnaean taxonomy is a method of classifying living things originally
devised by, and named for, Carl Linnaeus. In the Linnaean system
all species are classified in a ranked hierarchy. This system
is now considered inadequate for classifying dinosaurs but is
present here because it is still used in some educational settings.
The Taxon field describes the animal's evolutionary
relationships. These relationships are presented as a series of
words or ranks separated by vertical bars. These ranks become
increasing more precise in its description of the animal's phylogenetic
relationship when read from left to right until, ultimately, the
ranking ends in the genus name. Family ties includes
information about closely related genus and notes on the animal's
evolutionary relationships. |
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When and whereClustered here are seven fields concerned with
the when and where of dinosaur genera both in the Mesozoic and the
present. The Period field contains the name of
the epoch and stages in which the dinosaur's fossils have been found.
First appears provides in millions of years when
the genus is reported to have appeared in the fossil record while
Last appears provides when the genus is reported
to have disappeared from the fossil record. Skeletons
list the continents, countries, states, counties and localities
where fossils of this genus have been found. Eggs, hatchlings
and juveniles lists the localities where fossils for this
genus have been found. Notes regarding these fossils can be read
in the field Fossil info. Finally, the 150-plus
museums where examples of the genus can be seen is listed in the
Displayed field. The institution's name links,
if available, to its website. |
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ExtrasHall of Fame is an exhaustive potpourri of "records" and distinctive facts: the biggest, the smallest; the oldest, the youngest; the first, the last, as well as what's special and distinctive about each dinosaur. Media appearances contains links to detailed commentaries of over 80 dinosaur-themed feature films from the silent shorts to the latest blockbusters. Guess what? is pretty much that: Unusual and miscellaneous facts about each dinosaur with particular attention to where else it figures in the broader culture. |
Lifestyle
and biology
In addition to the searchable database information Dinosaur DataDig also includes DataDig Live, a suite of features allowing users to add their own content and links to dedicated Internet content and web tools:
Add your own content
MyNotes |
MyPics |
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Add your own notes to each dinosaur
record. |
Display a slideshow of your own
pictures related to each dinosaur record. Simply drag and drop the
image into the appropriate folder. |
Exhaustive Internet material
Genus links |
Dinosauria reference |
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Opens a website of web links for each record in five categories:
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Opens the World's most comprehensive collection of dinosaur web links in seven categories:
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MyToolbox |
Genus Search |
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Opens a page that links to dozens
of free research and project tools. |
Opens the result of a Google
Web Search for the dinosaur of the current record. |
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Video Search |
Scholar and Book Search |
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Opens
the result of a Google Video Search (including YouTube)
for the dinosaur of the current record. |
Opens
a list of scientific publications in which the dinosaur of the current
record features while Book Search displays a list of books featuring
the dinosaur of the current record. The contents of some of the
publications can be viewed. |
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News Search |
Blog Search |
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Searches the Google News
archive for articles featuring the dinosaur of the current record. |
Opens the result of a Google
Blog Search for the dinosaur whose record you are currently
viewing. |
Dinosaurs as cultural icons |
Hall of fame |
Media appearances |
Guess what? |
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The biggest, the smallest; the oldest, the youngest; the first, the last. What is special and unique about each dinosaur. An exhaustive potpourri of "records" and distinctive facts. |
The media, particularly motion pictures, have played an enormous role in elevating the pop culture status of dinosaurs to the iconic. This field links to detailed commentaries of over 80 dinosaur-themed feature films from the silent shorts to the latest blockbusters. |
Miscellaneous and unusual facts about each dinosaur with particular attention to where else it figures in the broader culture. |
TESTIMONIAL
"Welcome to Dinosaur DataDig, a mesmerizing
array of orchestrated Mesozoic regalia! Take all of those
voluminous dinosaur encyclopedias and other thickly bound references
published over the past decade, distill their contents down to the
essentials of most interest to the growing ranks of dinophiles and
popcultural paleo-enthusiasts, and you've got an interactive,
highly accessible cyber-souce of facts, figures and fun all
about dinosaurs!
Allen A. Debus
Dinosaur Sculpting, Paleoimagery, Dinosaur Memories
and Dinosaurs in Fantastic Fiction
Stunning life restorations |
With Dinosaur DataDig you have access to hundreds of hi-resolution and high-quality images produced by some of the world's leading paleoartists.
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Amargasaurus cazaui |
Ceratosaurus nasicornis |
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Suchomimus tenerensis |
Minmi paraverteba |
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Seismosaurus halli |
Sinosauropteryx prima |
Exploring the life restorations
Picture captioning |
Spectacular zooms of key features |
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| DataDig's life restorations are not merely static illustrations; they are also a means of interfacing with much of DataDig's text data. As the mouse hovers over the head, front and rear legs, body and tail captions appear describing these features within the broader context of the animal's biology and life. |
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When viewing dinosaur restorations, specially prepared magnifications of each dinosaur's key body features are available at an impressive level of detail. Most restorations have 4 or 5 magnifications and these are displayed when a magnifying glass appears as you move your cursor over the image. |
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Life artist |
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MINEO SHIRAISHI | |
The wonderful life restorations in Dinosaur DataDig were created by Mineo Shiraishi. Mineo Shiraishi is a Japanese paleoartist born in 1953. While he conducts painstaking research to ensure the accuracy of his drawings, Mineo's primary concern is to capture the natural beauty of these long-dead animals. He seeks to inspire those who see his art, particularly younger people. Mineo has gained international acclaim for his work from well-respected museums, TV networks, and publishers in the USA, Australia, Netherlands, England, Germany and Canada. |
Skeletal reconstructions by leading artists |
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Skeletons tells us much of what we know, or think we know, about dinosaurs. They provide vital clues to their evolutionary relationships, how they moved, how fast they grew, what they may have eaten, what illnesses and injuries afflicted them, how they defended themselves and much more. Significantly of course skeletal reconstructions made from these remains form the basis of scientific restorations by paleoartists of their appearance.
Dinosaur DataDig is a major source of dinosaur skeletal drawings created by some of the world's best paleoartists (who are also scientists) including Gregory S. Paul and Scott Hartman of the Wyoming Dinosaur Centre, Thermopolis, Wyoming.
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Skeletal reconstruction examples
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Camarasaurus supremus AMNH 5761 composite by Greg Paul |
Sinornithosaurus sp. NGMC 91 ("Dave") by Scott Hartman |
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Nanotyrannus lancesis by Lex Kalka |
Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis |
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Muttaburrasaurus langdoni by John Long |
Cryolophosaurus ellioti by Ville Sinkkonen (skull) and Øyvind M. Padron |
Skeletal artists |
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SCOTT HARTMAN | |
Scott Hartman is a paleontologist and Director of Science at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center at Thermopolis, Wyoming, USA. His research has centered on the biomechanics and phylogeny of dinosaurs, notably an emphasis on the evolution of birds. His skeletal reconstructions have appeared in museums on 5 continents, in several books and technical papers, and served as the anatomical basis for numerous artistic reconstructions. |
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GREGORY S. PAUL | |
Greg Paul is a freelance paleontologist, author and illustrator. He is best known for his work and research on theropod dinosaurs, and his detailed illustrations, both live and skeletal. Gregory S. Paul helped pioneer the "new look" of dinosaurs started by Bob Bakker. He was among the first professional artists to depict them as active, warm-blooded and in the case of the small ones, feathered. Greg has named a number of dinosaurs and the theropod Cryptovolans pauli is named after him in recognition of his predictions about feathered and flying dinosaurs. |
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Other artists |
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| Dinosaur DataDig contains the work of the following talented artists: | ||||
| Tracy Lee Ford Julius Csotonyi Matt Celesky John Long Jaime Headden Øyvind M. Padron |
Ville Sinkkonen Lex Kalka Ezequiel Vera Sergio Pérez Nobumichi Tamura Luc Bailly |
João Boto Michael Carroll Benjamin De Bivort Eduta Felcyn Robert Gay T. Michael Keesey |
Tuomas Koivurinne Jordan Mallon Todd Marshall Matt Maryniuk Thomas M. Miller Øyvind M. Padron |
Jim Robins Brian Roesch Ville Sinkkonen Joe Tucciarone Marianna Ruiz Villareal |
TESTIMONIAL
"Dinosaur DataDig is a fun and intuitive piece of
software. It's full of cross-referenced information on a
range of dinosaur species, yet tightly packaged and visually
striking. I really enjoyed being able to pick from different
skin themes and background sounds, which made the experience feel
a little less like research and a lot more like a safari.
The artwork is fantastic, contributed by some of
the best palaeoartists in the field, and goes well beyond what I've
come to expect from similar programs. The ability to compare dinosaur
information sheets side-by-side will greatly help schoolchildren
with their research projects, or even help determine "who
would win in a fight". For that matter, even as a vertebrate
paleontology graduate student, I found the software helpful
with tracking down specimens on display in various museums around
the world. Overall, this product is as informative as it is fun to
use, and ranks among the best dinosaur data programs I've
come across."
Jordan Mallon,
University of Calgary
An encyclopedic glossary |
DataDig is a standalone resource
No need to Google or reach for a dictionary to explain or unpack
DataDig's information. The records of DataDig are supported
by an encyclopedic glossary of more than 1300 terms.
Over time every specialized field develops its own vocabulary. Paleontology
is no exception, and having in mind that this field of science is constantly
expanding you'll find hundreds of entries at your fingertips -
explained, professionally illustrated and cross-indexed.
Through Options you can select to have only Simple terms,
Complex terms or all terms displayed. Additionally you can
reduce visual information displayed by switching off underlining
while retaining hypertexting.
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Glossary examples |
General |
Biographical |
Classification |
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Related species |
Maps |
Other technical |
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TESTIMONIALAdaptable to a range of users |
Different data modes
It may strike those who use DataDig that its content has not been "dumbed down". We have not attempted to overly control the difficulty level of the content but rather provide means whereby the difficulty level can be managed. Therefore as a user gains confidence and understanding new levels of information can be accessed.
There are several ways in which a user can control the difficulty level including several different lenses or modes for viewing DataDig's information: the caption view in Picture mode; Key Data where a user can view less data and on a single page and the All Data view which is presented on two pages.
Picture mode |
Key data mode |
All data mode |
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Large life restorations with hover text. |
20 fields of crucial data on a single page. |
Complete data of 37 fields on two pages. |
Control the density of data
Three data modes |
Expandable fields |
Glossary options |
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| Select the mode right for you: the lowest density of Picture mode with hover text, Key data limited to 20 key fields or the maximum of All data in 37 fields. |
To reduce the density of information display normally only the first line of a field is visible. Expanding a field reveals its complete, and often very substantial, content. |
1200 glossary entries are hyperlinked within the data and appeared underlined. This high density can be reduced by selecting the range of terms available. Underlining can also be switched off and yet the words remain linked to the Glossary. |
Customize DataDig
In addition to content balance, which makes a significant contribution to adaptability, DataDig provides a set of options enabling some customization to local conditions. These include soundscapes, evocative visual themes from each continent, and an ability to select British or U.S. spelling and imperial or metric measurement systems.
Soundscapes |
Visual themes |
Options |
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A choice of seven evocative soundscapes.
More will become available as updates. |
Eight stunning visual themes or
skins representing each continent. Further themes will be available
as updates. |
Customize the spelling and measurement
standard and how the Glossary is displayed. |
Skin your data with DataDig's
visual themes
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Baharija, Egypt
Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia
Hell Creek, Montana, USA
Mt Kirkpatrick, Antarctica |
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DataDig soundscapes: "An audio journey through the Mesozoic"
Travel back to the Mesozoic Era where the sounds of dinosaurs resonate through 150 million years of natural history. Experience the action of dinosaurs' swift movements, friendly encounters, fierce conflicts and strange vocalizations. Follow ferocious predators at close range, hear the seismic footsteps of giant plant eaters, and witness the birth of dinosaur hatchlings. These amazing dinosaur soundscapes greatly enhance the experience of using Dinosaur DataDig. These soundscapes are used under license from Soundscapes of the Dinosaurs by Douglas Irvine of William Sound. |
The DataDig soundscapes:
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"African carnivore"
"Dinosaur Dawn" |
"Good Mother Lizards"
"Jurassic Hunt"
"Sauropods Sounding" |
"Laurasian Thunderstorm"
"Parasaurolophus Song" |
TESTIMONIAL
"There's nothing more human than imagination, and perhaps nothing
more stimulating to imagination that to close one's eyes and listen--listen
to a world of sounds from deep time, a rich layering of calls and
chirps, of footfalls and snapping twigs. No matter how well done,
animation is a 2-dimensional depiction of a 3-dimensional world. Sounds,
on the other hand, are--and were millions of years ago--just that,
sounds. "Soundscapes of the Dinosaurs" is tantalizingly
real and sets your imagination on fire. More vividly than images,
"Soundscapes" invites you to step back in time."
Dr. Paul Sereno
University of Chicago
Easy-to-use, powerful data tools |
Beyond browsing and gathering: Sort and Compare
Using Sort, records can be placed in a variety of orders; alphabetic, numeric and chronological. This facilitates the exploration of concepts related to size, relationship, time and their interplay.
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Searching: Unlock new understanding
Dinosaur DataDig is not a static encyclopedia-like program in which you merely read, click and watch. DataDig enables you to analyze and manipulate the content thereby actively constructing your own knowledge via a range of carefully designed tools for investigating, searching, sorting, and comparing data. Powerful searches can be created in seconds.
As an example you can query for very precise locations and times and gather all the data related to feeding so that a detailed hypothetical food-web can be constructed. The results of a search can be printed, browsed, exported and saved for future use.
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TESTIMONIAL "Dinosaur DataDig is an amazing new computer reference guide that you are going to want and love. DataDig will be an invaluable dinoguide for years to come." Mike Fredericks, |
A rich, comprehensive resource |
This is not the Internet (but you get that too)
The
Internet and multimedia have conditioned many of us to become digital
magpies searching, browsing, gathering and synthesizing the information
we require. The quality of information we gather is variable and sometimes
dubious. In addition it is often highly processed and we have few tools
that enable us to really work with it. And when our presentation or
other work is complete we have usually done little more than massage
and re-present it. Though it is changing, the Internet is still, largely,
a passive information environment.
Currently there is an overemphasis on the Internet as the primary computer-based
information system. Young people benefit by exposure to many information
forms, the Internet, books, film, databases etc. all have their place
and advantages. Computer database systems can provide a deep and rigorous
learning environment that is largely ignored.
Dinosaur DataDig offers such a rigorous learning environment. DataDig provides a consistent, quality-controlled information environment where powerful data tools can be brought to bear. These tools empower users to manipulate the data thereby requiring the use of analytical skills rarely called upon elsewhere.
A powerful, engaging learning tool |
Engage with concepts - not merely gather information
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DataDig satisfies the interest in dinosaurs in a way books cannot (The content of books cannot be easily manipulated, books cannot be kept current on a daily basis nor be drawn from daily events), or other technologies alone. It also provides a window on our current natural world with concepts and investigations that are applicable to modern times. DataDig delivers scientific concepts within an exciting topic. These concepts can be applied to current issues such as species extinction and climate change. For example, dinosaur food webs introduce the notion of energy flows and ecology, with application in our current world to the African savannah, American prairie or Siberian tundra. |
Beyond recycling the thoughts of others
While challenging in completeness existing and traditional resources, DataDig differs significantly from other dinosaur software. For example it might be expected that DataDig would present maps of where dinosaurs lived or display on a timeline when a particular dinosaur existed or present the results of a search on a graph. It is our view that the more DataDig does in this regard, the more passive it becomes and the less the scope for activity and engagement by learners. DataDig is designed in part to provide the information and stimulus to enable learners to do these activities using whatever tools they or when appropriate, their teachers, choose. The overall design philosophy then is to create a powerful and functional program that best facilitates the learning it is meant to serve. In short Dinosaur DataDig is designed to provide an environment where users can actively construct their own learning about these animals.
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Language artsExplore some of the ancient Greek and Latin roots of the English language e.g. Avimimus - Avis = bird + mimos = mimic. This dinosaur was given this name because while it is not a bird it has many bird-like characteristics. Use a dictionary to find how the segments "avi" and "mim" are the roots of many related words e.g. "aviary", "aviation", "aviator" etc., "mime", "mimic", "mimicry". |
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Science Consider some dinosaurs and suggest a contemporary animal that has evolved a similar lifestyle or structural adaptation in response to its environment. e.g. Ankylosaurus = Armadillo or Ornithomimus = Ostrich. (Concept: Convergent evolution). |
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Mathematics Create large-scale timelines of the Mesozoic. Dinosaurs are sorted according to the "Period"/"First appears" and "Last appears" fields and the records/dinosaur names are fixed to the timeline to indicate when they lived. Using the "First appears" and "Last appears" fields indicate on the timeline the span of time the animal lived. |
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Social studies Examine the fossil data and discover that some dinosaur species come from widely disparate parts of the world. Hypothesize why this is so (Concept: Continental drift). |
TESTIMONIAL
This highly educational database maintained by recognized dinosaurologists
and experts in many fields of dinosaurabilia will hold
you spellbound for hours with its innumerable facets
concerning virtually every dinosaurian aspect imaginable. You
will enjoy peeling away informational 'strata' as you 'dig' into
this new, absorbing 21st century 'window' into the Mesozoic's
most famous inhabitants, mining its many and varied data 'layers.'"
Allen A. Debus
Dinosaur Sculpting, Paleoimagery, Dinosaur Memories
and Dinosaurs in Fantastic Fiction
Stay current with Live update |
Keeping pace with an ever-changing science
Dinosaur
DataDig incorporates live updating to keep DataDig
growing with new features and its contents current. With Live
Update you receive:
Data updates
Despite a growing awareness of the dynamic nature of dinosaur paleontology many in the general public are still unaware of just how fast this science moves. Fresh species and spectacular finds appear weekly and there is a constant stream of new information causing us to constantly reshape our view of existing species. It is a cliche that books on dinosaurs contain increasingly inaccurate data and outmoded views from the time they hit the shelves. As a consequence updates to DataDig will be frequent.
Content upgrades
DataDig is in constant development or perpetual beta and over time DataDig expands in different ways. In terms of content chief among these are:
Expand your knowledge with additional records - a minimum of 10 new dinosaurs a year.
Get additional skeletal images, alternative life restorations, and lots more.
Get high-resolution photos of fossil remains from the world's museums.
Traces the evolution in our thinking and understanding of dinosaurs.
Enjoy a whole new experience when new themes are added: rock and mineral colors, decorative (historic/palaeontological), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Skins (of dinosaurs) and Art movements.
New audio environments linked thematically to the visual themes.
Software extensions
New features, under the title of "DataDig Live", employ Web 2.0 technologies and other innovations including RSS feeds, wiki, a scrapbook/notebook and a dedicated webpage for each entry.
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TESTIMONIAL "Dinosaur DataDig is very easy to use, and
a lot of fun. It is unquestionably more "user-friendly"
than the old "Microsoft Dinosaurs" program (which I still
have), and more thorough as well....I love the interface,
and the intuitive nature of the navigation
options. I was able to sit down and start enjoying
DataDig immediately, with no maddeningly
cumbersome learning curve to slog through." |
The single-user license is only $39.95.
(Includes a FREE 12-month subscription to Live Update)
Our unconditional guarantee:
If you do not think that you got exceptional
value for money, let us know
within 30 days
and we'll refund your money in full.
Our transactions are managed by share-it!, a service of Digital
River headquartered in
Minneapolis and a global e-commerce platform for selling software
products on the Internet.
As a one-off payment of $39.95:
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