Re: sharing digital skeleton models

[Jura <pristichampsus@yahoo.com>]

--- On Wed, 11/19/08, David Krentz <ddkrentz@charter.net> wrote:

> From: David Krentz <ddkrentz@charter.net>
> Subject: sharing digital skeleton models
> To: "dinosaur Mailing List" <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 1:14 AM
> I have seen several scientists using hi resolution digital
> models ( scanned or modeled) in their research.  If these
> models are exact representations of specimens used for
> studying biomechanics and not the physicality of the bones
> themselves could these models be shared with institutions
> the same way bone collections are?
>  I assume that since an institution paid for the creation
> of the model they might want to benefit from their
> investment.  But, at the same time institutions pay for
> excavations and share the bones with other researchers ( is
> there a fee for doing that?  I dunno... I'm just an
> artist).  I'm a little unclear on the courtesy and
> practice of sharing data in that way.  For instance, If guy
> A scanned all the bones of a ceratopsian to study its
> locomotion, could guy B from another university use the same
> scan to come up with their own study without having to
> recreate his own digital model?  Making a new model would
> add a big degree of variation and may be inaccurate if the
> funds were not available to make as comprehensive model as
> guy A.
> 
>   In other words, how can I get my hands on one of the
> great digital skeletons to conduct scientific (or in my case
> amateur) experiments?
> 
> David Krentz

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A good place to start would be the Witmer Lab webpage.

http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-witmer/lab.htm

Dr. Witmer and his team have made much of their work available for download. 

If you head to: 

http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-witmer/3D-Visualization.htm

you can find everything from 3D pdfs, to the original CT scan data. The goal is 
both to better disseminate this information, as well as to make the data easily 
available for people to do exactly what you are suggesting. 

I find it to be a very progressive stance for Dr. Witmer's lab to take, and a 
fine example of how scientists can embrace the internet culture of "web 2.0." 

Here's hoping more folks follow in the same vein.

Jason