Data Standard

What types of data can be contributed?

The archive accepts datasets from wildlife systems with confirmed or suspected disease presence, including during outbreaks.

Minimum recommended data components are:

Data type	Examples
Movement data (Occasional detection data and radio telemetry are also acceptable)	GPS, accelerometer, GLS, MOTUS, radio telemetry
Diagnostic test data (Sample availability / dates of testing)	PCR, serology, culture results
Mortality information (optional)	Cause of death, carcass recovery details
Additional sensor data (if available)	Temperature loggers, heart rate

TipNote:

Datasets from individuals suspected to be exposed to disease are also welcome, even if infection data are incomplete.

Data standard for wildlife infectious disease studies

To ensure that datasets in the MDA are comparable for disease-focused research, all contributed studies must provide the following required metadata fields. These variables represent the minimum data standard for wildlife infectious disease studies and align with the guidelines described in Schwantes et al. (2025).

TipFor more detils, see:

• A minimum data standard for wildlife disease research and surveillance
• Data standard template as csv

Required diagnostic metadata fields

Important

Detection outcome is required for all records and represents the categorical result of a diagnostic test (positive, negative, or inconclusive if the test was unavailable). Quantitative diagnostic outputs such as PCR Ct values and parasite counts may be reported using optional detection measurement fields. When quantitative values are provided, associated units and relevant methodological context should also be included to ensure interpretability and reuse. Datasets without explicit infection results but collected in known outbreak areas are also valuable and welcome (you can fill out some of the columns with “NA”).

Variable	Type	Description	Example	Required?
Sample ID	String	A user-generated, unique ID for the sample.	OS BZ19-114	Required
Animal ID	String	A user-generated unique ID for the individual animal from which the sample was collected.	BZ19-114 to indicate animal ID 114 sampled in 2019 in Belize	Required
Animal Taxon	String	Animal taxonomy.	Lynx rufus	Required
First deployment	String	First deployment date.	YYYYMMDD	Required
Latest deployment	String	Latest deployment date.	YYYYMMDD	Required
Sensor type	String	Sensor type used to tag the animals.	GPS	Required
Pathogen ID	String	The identity of a parasite detected by the diagnostic test.	Alphacoronavirus	Required
Sample collection method	String	The technique used to acquire the sample and/or the tissue from which the sample was acquired.	Swab	Required
Sample material	String	Organic tissue or fluid being collected (e.g., liver, blood, skin, whole organism).	Blood	Optional
First sample collection date	String	First date when the sample was collected.	YYYYMMDD	Required
Latest sample collection date	String	Latest date when the sample was collected.	YYYYMMDD	Required
Detection target	String	The taxonomic identity of the pathogen being screened for in the sample.	Coronaviridae	Required
Detection method	String	The type of diagnostic test performed to detect the pathogen.	Semi-nested PCR	Required
Detection outcome	String	Categorical outcome of the diagnostic test.	Positive / Negative / Inconclusive	Required
Detection measurement	Number	A numeric measurement associated with pathogen detection that provides more detail than presence/absence.	27.4 (e.g., PCR Ct value)	Optional
Detection measurement units	String	Units associated with the detection measurement.	Ct	Optional (Required if detection measurement is provided)
Detection measurement method details	String	Additional details needed to interpret the quantitative measurement.	qPCR, Ct threshold = 35	Optional
Detection measurement interpretation	String	Guidance on how the quantitative value should be interpreted in context.	Ct < 35 considered positive	Optional
Detection limit	Number	The lowest value at which the assay reliably detects the pathogen.	35	Optional
Detection limit units	String	Units associated with the limit of detection.	Ct	Optional

TipExamples:

You can find examples in the Studies.