Senckenberg Data Portal Examples¶

This page demonstrates how to use geoextent with the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre data portal.

Overview¶

Senckenberg operates a CKAN-based data portal at https://dataportal.senckenberg.de/ providing access to biodiversity, climate, and geoscience research datasets. Geoextent supports extracting spatial and temporal extents from Senckenberg datasets using various identifier formats.

Important

Senckenberg is primarily a metadata repository. Most datasets contain rich geospatial and temporal metadata but may not have downloadable data files, or files may be restricted.

Best Practice: Always use --no-download-data (metadata-only mode) when working with Senckenberg datasets to extract spatial and temporal extents from the metadata without attempting to download potentially unavailable files.

Supported Identifiers¶

DOI Format¶

Use Senckenberg DOIs directly (recommended with --no-download-data):

python -m geoextent -b -t --no-download-data 10.12761/sgn.2018.10225

DOI Resolver URLs:

python -m geoextent -b --no-download-data https://doi.org/10.12761/sgn.2018.10225

Dataset URLs¶

Direct dataset landing pages:

python -m geoextent -b --no-download-data https://dataportal.senckenberg.de/dataset/as-sahabi-1

JSON-LD URLs (metadata format):

python -m geoextent -b --no-download-data https://dataportal.senckenberg.de/dataset/as-sahabi-1.jsonld

Dataset IDs¶

Name slugs:

python -m geoextent -b --no-download-data as-sahabi-1

UUID format:

python -m geoextent -b --no-download-data 00dda005-68c0-4e92-96e5-ceb68034f3ba

Common Use Cases¶

Temporal and Spatial Extraction (Recommended)¶

Extract both spatial and temporal extent from metadata (most common use case):

# Command line
python -m geoextent -b -t --no-download-data 10.12761/sgn.2018.10268

# Python API
import geoextent.lib.extent as geoextent

# Extract both spatial (bbox) and temporal (tbox) extent
result = geoextent.from_remote(
    '10.12761/sgn.2018.10268',
    bbox=True,
    tbox=True,
    download_data=False  # Metadata-only extraction
)

print(f"Location: {result['envelope']}")
# Output: [-4.0992, -79.1667, -3.9667, -78.9667] (Ecuador, EPSG:4326 [minlat, minlon, maxlat, maxlon])

print(f"Time period: {result['tbox']}")
# Output: ['2014-05-01', '2015-12-30']

Why this example?

Dataset: “Functional responses of avian frugivores to variation in fruit resources”
Contains complete spatial coverage (bounding box in Ecuador)
Contains temporal coverage (May 2014 to December 2015)
Metadata-only extraction works perfectly without downloading files
Demonstrates the recommended workflow for Senckenberg

Basic Spatial Extraction¶

Extract spatial extent only from a Senckenberg dataset:

import geoextent.lib.extent as geoextent

# Using DOI (always use download_data=False for Senckenberg)
result = geoextent.from_remote(
    '10.12761/sgn.2018.10225',
    bbox=True,
    download_data=False
)
print(result['envelope'])  # [minlat, minlon, maxlat, maxlon] in EPSG:4326

# Using dataset URL
result = geoextent.from_remote(
    'https://dataportal.senckenberg.de/dataset/as-sahabi-1',
    bbox=True,
    download_data=False
)

# Using dataset name
result = geoextent.from_remote(
    'as-sahabi-1',
    bbox=True,
    download_data=False
)

Why Use Metadata-Only Mode?¶

Metadata-only extraction (--no-download-data) is recommended for all Senckenberg datasets because:

Primary use case: Senckenberg is a metadata repository - most datasets have rich metadata but limited/restricted data files
Faster extraction: No time wasted attempting to download unavailable files
Accurate results: Spatial and temporal metadata in CKAN is authoritative
Bandwidth efficient: No unnecessary downloads
Works with restricted datasets: Metadata is publicly accessible even when data files are restricted

# Always use --no-download-data for Senckenberg
python -m geoextent -b -t --no-download-data 10.12761/sgn.2018.10225

With Size Limits¶

Download only a subset of files to stay within size constraints:

python -m geoextent -b \
    --max-download-size 50MB \
    as-sahabi-1

Geospatial Files Only¶

Skip non-geospatial files (like documentation, scripts, etc.):

python -m geoextent -b \
    --download-skip-nogeo \
    as-sahabi-1

This will prioritize downloading:

Shapefiles (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj)
GeoJSON files (.geojson, .json)
GeoTIFF files (.tif, .tiff)
Archives that might contain geospatial data (.zip, .tar.gz)
Other geospatial formats (GeoPackage, KML, etc.)

Multiple Datasets¶

Extract and merge extents from multiple Senckenberg datasets:

import geoextent.lib.extent as geoextent

datasets = [
    'as-sahabi-1',
    '10.12761/sgn.2018.10225',
]

result = geoextent.from_remote(datasets, bbox=True, tbox=True)

# Returns merged envelope covering all datasets
print(f"Combined extent: {result['envelope']}")
print(f"Temporal range: {result.get('tbox', 'N/A')}")

# Access individual dataset results
for dataset_id, dataset_result in result['details'].items():
    print(f"{dataset_id}: {dataset_result.get('envelope', 'No envelope')}")

Mixed Providers¶

Combine Senckenberg datasets with other repositories:

python -m geoextent -b \
12761/sgn.2018.10225 \
5281/zenodo.4593540 \
25532/OPARA-581

Python API Examples¶

Basic Usage¶

import geoextent.lib.extent as geoextent

# Extract spatial and temporal extent
result = geoextent.from_remote(
    'as-sahabi-1',
    bbox=True,
    tbox=True
)

if 'envelope' in result:
    print(f"Spatial extent: {result['envelope']}")
    # Output is always EPSG:4326 — no separate CRS field.

if 'tbox' in result:
    print(f"Temporal extent: {result['tbox']}")

Advanced Options¶

import geoextent.lib.extent as geoextent

result = geoextent.from_remote(
    '10.12761/sgn.2018.10225',
    bbox=True,
    tbox=True,
    convex_hull=True,           # Extract convex hull instead of bbox
    details=True,               # Include detailed file information
    max_download_size='100MB',  # Limit total download size
    download_skip_nogeo=True,   # Skip non-geospatial files
    max_download_workers=8,     # Parallel downloads
    placename='nominatim'       # Add placename lookup
)

# Access detailed information
if 'details' in result:
    for filename, file_info in result['details'].items():
        print(f"{filename}: {file_info}")

Error Handling¶

import geoextent.lib.extent as geoextent

try:
    result = geoextent.from_remote('invalid-dataset-id', bbox=True)
    print(f"Success: {result}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error extracting extent: {e}")

# For multiple datasets, check individual errors
datasets = ['as-sahabi-1', 'invalid-dataset']
result = geoextent.from_remote(datasets, bbox=True)

for dataset_id, dataset_result in result['details'].items():
    if 'error' in dataset_result:
        print(f"{dataset_id}: ERROR - {dataset_result['error']}")
    else:
        print(f"{dataset_id}: SUCCESS - {dataset_result.get('envelope', 'No envelope')}")

Example Datasets¶

As-Sahabi 1¶

Paleontological dataset from Libya with geospatial data:

python -m geoextent -b https://dataportal.senckenberg.de/dataset/as-sahabi-1

Contains:

Study area shapefile (ZIP archive)
Spatial fossil data (CSV)
Research data and analyses

Use case: Extracting spatial extent from fossil site locations

Grazer Population Model¶

Dataset with spatial extent metadata but restricted data access:

python -m geoextent -b --no-download-data \
    00dda005-68c0-4e92-96e5-ceb68034f3ba

Contains:

Metadata with spatial coverage (East & South African Savannahs)
Temporal coverage (1960-2006)
Model data (may require authorization)

Use case: Metadata extraction for datasets with access restrictions

Technical Details¶

CKAN Integration¶

Senckenberg uses CKAN (Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network), an open-source data management system. Geoextent leverages the CKAN API for: