Earthchem

The EarthChem team is excited to announce the deployment of PetDB 2.0, designed with enhanced features and backed by modern technical updates (API v4.50, Export Service v3.0). PetDB 2.0, also known as the EarthChem Data Synthesis, is a database with an interactive search interface that provides preservation, discovery, and access to geochemical, geochronological, and petrological data. Improvements center on FAIR data principles, allowing the user to more easily discover and reuse data as well as a more supported user experience from the back-end. Alongside the release of this advanced tool, the new www.earthchem.org website is live, complete with a new look, streamlined content, and more direct pathways to EarthChem’s suite of preservation, discovery, and access data services.

Please note that the original PetDB Search will be deprecated on December 31, 2025.

Overview of User-Facing Feature Updates to the PetDB 2.0 Search Tool

• 3D map-based search tool that allows users to explore data in a more interactive way that enables robust discovery
• Advanced, structured filtering to refine and aggregate queries as well as export to more specific parameters
• More dexterous export options, including output formats (CSV, JSON) and customization of output variables
• A user notification system with integrated email notifications, including query summary, results download link, and more
• Enhanced performance powered by single-pass OpenSearch scroll API and high-speed file generation

Overview of Updates to the PetDB API & Technical Components

For full technical release notes, please visit:

• API Service: https://earthchem.github.io/ec-doc/release_notes/petdb_api.html
• Export Service: https://earthchem.github.io/ec-doc/release_notes/export_service.html

API Service (v4.5.0)

• Implemented OpenSearch aggregations to deliver structured, normalized response to a user in real-time and similar improvements to optimize functionality
• Improved support for advanced citation and sample linking that enables dataset traceability and partial search matching on multiple fields
• Enhanced export generation via S3 and DynamoDB to provide a more supported and secure service
• Enriched metrics on dataset-wide statistics and audit trails across all queries and exports
• Optimized geospatial filtering and location services through sample clustering and efficient display of large-scale datasets 
• Increased search and filtering parameters, including location filters compatible with GeoJSON polygons and multi-bounding-box queries
• Improved reliability focused on error handling and performance optimizations

Export Service (v3.0)

• Enhanced functional features including added support for CSV and JSON output formats, handling of large datasets, unique task generation for export requests for internal traceability, task lifecycle management with integrated error logging, a user notification system, and comprehensive logging of all task-related events
• Optimized performance and scalability through improved data retrieval, file generation, export handling, and cancellation workflows 
• Streamlined reliability with automatic retry attempts for search failures with structured error messaging, and made task lifecycle, performance metrics, and error patterns more traceable in real-time
• Defined retention policies to enable retention of all export outputs indefinitely for accessibility