sPlot hosts and harmonizes vegetation-plot databases contributed by sPlot Consortium members. These are typically large national or even supranational databases. Smaller local or regional databases should normally first join up to a larger regional database before joining sPlot. The data import with standardisation of header data and species nomenclature is done semi-automatically with wrappers/pipelines that can be used to re-import data in the future when the source database has been augmented or otherwise improved. sPlot is not intended to maintain and update local databases, which remains responsibility of database custodians. Where possible, sPlot seeks the cooperation of data aggregators at subcontinental and continental level, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the Tropical African Vegetation Archive (TAVA).

Registering to the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD), with which sPlot cooperates closely, is warmly recommended before contributing a database to sPlot. With the registration in GIVD, databases receive a unique identifier that allows citing a database properly and attributing credit to it. sPlot will use GIVD to handle the metadata at the database level rather than duplicating the same structure in the sPlot database.

We are still particularly seeking vegetation plots from Latin America, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa. Further we have a high interest in plot data from the tropics and subtropics where herbaceous plants in addition to the trees have been recorded. If you have such data and wish to become a member of the sPlot Consortium, see here for conditions. Additions of invited databases and updates of current member databases will be conducted when a new sPlot release is due, i.e. with approximately 18-month intervals.

As of 06 November 2024, the sPlot Consortium consists of the following 301 datasets and 383 members. The first table below shows all the datasets and their custodians; datasets are ordered by name. The second table shows sPlot members not associated with a dataset.

Below the tables there is detailed information about sPlot datasets and members, organized by the version in which datasets were added to sPlot.

Datasets

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Additional Members appointed by the sPlot Steering Committee

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Aggregating supranational databases as sPlot partners
Individual databases included in sPlot 2.1
New databases included in sPlot 3.0
New databases included in sPlot 4.0