Version 0.4.0

Provenance and Ethics Layer

This release introduces the Provenance and Ethics Layer, completing the initial vision for Fossil Tracker as more than a specimen catalogue. Alongside recording what a fossil is, the application now supports documenting where it came from, how confidently its provenance is understood, and the evidence available to support that understanding.

Recognising that provenance information is often incomplete or uncertain, Fossil Tracker encourages transparent record keeping rather than unwarranted certainty. The aim is to preserve an honest history of each specimen as it enters and develops within a collection.

New Features

• Structured acquisition records
• Provenance summaries and supporting notes
• Legality status and supporting documentation
• Ethical confidence assessment
• Receipt and document attachment tracking
• Public and private visibility controls
• Updated database schema and migrations

Improvements

• Acquisition information separated from specimen records for improved organisation
• Consistent recording of provenance across the collection
• Better support for documenting uncertainty and incomplete information
• Enhanced Streamlit interface for managing provenance and associated documents

Notes

Many fossils available to collectors have well-established provenance, while others may have only limited documentation or uncertain collecting histories. Fossil Tracker does not attempt to judge individual specimens or prescribe collecting practices. Instead, it provides a structured way to record what is known, acknowledge what is uncertain, and retain the evidence associated with each acquisition.

This reflects one of the project’s guiding principles: good scientific record keeping includes documenting uncertainty as carefully as documenting confidence.