The paleocommunity has developed an impressive mix of databases of various sizes and concepts. This mix includes the large data centers, mostly organized in the World Data Center (WDC) network, which provide nearly inexhaustible storage capacities and long-term constancy. It also includes the smaller national and regional, proxy- or archive-specific databases, which offer close contact with the specialist communities. The challenge for the paleoscience community is to ensure the flow of data, information and technology between this mix of databases.
A core of nine representatives of the PAGES Databoard met in May 2006 at the PAGES Office in Bern. This second meeting of the Databoard aimed to identify the most pressing data issues, to exchange information on the state of the art in database technology, concepts and policies, and to review progress made since the last Databoard meeting in 2002.