British Geological Survey (BGS) 3D scans store holds digital 3D scans of palaeontological and petrological specimens. The collection includes 3D meshes and 2D images stored in formats like .OBJ and .PLY, last updated in March 2026.
Use Cases
- Train 3D mesh classification models to identify specimen types using the .OBJ and .PLY files.
- Perform geometric morphometric analysis on 3D meshes to compare fossil or rock specimen shapes.
- Create interactive 3D visualizations for public outreach using the exported 2D images and 3D models.
Strengths
- Data is stored in software-independent 3D modelling formats like .OBJ and .PLY, ensuring accessibility.
- Collection is maintained by the authoritative British Geological Survey (BGS).
- Includes both 3-dimensional meshes and 2-dimensional images exported from scanning hardware.
Limitations
- The total number of scanned specimens (rows) and specific file attributes (columns) are unknown.
- Data scope is limited to BGS specimen holdings, which may introduce a geographic or institutional bias.
- Lack of metadata on specimen age, location, or taxonomic classification limits analytical depth.
Provenance
- Source
- British Geological Survey (BGS)
- Collection Method
- Scans created by BGS scanning hardware and software, with data exported into 3D modelling formats.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- Last updated March 2026.
- Geography
- null