Paleoecoinformatics: applying geohistorical data to ecological questions

Paleoecoinformatics, the development and use of paleoecological databases and tools, has a strong tradition of community support, and is rapidly growing as new tools bring new opportunities to advance understanding of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, from regional to global scales, and across the entire history of life on earth. Paleoecoinformatics occupies the intersection of ecoinformatics and geoinformatics. All face shared challenges, including developing frameworks to store heterogeneous and dynamic datasets, facilitating data contributions, linking heterogeneous data, and tracking improvements in data quality and scientific understanding. The three communities will benefit from increased engagement and exchange.