Published

January 24, 2025

Modified

August 28, 2025

Database Access & Usage

Download VegVault Database

VegVault v1.0.0 is available as a comprehensive SQLite database providing integrated access to global vegetation, trait, and environmental data.

Download VegVault v1.0.0 (SQLite)

Note

System Requirements: VegVault contains over 100GB of data. Ensure your system has sufficient storage space and memory (RAM) before downloading.

Alternative Access: Flat Files

For users who prefer working with individual data tables, we provide VegVault as separate CSV files:

Download VegVault v1.0.0 (Flat Files)

Warning

Note: Flat files are not the recommended approach. Many files exceed 1GB and may be difficult to load into memory. We strongly recommend using the SQLite database with the {vaultkeepr} R package for optimal performance.

Accessing VegVault with {vaultkeepr}

To make VegVault easily accessible, we developed {vaultkeepr}, a well-tested R package (>95% code coverage) that provides intuitive functions for interacting with the database. The package handles database connections, data filtering, and extraction, allowing you to retrieve only project-specific data without loading everything into memory.

Installation

Install {vaultkeepr} from GitHub:

# install.packages("remotes")
remotes::install_github("OndrejMottl/vaultkeepr")

Load the package:

library(vaultkeepr)

Quick Start

See our Usage Examples for detailed demonstrations of how to:

  • Extract vegetation data for specific regions and time periods
  • Access functional trait information
  • Link abiotic environmental data
  • Perform taxonomic harmonization

Guidelines for Data Reuse and Citation

Licensing

VegVault is released under CC BY 4.0 License (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0), allowing you to:

  • Copy and redistribute the material
  • Adapt and build upon the material

Requirements: You must provide appropriate attribution to VegVault and cite all primary data sources.

Citation Requirements

When using VegVault in your research:

  1. Cite VegVault: Always cite the latest VegVault version with its corresponding DOI
  2. Cite primary sources: Acknowledge all original data providers included in your analysis
  3. Use our helper function: The vaultkeepr::get_references() function automatically generates the complete list of recommended citations for your specific data compilation

Publication & Pre-print

Pre-print: “VegVault database: linking global paleo-, and neo-vegetation data with functional traits and abiotic drivers”

Access Pre-print

For additional citation materials, visit our Materials & Outputs page.

Important Limitations

Data Quality Considerations

VegVault’s quality depends on the completeness, accuracy, and reliability of primary data sources. We acknowledge potential issues in global ecological databases (as noted for TRY) but focus on improving data re-usability rather than correcting source data quality issues.

Technical Limitations

  • Storage requirements: >100GB database size may be challenging for some systems
  • Memory requirements: Large datasets may require substantial RAM for analysis
  • Version dependencies: Always specify the VegVault version used in your research

Additional Resources

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