BULKMAT — well sample identification
BULKMAT identifies well samples from their species content. Given a list of species observed in a sample, it compares the assemblage against an identification matrix — a knowledge base of taxa (depositional environments, foram bands or pollen zones) and the percentage of samples of each taxon in which every species occurs. For each sample it calculates the Willcox probability that the assemblage belongs to each taxon and lists the three most likely identifications.
The program is a web edition of the identification program by P. Lesslar (XGS/1, Oct. 1984), modified from Sneath (1979), and reproduces its results exactly. See Method & references for details.
What the tool provides
- The three most likely identifications per sample, with Willcox probabilities
- The full probability distribution across all taxa in the matrix
- Diagnostic “species against” analysis: which species argue for or against each identification
- Species counts, positive matches, P/B ratio, Yule–Simpson and Fisher alpha diversity indices
- Scientific names from the FORLIST species list alongside the codes
- A downloadable report in the original program’s format
Access
The tool is free to use, but registration is required. Submitted samples and their results are logged: the data collected will be used to extend the identification knowledge base, which will improve the tool for everyone. Please read the short user guide before your first run.
Launch the identification tool