Using ScienceBase Advanced Search
A link to Advanced Search is available on ScienceBase Home page, or directly visit Advanced Search
 |
Advanced search enables refinement of search results by allowing inclusion and exclusion of records according to specified criteria. Advanced Search offers ability to search text, select or omit ScienceBase communities to search, select tags (keywords), categories and types of information records, contacts, extensions, project status, dates, and places. Many Advanced Search fields offer drop down menus listing suggestions for information items cataloged in ScienceBase. Advanced search allows sorting of search results and output in various data-interchange formats (such as JSON) for use in other applications. Advanced Search allows generation of a unique URL, which may be used elsewhere (such as websites or e-mailed to others) to quickly re-generate the items included in the Advanced Search. |
 |
ScienceBase Directory catalogs information records about people and organizations (learn more). ScienceBase Directory entries are suggested in a drop down menu when user types characters in Contact field. Search by Place - allows addition of a place known by name. Known spatial extents loaded into ScienceBase are suggested. The spatial item must exist in ScienceBase to enable the "search by place" capability, because the footprint must be defined to enable the search. Three options are available for the specified footprint: 1) intersect - spatial footprints of found items intersect the selected place, 2) disjoint - spatial footprints of found items do not touch the boundary of selected place, 3) within - spatial footprints of found items are completely enclosed within the footprint of selected place. Only items having spatial footprints will be found with the Search by Place. |
Advanced Lucene Search Tips
Lucene Query allows use of operands and special characters.
- To search for exact phrases, begin and end the phrase with quotes. For example: "wild horses" will generate records that sequentially contain the phrase wild horses, and will not include records that contain but separate the terms "wild" and "horses" in text.
- To find items with either wild or horses, use the OR operator. For example: wild OR horses.
Partial word searches are possible using wildcard characters. For example:
- To search with a single wildcard character use the ? symbol. A single wildcard character search will find matching search terms, potentially with several possibilities replacing the single wildcard character. For example, a search for h?t, will produce results containing terms: hat, hit, hot, hut.
- To search with a multiple wildcard character use the * symbol. A multiple wildcard character search will find matching terms with zero or more characters. For example, using a search term wild* will produce results containing terms: wild, wildlife, wildfire, wildcat, wilderness.
For more information on Searching using Lucene Syntax, visit https://lucene.apache.org/core/3_6_0/queryparsersyntax.html.
Exclude Elements in Search Results
To exclude specific elements, use ! (exclamation point)
For example, to find the term water, but eliminate records in Data Category, the URL query is modified: https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/items?q=water&filter=browseCategory!%3DData
The ! is inserted after BrowseCategory to eliminate the Data Category from search results. The exclamation point may be added in other search results, to exclude other elements (such as browseType, tags, communities).
Advanced Use Documentation
The advanced search allows for Lucene Query syntax, which includes operands.
For additional details and examples please see: https://my.usgs.gov/confluence/display/sciencebase/Creating+Queries+for+...
Advanced users may also wish to review the developer documentation: https://my.usgs.gov/confluence/display/sciencebase/ScienceBase+Catalog+v2+Search+for+Developers
Saved Search
The Web Link URL generated at bottom of Advanced Search screen includes the search filter parameters entered in the form. This URL may be reused elsewhere, in a website, e-mailed to others. This URL may be be assigned to a community and named ("Transportation Data") to quickly regenerate the search results. Learn more about assigning Saved Searches to a community. The ScienceBase Multi-Hazards Demonstration project community has designated search results to help users quickly find themed records:
