TDWG Standards

[Berendsohn, Walter G.]

(Please excuse cross-posting)

Three of the draft standards discussed during the TDWG 2004 meeting in Christchurch have now formally been submitted to the TDWG Executive Committee for voting during TDWG 2005:

- Darwin Core 2 (http://darwincore.calacademy.org/), "a simple set of data element definitions designed to support the sharing and integration of primary biodiversity data".

- Access to Biological Collection Data (ABCD) 2.0 (http://www.bgbm.org/TDWG/CODATA/Schema/), "an evolving comprehensive standard for the access to and exchange of data about specimens and observations (a.k.a. primary biodiversity data)". 

- Taxonomic Concept Transfer Schema (TCS) 1 (http://tdwg.napier.ac.uk) [taxa and names]. 

Please feel free to comment and contribute. The working groups will continue to improve their drafts until a final edited version will be submitted by the Executive Committee to the TDWG membership by July 17, 2005.   

Other TDWG working groups will contribute proposed standards, which will also be discussed during the meeting in St. Petersburg. Submission of a draft in 2005 is a prerequisite for submission as a new TDWG standard in 2006. Proposed standards should be send before that date to the TDWG Secretary Adrian Rissoné (a.rissone at nhm.ac.uk).

See www.tdwg.org for further information on TDWG meetings, subgroups, and the procedure for adoption of standards. 

With best wishes

Walter Berendsohn
Chair, TDWG Executive Committee 2005