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<h2>Biological Descriptions (BD) Interest Group Charter</h2>

<h3>Convener <small>[[#ConvenerRole][(1)]]</small></h3>
#GroupConvener
   * Gregor Hagedorn, Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land und Forstwirtschaft, Königin-Luise-Str. 19, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Email: name @@ gmail.com, replace "name" with "g.m.hagedorn"

<h3>Core Members <small>[[#CoreMemberRole][(2)]]</small></h3>
   * Gregor Hagedorn (BBA, Germany),
   * Robert Morris (UMass, Boston, USA), 
   * Kevin Thiele (Western Australian Herbarium, Perth, Australia),
   * Bryan Heidorn (University of Illinois, USA)
   * Donald Hobern (GBIF, Denmark)

<h3>Summary</h3>

The goal of the group is to develop standard computer-based mechanisms for expressing and transferring descriptive information about biological specimens, taxa, and similar entities such as diseases or ecosystems. The exchanged data may include terminologies, descriptions, identification data and associated resources (taxon names, specimen and publication references, etc.). The term "descriptive data" as used here is about descriptions of life on earth and limited to inherent (taxon specific) properties or traits. It is not about legal, management, event, nomenclatural, or other data that may be relevant in the study of biodiversity.

The developed standards are developed to support capture, transport, caching and archiving of descriptive data, using platform- and application-independent means. Such a standard is crucial to enabling lossless porting of data between existing and future software platforms including identification, data-mining and analysis tools, and federated databases. 

<h3>Motivation</h3>

This group is concerned with the management and exchange of observations or measurements of the taxon-specific properties of free-living or collected organisms or other biological entities (bacteria, viruses, diseases, etc.). Taxon-specificity implies that the data are at least partly genetically coded (although the expression of these properties may be modified by the environment or circumstances). Such data are relevant in many contexts; the primary motivation of many members of the groups is the identification of taxa in a taxonomic, ecological, educational, recreational, or applied context. In addition, these data are highly relevant for genetic (studying the relation between genes and their expression) and phylogenetic (studying evolutionary relationships) studies.

All descriptive data originate in observations and measurements of biological individuals (observations, specimens, cultures, etc.). These data may be aggregated and synthesized into descriptions of infraspecific, specific, or higher taxa. Taxon descriptions are much more commonly used for identification and phylogenetic analysis than descriptions of individuals ("specimen descriptions"). However, a goal of this interest group is to unify these forms of descriptions so that individual and taxon descriptions can be integrated, and individual data cited for or aggregated into taxon descriptions.

Descriptive data take a number of different forms, which are considered the core objects of this group:

   * Free-form natural-language descriptions are semi-formalized descriptions of a taxon, or occasionally of specimens. They may be simple, short, and written in plain language (e.g. as found in popular field guides), or long, formal, and using specialized terminology (e.g. as found in taxonomic monographs or other treatments).
   * Semi-structured natural language data are free-form text descriptions that are improved by manually or automatically adding information to it ("tagging" or "markup").
   * Branching ("dichotomous" or "polytomous") identification keys are specialized identification tools comprising fragments of descriptive data arranged in so-called "couplets" to form a branching tree. Each fragment (traditionally called a "lead") usually comprises a small natural-language description using one or several characters, pointing either to the next node in the key or ending with a taxon name. In contrast to the multi-access keys that may be based on coded descriptions (see below), branching identification keys require users to follow a fixed sequence of questions.
   * Coded descriptions comprise highly structured data used in computer programs for biological identification (especially multi-access identification keys) or for phylogenetic analysis. Coded data may include original (sample) data as well as aggregated summary (taxon) data.

Descriptive data therefore range from unstructured natural language to highly structured (coded) data. Unlike specimen databases and name services, taxon descriptions and identification keys often reside in dispersed and independent documents, publications, or small repositories. These are normally provided by individual scientists or small teams and only rarely by large organizations.

Each set of descriptive data typically uses its own independent biological terminology (also called an "ontology"). Data standards for descriptive data must be designed to accommodate these independent ontologies, but also provide means to support (voluntary) standardization of ontologies. The goal of the standards created by this group is to support the capture, transport, caching and archiving of descriptive data in all the forms mentioned above, using a platform- and application-independent international standard. Such a standard is crucial to enabling lossless data exchange between existing and future software platforms, including identification, data-mining and analysis tools, and federated databases.

A first attempt for such a standard is the result of the BDI.SDD_ Schema task group (see charter of schema task group). We expect that the development of standards like the BDI.SDD_ xml-schema will contribute to the development of structured online monographs or species pages that include descriptive data as well as other biodiversity data.

The Interest Group maintains a repository containing discussions, decisions, schemas, sample documents, and selected open-source tools for the support of the use of BDI.SDD_.

<h3>Becoming Involved</h3>

All interested parties are encouraged to become involved with the interest group or specific task groups. Membership of these group is open. If you are involved in biological identification, creation or editing of digital flora or faunas, taxon descriptions, etc. and you would like to share your data with others, BDI.SDD_ may need your contribution. 
   * If you plan a software development involving exchange of descriptive data, please contact a core member to determine if we have or know about any code or exchange standard that may help your project. This will help to use common solutions where these exist, point out omissions not yet recognized, or help prioritize known omissions.
   * If you detect problems with using the BDI.SDD_ Schema, please document them, either directly on the [[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/BDI.SDD_][BDI.SDD_ Wiki]], or submit your critique by email to become placed on the Wiki on your behalf. 
   * If you believe a new task group is needed to address specific developments with BDI.SDD_, please contact any of the Core Members about starting a new Task Group. BDI.SDD_ is not limited to the current XML-schema based effort! 
   * The group is particularly interested in attracting people with experience in the use of Semantic Web technologies.

Please contact the convener or any core member about how to become involved.

<h3>History and Context</h3>

(See [[HistoryAndContext][History and context of BDI.SDD_]])

<h3>Resources</h3>
   * The primary home address for communications of this group is: *[[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/BDI.SDD_/BDI.SDD_]]*
   * See also [[ServicesUsingBDI.SDD][Services or programs using BDI.SDD_]]

----

<h3>Footnotes</h3>

#ConvenerRole <sup>1</sup> The [[#GroupConvener][convener]] is the principal point of contact for group members or external people interested in collaboration. It is the person responsible for reporting to TDWG and the [[http://www.tdwg.org/about-tdwg/executive/current-members/][TDWG Executive Committee]] on the group's activities.

#CoreMemberRole <sup>2</sup> Core members could explain to an outsider the purpose, justification and current activities of the group. Any core member could substitute for the Convener when required. Further contributors are acknowledged under [[HistoryAndContext]["History and Context"]], below.

----

-- Members of the BD Core group, Nov. 2006-Nov. 2007@


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A first attempt for such a standard is the result of the BDI.SDD Schema task group (see charter of schema task group). We expect that the development of standards like the BDI.SDD xml-schema will contribute to the development of structured online monographs or species pages that include descriptive data as well as other biodiversity data.
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The Interest Group maintains a repository containing discussions, decisions, schemas, sample documents, and selected open-source tools for the support of the use of BDI.SDD.
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All interested parties are encouraged to become involved with the interest group or specific task groups. Membership of these group is open. If you are involved in biological identification, creation or editing of digital flora or faunas, taxon descriptions, etc. and you would like to share your data with others, BDI.SDD may need your contribution. 
d47 2
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   * If you detect problems with using the BDI.SDD Schema, please document them, either directly on the [[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/BDI.SDD][BDI.SDD Wiki]], or submit your critique by email to become placed on the Wiki on your behalf. 
   * If you believe a new task group is needed to address specific developments with BDI.SDD, please contact any of the Core Members about starting a new Task Group. BDI.SDD is not limited to the current XML-schema based effort! 
d55 1
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(See [[HistoryAndContext][History and context of BDI.SDD]])
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   * The primary home address for communications of this group is: *[[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/BDI.SDD/BDI.SDD]]*
   * See also [[ServicesUsingBDI.SDD][Services or programs using BDI.SDD]]
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-- Members of the BD Core group, Nov. 2006-Nov. 2007
@


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A first attempt for such a standard is the result of the SDD Schema task group (see charter of schema task group). We expect that the development of standards like the SDD xml-schema will contribute to the development of structured online monographs or species pages that include descriptive data as well as other biodiversity data.
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The Interest Group maintains a repository containing discussions, decisions, schemas, sample documents, and selected open-source tools for the support of the use of SDD.
d45 1
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All interested parties are encouraged to become involved with the interest group or specific task groups. Membership of these group is open. If you are involved in biological identification, creation or editing of digital flora or faunas, taxon descriptions, etc. and you would like to share your data with others, SDD may need your contribution. 
d47 2
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   * If you detect problems with using the SDD Schema, please document them, either directly on the [[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/SDD][SDD Wiki]], or submit your critique by email to become placed on the Wiki on your behalf. 
   * If you believe a new task group is needed to address specific developments with SDD, please contact any of the Core Members about starting a new Task Group. SDD is not limited to the current XML-schema based effort! 
d55 1
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(See [[HistoryAndContext][History and context of SDD]])
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   * The primary home address for communications of this group is: *[[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/SDD/WebHome]]*
   * See also [[ServicesUsingSDD][Services or programs using SDD]]
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-- Members of the BD Core group, Nov. 2006-Nov. 2007@


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   * Coded descriptions comprise highly structured data used in computer programs for biological identification or for phylogenetic analysis. Coded data may include original (sample) data as well as aggregated summary (taxon) data.
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-- Main.GregorHagedorn - 11 September 2007@


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This group is concerned with the management and exchange of taxon-specific properties ("taxon-properties") that can be observed or measured on free-living or collected organisms or other biological entities (bacteria, viruses, diseases, etc.). Taxon-specificity implies that the data are at least partly genetically coded (although the expression of these properties may be modified by the environment or circumstances). Such data are relevant in many contexts; the primary motivation of many members of the groups is the identification of taxa in a taxonomic, ecological, educational, recreational, or applied context. In addition, these data are highly relevant for genetic (studying the relation between genes and their expression) and phylogenetic (studying evolutionary relationships) studies.
d26 1
a26 1
All descriptive data originate in observations and measurements of biological individuals (observations, specimens, cultures, etc.). These data may be aggregated and synthesized into descriptions of infraspecific, specific, or higher taxa. For the purpose of identification and phylogenetic analysis specimen descriptions taxon descriptions are much more common than descriptions of individuals ("specimen descriptions"). However, a goal of this interest group is to unify these forms of descriptions such that individual and taxon descriptions can be integrated, and individual data cited for or aggregated into taxon descriptions.
d29 2
a30 1
   * Free-form natural-language descriptions are semi-formalized descriptions of a taxon, or occasionally specimens. They may be simple, short, and written in plain language (e.g. as found in popular field guides), or long, formal, and using specialized terminology (e.g. as found in taxonomic monographs or other treatments). 
d32 2
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   * Branching ("dichotomous" or "polytomous") identification keys are specialized identification tools comprising fragments of descriptive data arranged in so-called "couplets" to form a branching tree. Each fragment (traditionally called a "lead") usually comprises a small natural-language description using one or several characters, pointing either to the next node in the key or ending with a taxon name.  In contrast to the multi-access keys that may be based on coded descriptions (see below), branching identification keys require users to follow a fixed sequence of questions.
   * Coded descriptions comprise highly structured data used in computer programs for biological identification or for phylogenetic analysis. Coded data may include original (sample) data as well as aggregated summary (taxon) data. 

Descriptive data therefore range from unstructured natural language to highly structured (coded) data. Unlike specimen databases and name services, taxon descriptions and identification keys often reside in dispersed and independent documents, publications, or small repositories. These are normally provided by individual scientists or small teams and only rarely by large organizations. 
d35 1
a35 1
Each set of descriptive data typically has an independent biological terminology (also called "ontology"). Data standards for descriptive data must be designed to accommodate the current heterogeneity, but also provide means for further (voluntary) standardizations of ontologies. The goal of standards created by this group is to support the capture, transport, caching and archiving of descriptive data in all the forms mentioned above, using a platform- and application-independent international standard. Such a standard is crucial to enabling lossless data exchange between existing and future software platforms, including identification, data-mining and analysis tools, and federated databases.
d37 1
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A first attempt for such a standard is the result of the SDD Schema task group (see [[SchemaTaskGroupCharter][charter of schema task group]]). We expect that the development of standards like the SDD xml-schema will contribute to the development of structured online monographs or species pages that include descriptive data as well as other biodiversity data.
d39 1
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The Interest Group maintains a repository containing discussions, decisions, schemata, sample documents, and selected open-source tools for the support of the use of SDD. 
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<h2>Structured Descriptive Data (SDD) Interest Group Charter</h2>
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   * Kevin Thiele (University of Queensland, Australia),
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The goal of the group is to develop standard computer-based mechanisms for expressing and transferring descriptive information about biological specimens, taxa, and similar entities such as diseases or ecosystems. The exchanged data may include terminologies, descriptions, identification data and associated resources (taxon names, specimen and publication references, etc.). The term "descriptive data" as used here is about descriptions of life on earth and limited to inherent (taxon specific) properties. It is not about legal, management, event, nomenclatural, or other data that may be relevant in the study of biodiversity.
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-- Main.GregorHagedorn - 11 September 2007
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   * Robert Morris (UMAss, Boston, USA), 
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This group is concerned with the management and exchange of taxon-specific properties that can be observed or measured on free-living or collected organisms (taxon-properties). Taxon-specificity implies that the data are at least partly genetically coded; the expression of these properties may be modified by the environment or circumstances, however. Such data are relevant in many contexts, but the primary motivation of many members of the groups is the identification of organisms in a taxonomic, ecological, educational, recreational, or applied context. In addition, these data are highly relevant for phylogenetic and genetic studies.
d26 1
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All descriptive data originate in observations and measurements of individual organisms (observations, specimens, cultures, etc.). These data may be aggregated and synthesized into descriptions of infraspecific, specific, or higher taxa. For the purpose of identification and phylogenetic analysis specimen descriptions taxon descriptions are much more common than descriptions of individuals ("specimen descriptions"). However, a goal of this interest group is to unify these forms of descriptions such that individual and taxon descriptions can be integrated, and individual data cited for or aggregated into taxon descriptions.
d29 1
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   * Free-form natural-language descriptions are semi-formalised descriptions of a taxon, or occasionally specimens. They may be simple, short, and written in plain language (e.g. as found in popular field guides), or long, formal, and using specialised terminology (e.g. as found in taxonomic monographs or other treatments). 
d31 2
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   * Branching ("dichotomous" or "polytomous") identification keys are specialised identification tools comprising fragments of descriptive data arranged in so-called "couplets" to form a branching tree. Each fragment (traditionally called a "lead") usually comprises a small natural-language description, pointing either to the next node in the key or ending with a taxon name.  
   * Coded descriptions comprise highly structured data used in computer programs for the identification of organisms or for phylogenetic analysis. Coded data may include original (sample) data as well as aggregated summary (taxon) data. 
d45 1
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All interested parties are encouraged to become involved with the interest group or specific task groups. Membership of these group is open. If you are involved in organism identification, creation or editing of digital flora or faunas, taxon descriptions, etc. and you would like to share your data with others, SDD may need your contribution. 
a56 6
<h3>Summary</h3>

The goal of the group is to develop standard computer-based mechanisms for expressing and transferring descriptive information about biological specimens, taxa, and similar entities such as diseases. The exchanged data may include terminologies, descriptions, identification data and associated resources (taxon names, specimen and publication references, etc.). The developed standards are developed to support capture, transport, caching and archiving of descriptive data, using platform- and application-independent means. 

Such a standard is crucial to enabling lossless porting of data between existing and future software platforms including identification, data-mining and analysis tools, and federated databases. 

a60 24
<h3>Comments on the SDD Charter</h3>

1. Your request that "it would be useful if the &#8218;Motivation' was directed to those who did not have any prior understanding of details.
In other words, terms such as &#8218;markup' should not be assumed to be understood. Ditto &#8218;keys', &#8218;ontology', polytomous', &#8218;phylogenetic', Wiki' (without URL) etc."

I agree on the general desirability but find it rather hard in places. Can you help me with "keys" and "phylogenetic"?

...I will try. For example, from Wikipedia:

"A taxonomic key uses important characters for the distinction of major taxonomic subgroups within the group for the first leads, then gradually using lesser characters to break down the subgroups by their evolutionary relationships."

Phylogenetic (Lee's simple version): The evolutionary relationship between organisms.

2. I don't understand the comment "this raises the general comment that has always worried me, that you are probably using &#8218;descriptive data' in a more specific context than the name would suggest to anyone not aware of SDD."

The term "descriptive data" has not been invented by SDD, but goes back at least to British publication of the 80s. However, I appreciate any help - beyond what you already did in your review - to disambiguate the term further, or which help is needed for the reader to understand it. Perhaps you could help by explaining what your expectation before knowing SDD of the definition  of the term was.

..."descriptive" is a generic term. If you say "descriptive data", it could be ANY data that would in any way describe something. SDD: "Structure of Descriptive Data" could be about the structure of describing houses or countries. If you said "taxonomic descriptive data", it would at least be more specific. But would (for example) the draw that a specimen be located in be included in SDD? Would the geographic location of an observation be included in SDD? Would a taxon concept be included in SDD? Would a genetic sequence be included in SDD. TDWG Charters are designed to be for those who are wanting to find out about TDWG activities. We must assume little prior knowledge of someone wanting to read a charter. An example - a computer scientist may be looking for a challenge and see the TDWG domain as interesting. We must try to be clear in communicating the 'biology' to someone like that.

3. You write: "A few simple examples would I think help immensely."
What kind of examples are you thinking of? Has any other (perhaps outside TDWG) charter examples in it?

...I would have thought something like this - "A taxonomic key is used to classify an organism into a group. For example, we can split organisms into vertebrates like ourselves that have backbones and invertebrates that do not have backbones. "Backbone is a taxonomic key." 

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<h3>Convener [[#ConvenerRole][(1)]]</h3>
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<h3>Core Members [[#CoreMemberRole][(2)]]</h3>
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(See [[HistoryAndContext][History and context of SDD]]
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-- Main.GregorHagedorn - 04 September 2007
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<h3>Convener[[#ConvenerRole][<sup>1</sup>]]</h3>
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   * Gregor Hagedorn, Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land und Forstwirtschaft, Königin-Luise-Str. 19, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Email: name@@gmail.com, replace "name" with "g.m.hagedorn"
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<h3>Core Members[[#CoreMemberRole][<sup>2</sup>]]</h3>
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This group is concerned with the management and exchange of data that can be observed or measured on free-living or collected organisms. Such data are relevant in many contexts, but the primary motivation of many members of the groups is the identification of organisms in a taxonomic, ecological, educational, recreational, or applied context.
d25 1
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   * Branching (dichotomous or polytomous) keys are specialised identification tools comprising fragments of descriptive data arranged in so-called "couplets" to form a branching tree. Each fragment (traditionally called a "lead") usually comprises a small natural-language description, pointing either to the next node in the key or ending with a taxon name.  
d28 3
a30 1
Thus, descriptive data range from unstructured natural language to highly structured (coded) data. Furthermore, unlike specimen databases and name services, data usually reside in many dispersed and independent documents or small repositories. These are normally provided by individual scientists or small teams and only rarely by large organizations. 
d32 1
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Each dataset typically has an independent terminology and ontology. Data standards must be designed to accommodate the current heterogeneity, but also provide means for further (voluntary) standardizations of ontologies. The goal of standards created by this group is to allow capture, transport, caching and archiving of descriptive data in all the forms mentioned above, using a platform- and application-independent, international standard. Such a standard is crucial to enabling lossless data exchange between existing and future software platforms, including identification, data-mining and analysis tools, and federated databases.
d34 1
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We expect that the development of standards like the SDD xml-schema will contribute to the development of structured online monographs or species pages that include descriptive data as well as other biodiversity data.
a35 1
A central goal of the Interest Group is to maintain a repository containing discussions, decisions, schemata, sample documents, and selected open-source tools for the support of the use of SDD. 
d39 5
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All interested parties are encouraged to become involved. Membership in the group is open. If you are involved in identification, flora or fauna work, taxon descriptions, etc. and you would like to share your data, SDD may need your contribution. 
   * If you plan software development, please cooperate, state your needs and ask the core members whether solutions exist. This will help to use common solutions where these exist, point out omissions not yet recognized, or help prioritize known omissions.
   * If you find issues or problems with the SDD Schema, please document them, either directly on the Wiki, or submit your critique to become placed on the Wiki on your behalf. 
   * SDD is not limited to the current XML-schema based effort! If you believe a new task group is needed, this is highly welcome!
d49 1
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#SddBackground In the 1980's, TDWG endorsed the DELTA (Descriptive Language for Taxonomy) format as a standard for representing taxonomic descriptions. The SDD subgroup was established in 1998 in response to recognition that a program-independent, non-proprietary standard based on current data interchange techniques was needed.

The subgroup has met many times since 1998 and conducted discussions by email list and wiki pages. It has considered the needs of a wide variety of existing programs that manage, produce and consume biological descriptions, as well as incorporating new ideas that may be implemented in the future.

The SDD subgroup began discussing issues and scoping the standard through an email discussion group established in November 1999 (see the [[http://www.diversitycampus.net/Projects/TDWG-SDD//SDD-EmailList.html][SDD email list archives]]). This resulted in broad participation, but as a result of an extremely wide spectrum of expectations and approaches the discussion did not make substantial progress or convergence. The most effective strategy since 2001 has been found to be face-to-face [[MeetingMinutes][meetings]]. These meetings help to focus and take uncertainties into account, which can not be purely resolved by logical argument.

The major meetings so far were: Canberra, Nov. 2001; Sao Paulo, Oct. 2002; Paris, Feb. 2003; Lisbon, October 2003; Berlin, May 2004; Christchurch, Oct. 2004; St. Petersburg, Sept. 2005, and Berlin, April 2006. Over 60 people contributed to these discussions. However, the help, criticism and energy of Jacob Asiedu, Nicolas Bailly, Damian Barnier, Donald Hobern, Trevor Paterson, Guillaume Rousse, and Steve Shattuck is especially acknowledged.
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The goal of the group is to develop standard computer-based mechanisms for expressing and transferring descriptive information about biological specimens, taxa, as well as similar entities such as diseases. The exchanged data may include terminologies, ontologies, descriptions, identification tools and associated resources. The developed standards shall allow capture, transport, caching and archiving of descriptive data, using platform- and application-independent means. 
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   * The SDD Standard:
      * provides a flexible, platform-independent data structure for the capture and storage of taxonomic descriptions, including original data (sample data)
      * provides data structures for the support of multi-access (interactive matrix-based keys) as well as sequential (dichotomous/polytomous) identification keys (traditional keys)
      * comprises a superset of data requirements of all known programs managing descriptive data
      * provides extension beyond existing programs where data requirements are believed to be predictable
      * is readily extensible to account for future developments and data requirements
      * is human-readable (although it is assumed that in almost all cases standard descriptions will be machine-generated and processed)
      * is XML-based, and provides a schema for validation of documents and the use of schema compilers such as XML-beans for the production of schema-based SDD tool generation.
   * It facilitates:
      * lossless porting of data between standard-aware applications
      * achievable progressive markup of legacy descriptions, particularly natural-language descriptions
      * comparability and integration of alternate descriptions of any taxon
      * multilingual data sets
      * efficient reusable  descriptions serving multiple purposes
      * archiving and sharing of raw and processed data
   * It encourages:
      * Structured data over unstructured
      * Documenting IPR metadata, including Open access licenses
      * Recording data on a specimen level rather than on a taxon level.
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-- Main.GregorHagedorn - 03 September 2007
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#CoreMemberRole <sup>2</sup> Core members could explain to an outsider the purpose, justification and current activities of the group. Any core member could substitute for the Convener when required. Further contributors are acknowledged under [[#SddBackground]["History and Context"]], below.@


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<h3>Convener</h3>
   * Gregor Hagedorn, Biologische Bundesanstalt für Land und Forstwirtschaft, Königin-Luise-Str. 19, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Email: name [at] bba.de, replace "name" with "g.hagedorn"
   * (Note: The convener is the principal point of contact for group members or external people interested in collaboration. It is the person responsible for reporting to TDWG and the [[http://www.tdwg.org/about-tdwg/executive/current-members/][TDWG Executive Committee]] on the group's activities.)
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<h3>Core Members</h3>
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   * (Note: Core members could explain to an outsider the purpose, justification and current activities of the group. Any core member could substitute for the Convener when required. This is not a list of contributors)
   * (Further contributors are acknowledged under [[#SddBackground]["History and Background"]], below.)
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This group is about data that can be observed on undocumented wild or collected specimens. It is about identifying these, e.g. in a taxonomic, ecological, educational, recreational, or applied context. 
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Descriptive data takes a number of very different forms, which are considered the core objects of this groups efforts: 
   * Natural-language descriptions are semi-structured, semi-formalised descriptions of a taxon, or occasionally specimens. They may be simple, short and written in plain language, as when used for a popular field guide, or long, highly formal and using specialised terminology when used in a taxonomic monograph or other treatment. Natural language data may be increasingly structured by adding markup to it.
   * Sequential (dichotomous or polytomous) keys are specialised identification tools comprising fragments of descriptive data arranged in couplets forming a branching tree. Each fragment (traditionally called a "lead") comprises a usually small natural-language description. 
   * Coded descriptions comprise highly structured data used in computer identification and analysis programs as well as phylogenetic analysis programs. Coded data may be original (sample) data or aggregated summary data. 
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Thus, descriptive data range from unstructured natural language to highly structured (coded) data. Furthermore, unlike specimen databases and name services, data usually reside in many dispersed and independent documents or small repositories. With few exceptions these are not provided by large organizations. Each dataset typically has an independent terminology and ontology. SDD has been designed to accommodate the current heterogeneity, but also provide means for further (voluntary) standardizations of ontologies.
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The goal of the SDD standard is to allow capture, transport, caching and archiving of descriptive data in all the forms mentioned above, using a platform- and application-independent, international standard. Such a standard is crucial to enabling lossless exchange of data between existing and future software platforms, including identification, data-mining and analysis tools, and federated databases.
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For the future we expect that the development of SDD forms a valuable contribution to future development of structured online monographs or species pages that include descriptive data as well as other biodiversity data.

A central goal of the Interest Group is to maintain a repository containing discussions, decisions, schemata, sample documents, and selected open-source tools for the support of the use of SDD. This is currently a Subversion repository whose current location is always found on the SDD Wiki. It will be reviewed semi-annually by the Core Group for its currency and relevance to the goals of the SDD standard.
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All interested parties are encouraged to become involved, We urgently need your contributions. Membership in the group is open. If you are involved in identification, flora or fauna work, taxon descriptions, etc. and you would like to share your data, SDD may need you. 
   * If you plan software development, please cooperate, put your needs on the table, ask the core members whether we may already have solutions.
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   * and: SDD is not limited to the current XML-schema based effort! If you believe a new task group is needed, please do go ahead!
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#SddBackground TDWG endorsed the DELTA (Descriptive Language for Taxonomy) format as a standard for representation of taxonomic descriptions in the 1980's. The SDD subgroup was established 1998 as a subgroup of the Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG, www. tdwg.org) of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), in response to recognition that a program-independent, non-proprietary standard based on current data interchange techniques was needed.
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The subgroup has met many times since 1998, and conducted discussions by email list and wiki pages. It has considered the needs of a wide variety of existing programs that manage, produce and consume biological descriptions, as well as incorporating new ideas that may be implemented in the future.
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The SDD subgroup began discussing issues and scoping the standard through an email discussion group established in November 1999 (see the [[http://www.diversitycampus.net/Projects/TDWG-SDD//SDD-EmailList.html][SDD email list archives]]). This resulted in broad participation, but as a result of an extremely wide spectrum of expectations and approaches the discussion did not make substantial progress or convergence. The most effective strategy since 2001 has been found to be face-to-face [[MeetingMinutes][meetings]]. These meetings help to focus and to take uncertainties in the way to go, which can not be purely resolved by logical argument, into account.
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      * comparability and combinability of alternate descriptions of any one taxon
      * multlingual data sets
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The core SDD group is considering defining a subset, "SDD Lite" of the current schema, with the particular goal of producing a representation in RDF of the main concerns of SDD, in furtherance of TDWG's goal to have RDF representations of its major ontologically-related standards. Hence, the SDD Interest Group especially seeks people interested, and with suitable experience in, the use of Semantic Web technologies for describing taxa.
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<h3>Resources</h3>
   * The primary home address for communications of this group is: *[[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/SDD/WebHome]]*
   * Current services using SDD are 
      * [[http://www.lucidcentral.org/][Lucid]], 
      * [[http://efg.cs.umb.edu/][UMASS-Boston Electronic Field Guide Project (EFG)]], 
      * [[http://www.identifylife.org/][IdentifyLife]], 
      * [[http://iris.biosci.ohio-state.edu/hymenoptera/][Hymenoptera On-Line Database]] and 
      * [[http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/~openkey/][OpenKey]] 
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-- Main.GregorHagedorn - 02 May 2007
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   * (Further contributors are acknowledged under [[#SddBackground]["Background"]], below.)
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A central goal of the Interest Group is to maintain a repository containing discussions, decisions, schemata, sample documents, and selected open-source tools for the support of the use of SDD. This is currently a Subversion repository whose current location is always found on the SDD Wiki. 
It will be reviewed semi-annually by the Core Group for its currency and relevance to the goals of the SDD standard.
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The major meetings so far were: Canberra, Nov. 2001; Sao Paulo, Oct. 2002; Paris, Feb. 2003; Lisbon, October 2003; Berlin, May 2004; Christchurch, Oct. 2004; St. Petersburg, Sept. 2005, and Berlin, April 2006. Over 60 people contributed to these discussions. However, the help, criticism and energy of Jacob Asiedu, Nicolas Bailly, Damian Barnier, Donald Hobern, Trevor Patterson, Guillaume Rousse, and Steve Shattuck is especially acknowledged.
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-- Main.GregorHagedorn - 02 May 2007@


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   * (Note: The convener is the principal point of contact for group member or external people interested in collaboration. It is the person responsible for reporting to TDWG and the [[http://www.tdwg.org/about-tdwg/executive/current-members/][TDWG Executive Committee]] on the group's activities.)
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