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<h1>Change policy</h1>
</div>
<h2>1. Introduction</h2><b>Audience</b>: This document is targeted toward
those who want to make changes to the Darwin Core, either by refining terms
that already exist or by adding new terms to increase the capabilities of the
standard.
<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p>This document and the policies contained herein are modeled on the <em>Dublin Core Metadata Initiative Namespace Policy</em> [<a href="http://dublincore.org/documents/2007/07/02/dcmi-namespace/">DCMINAMESPACEPOLICY</a>]. All terms in the Darwin Core must be identified with a unique Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). For convenience, the term URIs are grouped into collections known as <em>Darwin Core namespaces</em>. This document describes the policies associated with Darwin Core namespaces and how term URIs are allocated by the <em>Darwin Core Task Group</em> [<a href="http://www.tdwg.org/activities/darwincore/">DWC-TASK</a>].</p>
<p>This document and the policies contained herein are modeled on the
<i>Dublin Core Metadata Initiative Namespace Policy</i> [<a href=
"http://dublincore.org/documents/2007/07/02/dcmi-namespace/">DCMINAMESPACEPOLICY</a>].
All terms in the Darwin Core must be identified with a unique Uniform
Resource Identifier (URI). For convenience, the term URIs are grouped into
collections known as <i>Darwin Core namespaces</i>. This document describes
the policies associated with Darwin Core namespaces and how term URIs are
allocated by the <i>Darwin Core Task Group</i> [<a href=
"http://www.tdwg.org/activities/darwincore/">DWC-TASK</a>]. <a id=
"namespaceuris" name="namespaceuris"></a></p>
<h2>Audience</h2>
<p>This document is targeted toward those who want to make changes to the Darwin Core, either by refining terms that already exist or by adding new terms to increase the capabilities of the standard.</p>
<h2>Namespace URIs</h2>
<p>The Darwin Core namespace URI for the collection of all Darwin Core properties, classes, and encoding schemes is:</p>
<pre class="example">http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/</pre>
<p>The term identifier for the current (recommended) version of a term is a URI based on the namespace and the term name without version information. Some example Darwin Core term identifiers follow:</p>
<pre class="example">http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/scientificName</pre>
<p>is the Darwin Core term identifier for the <em>scientificName</em> property, while</p>
<pre class="example">http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/MachineObservation</pre>
<p>is the Darwin Core term identifier for the <em>MachineObservation</em> class.</p>
<p>All Darwin Core identifiers will dereference to a Darwin Core term
declaration for the identified term.</p>
<h2>2. Namespace URIs</h2>
<h2>Term change policy</h2>
<p>Changes to Darwin Core recommendations or term declarations will occur from time to time for a variety of reasons. Changes have varying implications for the decision making process and for versioning Darwin Core documents and term URIs. The types of changes and appropriate processes are identified and explained in the following sections.</p>
<p><strong>Reporting issues</strong>: In all cases the proposed change should be reported to the <em>Technical Architecture Group</em> [<a href="mailto:tdwg-tag@lists.tdwg.org">TDWG-TAG</a>] and the outcome of the proposal should be announced on the <em>Darwin Core mailing list</em> [<a href="http://lists.tdwg.org/mailman/listinfo/tdwg-content">TDWG-CONTENT</a>].</p>
<p><strong>Decisions</strong>: In cases where an Executive decision is required,the <em>Technical Architecture Group</em> will conduct a minimum 30-day public comment period on the <em>Darwin Core mailing list</em> [<a href="http://lists.tdwg.org/mailman/listinfo/tdwg-content">TDWG-CONTENT</a>], during which the proposal can be refined based on discussion in an effort to reach consensus (no dissenting opinion expressed publicly on the mailing list for 30 days from the most recent iteration). If a consensus is reached, the proposal will be presented by the <em>Technical Architecture Group</em> to the Executive Committee for a decision [<a href="terms/decisions.html">DECISIONS</a>] within 30 days.</p>
<p><strong>Versions</strong>: In cases where a decision requires a version change, the attributes <em>Status</em> (recommended, superseded, or deprecated), <em>Date Issued</em>, <em>Date Modified</em>, <em>Decision</em>, <em>Version</em>, <em>Replaces</em>, and <em>Is Replaced By</em> will be modified in the affected terms as appropriate.</p>
<p>The Darwin Core namespace URI for the collection of all Darwin Core
properties, classes, and encoding schemes is:</p>
<pre class="example">
http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/
</pre>
<h3>Minor editorial errata</h3>
<p>An error in spelling, punctuation, grammar, or other clerical mistake
discovered in a Darwin Core recommendation or term declaration may be
corrected without a public comment period or Executive Decision. Minor
editorial changes of this type do not require a version change for the
affected term and/or documents.</p>
<p>The term identifier for the current (recommended) version of a term is a
URI based on the namespace and the term name without version information.
Some example Darwin Core term identifiers follow:</p>
<pre class="example">
http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/scientificName
</pre>
<h3>Substantive editorial errata</h3>
<p>A substantive error is one that compromises the usefulness or accuracy of systems based on Darwin Core. Those that are unequivocal (for example, an incorrect URI or reference) may be treated as minor editorial errata (Section 3.1).</p>
<p>Otherwise, the <em>Technical Architecture Group</em> will conduct a public comment period and seek an Executive decision to find a solution that minimizes adverse effects on existing applications. Changes of this nature require a version change for the affected term and/or documents.</p>
<p>is the Darwin Core term identifier for the <i>scientificName</i> property,
while</p>
<pre class="example">
http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/MachineObservation
</pre>
<h3>Semantic changes to Darwin Core terms</h3>
<p>Darwin Core terms may be changed based on public demand and consensus. A request to the <em>Technical Architecture Group</em> for a term change should consist of proposed values for the complete list of attributes given in the term definitions section of the <em>Darwin Core Terms Complete History</em> [<a href="terms/history.html">HISTORY</a>] along with a statement of justification for the change.</p>
<p>Term changes that are likely to have substantial functional impact on human understanding or machine processing will posted for public commentary and an Executive decision. Changes of this nature require a version change for the affected term and/or documents.</p>
<p>is the Darwin Core term identifier for the <i>MachineObservation</i>
class.</p>
<h3>Addition of Darwin Core terms</h3>
<p>New terms may be added to the Darwin Core namespaces based on public demand and consensus. A request to the <em>Technical Architecture Group</em> [<a href="mailto:tdwg-tag@lists.tdwg.org">TDWG-TAG</a>] for a new term should consist of proposed values for the complete list of attributes given in the term definitions section of the <em>Darwin Core Terms Complete History</em> [<a href="terms/history.html">HISTORY</a>] along with a statement of justification for the new term, including an explanation of why no existing term will suffice.</p>
<p>New term proposals will be posted for public commentary and an Executive decision. Changes of this nature require a version change for the affected term and/or documents.</p>
<p>All Darwin Core identifiers will dereference to a Darwin Core term
declaration for the identified term. <a id="classesofchanges" name=
"classesofchanges"></a></p>
<h2>3. Term Change Policy</h2>
<p>Changes to Darwin Core recommendations or term declarations will occur
from time to time for a variety of reasons. Changes have varying implications
for the decision making process and for versioning Darwin Core documents and
term URIs. The types of changes and appropriate processes are identified and
explained in the following sections.</p>
<p><b>Reporting issues</b>: In all cases the proposed change should be
reported to the <i>Technical Architecture Group</i> [<a href=
"mailto:tdwg-tag@lists.tdwg.org">TDWG-TAG</a>] and the outcome of the
proposal should be announced on the <i>Darwin Core mailing list</i> [<a href=
"http://lists.tdwg.org/mailman/listinfo/tdwg-content">TDWG-CONTENT</a>].</p>
<p><b>Decisions</b>: In cases where an Executive decision is required,the
<i>Technical Architecture Group</i> will conduct a minimum 30-day public
comment period on the <i>Darwin Core mailing list</i> [<a href=
"http://lists.tdwg.org/mailman/listinfo/tdwg-content">TDWG-CONTENT</a>],
during which the proposal can be refined based on discussion in an effort to
reach consensus (no dissenting opinion expressed publicly on the mailing list
for 30 days from the most recent iteration). If a consensus is reached, the
proposal will be presented by the <i>Technical Architecture Group</i> to the
Executive Committee for a decision [<a href=
"../history/decisions/index.htm">DECISIONS</a>] within 30 days.</p>
<p><b>Versions</b>: In cases where a decision requires a version change, the
attributes <i>Status</i> (recommended, superseded, or deprecated), <i>Date
Issued</i>, <i>Date Modified</i>, <i>Decision</i>, <i>Version</i>,
<i>Replaces</i>, and <i>Is Replaced By</i> will be modified in the affected
terms as appropriate.</p>
<h3>3.1. Minor editorial errata</h3>
<p>An error in spelling, punctuation, grammar, or other clerical mistake
discovered in a Darwin Core recommendation or term declaration may be
corrected without a public comment period or Executive Decision. Minor
editorial changes of this type do not require a version change for the
affected term and/or documents.</p>
<h3>3.2. Substantive editorial errata</h3>
<p>A substantive error is one that compromises the usefulness or accuracy of
systems based on Darwin Core. Those that are unequivocal (for example, an
incorrect URI or reference) may be treated as minor editorial errata (Section
3.1).</p>
<p>Otherwise, the <i>Technical Architecture Group</i> will conduct a public
comment period and seek an Executive decision to find a solution that
minimizes adverse effects on existing applications. Changes of this nature
require a version change for the affected term and/or documents.</p>
<h3>3.3. Semantic changes to Darwin Core terms</h3>
<p>Darwin Core terms may be changed based on public demand and consensus. A
request to the <i>Technical Architecture Group</i> for a term change should
consist of proposed values for the complete list of attributes given in the
term definitions section of the <i>Darwin Core Terms Complete History</i>
[<a href="../history/index.htm">HISTORY</a>] along with a statement of
justification for the change.</p>
<p>Term changes that are likely to have substantial functional impact on
human understanding or machine processing will posted for public commentary
and an Executive decision. Changes of this nature require a version change
for the affected term and/or documents.</p>
<h3>3.4. Addition of Darwin Core terms</h3>
<p>New terms may be added to the Darwin Core namespaces based on public
demand and consensus. A request to the <i>Technical Architecture Group</i>
[<a href="mailto:tdwg-tag@lists.tdwg.org">TDWG-TAG</a>] for a new term should
consist of proposed values for the complete list of attributes given in the
term definitions section of the <i>Darwin Core Terms Complete History</i>
[<a href="../history/index.htm">HISTORY</a>] along with a statement of
justification for the new term, including an explanation of why no existing
term will suffice.</p>
<p>New term proposals will be posted for public commentary and an Executive
decision. Changes of this nature require a version change for the affected
term and/or documents. <a id="persistence" name="persistence"></a></p>
<h2>4. Persistence Policy</h2>
<p>TDWG recognizes that people and applications depend on the persistence of
formal documents and machine processable schemas that have been made publicly
available. In particular, the stability of Darwin Core term URIs and Darwin
Core namespace URIs is critical to interoperability over time. Thus, the wide
promulgation of this set of URIs dictates that they be maintained to support
legacy applications that have adopted them.</p>
<h2>Persistence policy</h2>
<p>TDWG recognizes that people and applications depend on the persistence of formal documents and machine processable schemas that have been made publicly available. In particular, the stability of Darwin Core term URIs and Darwin Core namespace URIs is critical to interoperability over time. Thus, the wide promulgation of this set of URIs dictates that they be maintained to support legacy applications that have adopted them.</p>
</div>
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<div class="content">
<div class="container">
<h1>Introduction</h1>
<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p>The Darwin Core is body of standards. It includes a glossary of terms (in other contexts these might be called properties, elements, fields, columns, attributes, or concepts) intended to facilitate the sharing of information about biological diversity by providing reference definitions, examples, and commentaries. The Darwin Core is primarily based on taxa, their occurrence in nature as documented by observations, specimens, samples, and related information. Included are documents describing how these terms are managed, how the set of terms can be extended for new purposes, and how the terms can be used. The normative document for the terms [<a href="./rdf/dwctermshistory.rdf">RDF-NORMATIVE</a>] is written in the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and is the definitive resource to understand the term definitions and their relationships to each other. The <em>Simple Darwin Core</em> [<a href="./terms/simple/index.htm">SIMPLEDWC</a>] is a specification for one particular way to use the terms - to share data about taxa and their occurrences in a simply structured way - and is probably what is meant if someone suggests to "format your data according to the Darwin Core".</p>
<h2>Audience</h2>
<h2>Audience</h2>
<p>This document is an introduction to the Darwin Core standard and is meant to provide the background, reasons, and basic information about sharing (either as a publisher or user of) biodiversity information. Further details on specific aspects of the standard and its use can be found in the pages shown in the Table of Contents in the upper left of every page or in the <a href="references.html">References</a> section of this page.</p>
<h2>Motivation</h2>
<p>The Darwin Core standard was originally conceived to facilitate the discovery, retrieval, and integration of information about modern biological specimens, their spatiotemporal occurrence, and their supporting evidence housed in collections (physical or digital). The Darwin Core today is broader in scope and more versatile. It is meant to provide a stable standard reference for sharing information on biological diversity. As a glossary of terms, the Darwin Core is meant to provide stable semantic definitions with the goal of being maximally reusable in a variety of contexts.</p>
<h2>Rationale</h2>
<p>The Darwin Core is based on the standards developed by the <em>Dublin Core Metadata Initiative</em> [<a href="http://dublincore.org/">DCMI</a>] and can be viewed as an extension of the Dublin Core for biodiversity information. The purpose of these terms is to facilitate data sharing by providing a well-defined standard core vocabulary in a flexible framework to minimize the barriers to adoption and to maximize reusability. The terms described in this standard are a part of a larger set of vocabularies and technical specifications under development [<a href="http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/">TDWG-DEV</a>] and maintained by <em>Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG)</em> [<a href="http://www.tdwg.org/standards/">TDWG-STANDARDS</a>].</p>
<h2>Guiding principles</h2>
<p>Each term has a definition and commentaries that are meant to promote the consistent use of the terms across applications and disciplines. Evolving commentaries that discuss, refine, expand, or translate the definitions and examples are referred to through links in the <em>Comments</em> attribute of each term. This means of documentation allows the standard to adapt to new purposes without disrupting existing applications. There is meant to be a clear separation between the terms defined in this standard and the applications that make use of them. For example, though the data types and constraints are not provided in the term definitions, recommendations are made about how to restrict the values where appropriate.</p>
<h2>Content</h2>
<p>The standard consists of a vocabulary of terms (properties, elements, fields, concepts) [<a href="./terms/index.htm">TERMS</a>], the policy governing the maintenance of these terms [<a href="./terms/namespace/index.htm">NAMESPACEPOLICY</a>], the decisions that resulted in changes to terms [<a href="./terms/history/decisions/index.htm">DECISIONS</a>], the complete history of terms including detailed attributes [<a href="./terms/history/index.htm">HISTORY</a>], a <em>Generic Darwin Core XML schema</em> [<a href="./xsd/tdwg_dwcterms.xsd">TERMSXMLSCHEMA</a>] from which other schemas can be constructed, a <em>Simple Darwin Core XML schema</em> [<a href="./xsd/tdwg_dwc_simple.xsd">SIMPLEXMLSCHEMA</a>] as a complete schema ready for use, a schema to allow Darwin Core data transfer in text files [<a href="./text/tdwg_dwc_text.xsd">TEXTSCHEMA</a>], and associated reference schemas for the construction of more structured content. These pages also describe mappings between the current standard and pre-standard historical versions <a href="./terms/history/versions/index.htm">[VERSIONS]</a>, including mappings <a href="./terms/history/dwctoabcd/index.htm">[DWCTOABCD]</a> to concepts in the <em>Access to Biological Collections Data</em> standard <a href="http://www.tdwg.org/schemas/abcd/2.06">[ABCD]</a>.</p>
<h2>Extension</h2>
<h2>Extension</h2>
<p>Though the Darwin Core is insufficient for the needs of all biological disciplines, it can be adapted to serve new purposes. Darwin Core can be extended by adding new terms to share additional information. To do so you should be familiar with the recommendations and procedures defined in the <em>Darwin Core Namespace Policy</em> [<a href="./terms/namespace/index.htm">NAMESPACEPOLICY</a>]. Basically, before proposing a new term, consider the existing terms in this and other compatible standards to determine if the new concept can be accommodated by a simple revision of the description and comments for an existing term, without losing the existing meaning of that term.</p>
<h2>Participation</h2>
<p>To receive notification of activity or participate in discussions about Darwin Core, join the <em>tdwg-content</em> mailing list [<a href="http://lists.tdwg.org/mailman/listinfo/tdwg-content">TDWG-CONTENT</a>] and watch the <em>Darwin Core Project</em> [<a href= "https://github.com/tdwg/dwc">DWC-PROJECT</a>]. For discussion or commentary on the definition of recommended terms, consult the link inside the <em>Comment</em> section in the listing for the term in the <em>Quick Reference Guide</em> [<a href="./terms/index.htm">TERMS</a>] or search for the relevant content in the auxiliary <em>Darwin Core Documentation</em> [<a href= "http://terms.tdwg.org/wiki/Darwin_Core">DWC-WIKI</a>].</p>
<p>To make a formal request for a change to or addition of a term to the Darwin Core, read and follow the recommendations in the <em>Darwin Core Namespace Policy</em> [<a href="./terms/namespace/index.htm">NAMESPACEPOLICY</a>]. For those who wish to construct and submit as a standard any application profile, such as an XML schema, that extends the capabilities of the Darwin Core, adding new terms to the Darwin Core vocabulary that don't already exist in a compatible vocabulary will be a prerequisite. Consult the appropriate guideline, such as the <em>XML Guide</em> [<a href="./terms/guides/xml/index.htm">XMLGUIDE</a>], for information about the construction of a new application profile. The rules of submission of proposed standards can be found in the <em>Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG)</em> process document [<a href="http://www.tdwg.org/about-tdwg/process/">PROCESS</a>].</p>
</div>
</div>