Darwin Core

Note: we are migrating the Darwin Core standard from Google Code to this repository on GitHub, which is not yet ready for production use. Go to http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/ for the latest stable release.

Introduction

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.