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Darwin Core terms
These pages provide a list of all of the current terms of the Darwin core. The terms are organized by categories (nodes) in the index. The categories correspond to Darwin Core terms that are classes (terms that have other terms to describe them). The terms that describe a given class (the class properties) appear within the list inside the node for the Class. The links provided by term names open to pages with further discussions about those terms.
Record level terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#dcindex
dcterms:language
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#language
As of 2012-04-11, the Dublin Core metadata Initiative recommends the use of a controlled vocabulary such as RFC 4646. For Darwin Core, the latest RFC for ISO 639-1 is the recommended version (RFC 5646 as of 2012-04-11).
Further documentation on the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) language codes can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IETF_language_tag.
A list of language codes can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_639-1_codes.
basisOfRecord
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#basisOfRecord
The basisOfRecord is meant to express the category of the source of information in a record. It is more specific than the dcterms:type term, which expresses the Dublin Core resource type (PhysicalObject, Event, StillImage, MovingImage, Sound, etc.) of a record. The values listed here are string literal versions of the formal Darwin Core Type Vocabulary (http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/index.htm) that can be represented by URIs, which should be used when appropriate, such as in RDF. For example, use
<dwc:basisOfRecord rdf:resource="http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/PreservedSpecimen"/>
rather than
<dwc:basisOfRecord>PreservedSpecimen</dwc:basisOfRecord>
(where xmlns:dwc="http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/").
The recommended basisOfRecord controlled vocabulary includes:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Occurrence | A resource describing an instance of the Occurrence class. |
| Event | A non-persistent, time-based occurrence. For Darwin Core, a resource describing an instance of the Event class. |
| Location | A resource describing an instance of the Location class. |
| Taxon | A resource describing an instance of the Taxon class. |
| PreservedSpecimen | A resource describing a preserved specimen. |
| FossilSpecimen | A resource describing a fossilized specimen. |
| LivingSpecimen | A resource describing a living specimen. |
| HumanObservation | A resource describing an observation made by one or more people. |
| MachineObservation | A resource describing an observation made by a machine. |
| MaterialSample | A resource describing a material sample. |
| NomenclaturalChecklist | A resource describing a nomenclatural checklist. |
See also the Type Vocabulary Terms page for further discussion and elaborated definitions of the Darwin Core Type Vocabulary terms.
dynamicProperties
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#dynamicProperties
JSON is a natural fit for the structured content of the dynamicProperties field. Following is an example of how one might encode standard mammal measurements using JSON:
{
"totalLengthInMM":"150",
"tailLengthInMM":"40",
"hindFootLengthInMM":"12",
"earLengthInMM":"5",
"weightInGrams":"120"
}
Occurrence terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#Occurrence
occurrenceID
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#occurrenceID
The occurrenceID is supposed to (globally and persistently) uniquely identify an object or act establishing an Occurrence, whether it is a specimen-based occurrence, a one-time observation of a species at a location, or one of many
occurrences of an individual who is being tracked, monitored, or
recaptured.
catalogNumber
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#catalogNumber
catalogNumber is an unfortunate name for this term because it suggests a
catalog, which suggests a specimen. The definition tries to ameliorate
the potential bias by saying that it is a number to identify an
occurrence record within a data set or collection. So, it could be a
specimen catalog number or it could be a unique identifier for a
record within an observation or animal movement data set.
recordedBy
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#recordedBy
For observations this is the equivalent of the observer or observers.
For specimens this is the equivalent of the name of a collector, or list of names of collectors. If there is more than one person (or any other collecting agent) associated with the specimen, the one whose recordNumber (see below) is recorded should appear first in the list. The names in the list should be separated by a character that unambiguously distinguishes them from each other, for example, a semi-colon ;.
recordNumber
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#recordNumber
For specimens this is the equivalent of a collector's number - the identifier given by the collector to a specimen or sample in the field and which is likely to have been written in associated field notes. The same idea applies to original numbers applied to any observation or sample in the field, though the terminology in a given discipline might be distinct. The recordNumber isn't the same as the catalogNumber, which is usually only applied once the specimen gets accessioned into a collection.
individualID
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#individualID
individualID is meant for any records that need to identify
individuals for whom there may be more than one record. Banded birds,
marine mammal photos allowing individual identification, individual
trees resampled overtime, periodic biopsies on the same individuals,
etc. could all use this term to group the records corresponding to
individuals.
sex
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#sex
The recommended controlled vocabulary includes:
unknowable
undetermined
female
male
hermaphrodite
gynandromorph
lifeStage
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#lifeStage
The recommended controlled vocabulary includes:
zygote
embryo
larva
juvenile
adult
sporophyte
spore
gametophyte
gamete
pupa
establishmentMeans
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#establishmentMeans
The recommended controlled vocabulary includes:
native
introduced
naturalised
invasive
managed
uncertain
occurrenceStatus
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#occurrenceStatus
The recommended controlled vocabulary includes:
| Value | Usage |
|---|---|
| present1 | There is at least one well documented record of the taxon's presence in the area. |
| absent1 | There is evidence to document the absence of a taxon in the area. |
| common | The taxon has been observed frequently in the area. |
| irregular | The presence of the taxon varies episodically in the area. |
| rare | The taxon has been observed infrequently in the area. |
| doubtful | The taxon is presumed present in the area, but there is doubt over the evidence, including taxonomic or geographic imprecision in the records. |
associatedSequences
A semicolon delimited list of sequence identifiers with an optional prefix to indicate their origin. If the prefix is omitted it should be a well known identifier format from one of the INSDC databases (International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration), see http://www.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/sub/acc_def-e.html
Examples would be:
AB425960;AB425963;DQ286547
For other sequence identifiers a prefix indicating the source or a full URL is desirable. The individual INSDC sequence read archives should be prefixed with the following:
- SRA: NCBI Sequence Read Archive
- DRA: DDBJ Sequence Read Archive
- ERA: EMBL Sequence Read Archive
MaterialSample terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#MaterialSample
materialSampleID
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#materialSampleID
The materialSampleID is supposed to (globally) uniquely identify a material sample, not a particular digital artefact of a material sample.
Event terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#Event
eventDate
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#eventDate
The eventDate term can be used to capture specific dates at various levels of resolution as well as periods of time with distinct beginnings and endings. It is for this reason that the legacy beginning and ending dates were not retained from previous versions of Darwin Core. Note that eventDate cannot be used to capture information about events on geological time scales. To do so, use the terms in the [GeologicalContext](<https://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/GeologicalContext) class.
Further explanation of the International Standards Organization standard ISO 8601 can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601, but here are some examples:
| date | ISO 8601 date |
|---|---|
| year only | 2010 |
| year and month | 2010-01 |
| year, month, and day | 2010-01-17 |
| year, month, day, and UTC time | 2010-01-17T09:26Z |
| year, month, day, and local time | 2010-01-17T09:33:59-0300 |
| interval between years | 2009/2010 |
| interval between months | 2009-02/2010-01 |
| interval between months | 2009-02/10 |
| interval between days | 2009-02-12/2009-10-08 |
| interval between times on one day | 2010-01-17T12:26Z/12:52:17Z |
| interval between times on different days | 1963-03-08T14:07-0600/1971-08-03T06:00-0000 |
It is not possible to render a month without a year, or a day without a month and year, or other vague or partial dates and times such as spring 2010. Dates such as these should be captured in the verbatimEventDate.
eventTime
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#eventTime
Further explanation of the International Standards Organization standard ISO 8601 can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601.
habitat
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#habitat
The Environment Ontology (ENVO, http://environmentontology.org/) provides a granular way of referring to the environment in which an organism lives than is currently possible with the Darwin Core habitat term alone. In addition to habitat (http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00002036), ENVO provides three broad classifications for environment - biome, feature, and material. For example, in describing the environment inhabited by a particular individual bird, we would describe the material as air (http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00002005), the feature as flood meadow (http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00000154), and the biome as flooded grassland biome (http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_01000195). Microbial communities may be more significantly affected by their environmental material than a bird, as the microbe more directly interacts on this scale. The advantage of integrating Darwin Core with ENVO is that it provides a mechanism for integrating environmental descriptions for a broad range of species. Further, ENVO provides distinct URIs that can be used to denote the exact material, feature, or biome in question, making the content more semantically precise. Thus, it is recommended that the value of the Darwin Core habitat property be selected from the ENVO habitat class. For publishing using Darwin Core Archives, the ENVO label for the term should be used, e.g., brackish water habitat while, if publishing the data in RDF, the URI http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00000570 should be used. It is also recommended that Darwin Core include three new properties (environmental material, environmental feature, and biome), the recommended vocabulary for which should be from the equivalent ENVO classes.
GeologicalContext terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#GeologicalContext
Location terms
*Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#Location
Geographic terms
A good reference for place names is the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN), which can be found at http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/tgn/.
Administrative boundary files can be obtained from the Global Administrative Areas (GADM) data set at http://biogeo.berkeley.edu/gadm/.
MARC records for geographic names, including URIs, can be found at http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/geographicAreas.html.
GBIF maintains a list of named area standards and how to use them as a dwc:locationID at http://rs.gbif.org/areas/
locationID
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#locationID
A locationID should identify the specific locality.
It can be used to refer to known named areas from external vocabularies such as the TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions. GBIF maintains a list of named area standards and how to use them as a dwc:locationID: http://rs.gbif.org/areas/
higherGeography
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#higherGeography
The term higherGeography is meant to allow the capture of information about geographic features that are not in the standard admnistrative terms (continent, country, countryCode, stateProvince, county, municipality, waterBody, islandGroup, island) as well as the verbatim original data for those same terms. A common use of higherGeography, therefore, is to share information about a protected area, where that information reside in a field in the original data rather than in the locality field.
Example: South America; Argentina; Patagonia; Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi; Neuquén; Los Lagos with accompanying values South America in continent, Argentina in country, Neuquén in stateProvince, and Los Lagos in county.
continent
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#continent
Standard continents and their codes can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_continent_(data_file).
countryCode
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#countryCode
The official list of ISO 3166-1-alpha-2 country codes can be found at http://www.iso.org/iso/english_country_names_and_code_elements.
stateProvince
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#stateProvince
The name of this term is not meant to limit its content to the names of states or provinces. The term name is a legacy from the original version of the Darwin Core. Despite the term's name, the content has always been intended to include the name of a first-level administrative subdivision of a country.
county
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#county
The name of this term is not meant to limit its content to the names of counties. The term name is a legacy from the original version of the Darwin Core. Despite the term's name, the content has always been intended to include the name of a second-level administrative subdivision of a country.
municipality
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#municipality
The name of this term is not meant to limit its content to names of municipalities. Instead, it is intended to include the name of a third-level administrative subdivision of a country.
Verbatim coordinate terms
The terms beginning with verbatim are meant to capture the original record of the coordinates of the Location. verbatimCoordinates is meant to capture coordinates that have not or cannot be separated into the verbatimLatitude and verbatimLongitude. If the coordinates can be separated, they should be, since there is less chance to misinterpret the content. The verbatimCoordinateSystem and the verbatimSRS both refer to the values in verbatimLatitude and verbatimLongitude, or to the value in verbatimCoordinates.
verbatimLatitude, verbatimLongitude
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#verbatimLatitude
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#verbatimLongitude
These terms are meant to capture the original coordinates for the Location in their original format. If possible, these coordinates should also be translated into the combination of decimalLatitude, decimalLongitude, geodeticDatum, and coordinateUncertaintyInMeters, but only if you really know what you are doing - coordinate transformations can be challenging. Use these two verbatim fields to capture coordinates in systems such as UTM, providing the spatial reference system for them in the verbatimSRS. If the original spatial information is an area (for example, a grid cell or a protected area polygon), use the footprintWKT and the footprintSRS to capture the complete area information.
verbatimCoordinateSystem
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#verbatimCoordinateSystem
The verbatimCoordinateSystem term is meant to help with the interpretation of the values given in verbatimLatitude and verbatimLongitude, or verbatimCoordinates.
The recommended controlled vocabulary includes:
decimal degrees
degrees decimal minutes
degrees minutes seconds
UTM
CRTM
UTM refers to Universal Transverse Mercator. CRTM refers to Costa Rica Transverse Mercator.
For verbatim coordinates given in degrees, or degrees and minutes, use degrees minutes seconds.
verbatimSRS
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#verbatimSRS
This term refers only to the values given in verbatimLatitude and verbatimLongitude, or verbatimCoordinates, but the recommended best practice is the same as for geodeticDatum, below.
Georeference terms
Further detailed explanations of the terms associated with georeferences (spatial descriptions of place using points, circles, lines, polygons, etc.) can be found in the Guide to Best Practices for Georeferencing http://www.gbif.org/prog/digit/Georeferencing.
decimalLatitude, decimalLongitude
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#decimalLatitude
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#decimalLongitude
decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude are always in decimal degrees. The Spatial Reference System for these coordinates must be given in the geodeticDatum term. Other types of original coordinates, such as UTM, should be given in one or both of the following combinations:
verbatimLatitude, verbatimLongitude, verbatimSRS
or
footprintWKT, footprintSRS
geodeticDatum
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#geodeticDatum
Ideally one should use a standard European Petroleum Survey Group (EPSG) code to a Spatial Reference System as a value for this term. The recommended controlled vocabulary is to use a value consisting of the string EPSG: followed by a valid EPSG code corresponding to the spatial reference system used for the geographic coordinates in the terms decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude.
A good resource for determining the EPSG code from the Datum name can be found at http://spatialreference.org/.
Some common EPSG codes and the Datums they use can be found in the following table:
| EPSG code | Datum |
|---|---|
| EPSG:4326 | WGS84 |
| EPSG:4269 | NAD83 |
| EPSG:4267 | NAD27 |
If you don't know the details of the SRS, then it is permissible to provide the name or code of the geodetic datum for the decimalLatitude and decimalLongitude coordinates. Sometimes this information is not on the original source (such as a map), while an ellipsoid name is given. In this case, provide the name of the ellipsoid. If the spatial reference system, datum, or ellipsoid are not known, use the value unknown for this term.
A good reference for datum and ellipsoid names is http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/datum/edlist.html
georeferenceProtocol
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#georeferenceProtocol
It is recommended to give a citation (publication or URL) to the resource describing the methods used to determine the georeference (coordinates AND uncertainty, or footprint). Good resources on methods include:
- Chapman, A.D. and J. Wieczorek (eds). 2006. Guide to Best Practices for Georeferencing. Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessible from http://www.gbif.org/orc/?doc_id=1288
- MaNIS/HerpNet/ORNIS Georeferencing Guidelines.(HTML) Accessible from http://manisnet.org/GeorefGuide.html
- Georeferencing Quick Reference Guide. (PDF) Accessible from http://manisnet.org/GeoreferencingQuickReferenceGuide.pdf
georeferenceVerificationStatus
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#georeferenceVerificationStatus
The recommended controlled vocabulary includes:
unverified
verified by data custodian
verified by contributor
The data contributor is the agent who participated in the Event that produced the Location. Verification by the contributor means that the georeference as recorded is correct and as specific as it can be based on the contributor's personal knowledge of the event and location.
The data custodian is the agent responsible for the management of the primary source of the record. Verification by the data custodian means that the georeference as recorded is correct and as specific as it can be based on the all of the resources at the disposal of the agent (field notes, maps, labels) in the absence of verification by the contributor.
All other georeferences, those produced without consulting all existing primary sources, should be unverified.
footprintSRS
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#footprintSRS
The specification for constructing Spatial Reference Systems in WKT can be found at http://geoapi.sourceforge.net/2.0/javadoc/org/opengis/referencing/doc-files/WKT.html. Following are some example WKT renditions of common Spatial Reference Systems:
WGS84:
GEOGCS["GCS_WGS_1984",DATUM["D_WGS_1984",SPHEROID["WGS_1984",6378137,298.257223563]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0],UNIT["Degree",0.0174532925199433]]
NAD27:
GEOGCS["NAD27",DATUM["NORTH_AMERICAN_DATUM_1927",SPHEROID["CLARKE 1866",6378206.4,294.9786982138982]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0],UNIT["Degree",0.01745329251994283]]
Identification terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#Identification
dateIdentified
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#dateIdentified
Further explanation of the International Standards Organization standard ISO 8601 can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601.
typeStatus
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#typeStatus
The recommended controlled vocabulary for the status portion of the content of the typeStatus term includes:
holotype
paratype
neotype
syntype
lectotype
paralectotype
hapantotype
Taxon Terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#Taxon
higherClassification
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#higherClassification
The typical use for this term is to capture the rank-ordered list of names in a classification for a given scientificName. Thus, if scientificName with the rank species is given, then the higherClassification would normally contain the list of names in the classification from kingdom to genus, inclusive.
Example:
scientificName: Ctenomys sociabilis (rank: species)
higherClassification:
Animalia;Chordata;Vertebrata;Mammalia;Theria;Eutheria;Rodentia;Hystricognatha;Hystricognathi;Ctenomyidae;Ctenomyini;Ctenomys
infraspecificEpithet
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#infraspecificEpithet
The infraspecificEpithet should only be the terminal name part - the part of the name with the lowest or most specific rank. Thus, given the scientificName Carex viridula subsp. brachyrrhyncha var. elatior, the atomized Taxon terms for this name would be:
genus: Carex
specificEpithet: viridula
infraspecificEpithet: elatior
taxonRank: varietas
scientificNameAuthorship: (Schltdl.) Crins
Ideally the scientific name would include the authorship and have three parts to comply with the nomenclatural code (ICBN in this case):
Carex viridula var. elatior (Schltdl.) Crins
nameAccordingToID, nameAccordingTo
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#nameAccordingToID
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#nameAccordingTo
If no nameAccordingTo or nameAccordingToID is given explicitly given for a Taxon record, the "nominal concept" as defined by TCS should be assumed. In most cases, the nameAccordingTo will refer to a publication, but it may also refer to other sources, such as single-copy documents and other documented taxon concept definitions asserted by an individual, institution, or team of individuals.
nomenclaturalCode
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#nomenclaturalCode
The GBIF recommended controlled value vocabulary can be found at http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/nomenclatural_code.xml and include the following:
| Value | Comment |
|---|---|
| BioCode | |
| ICBN | International Code of Botanical Nomenclature |
| ICNB | International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria |
| ICNCP | International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants |
| ICZN | International Code of Zoological Nomenclature |
| ICVCN | International Code of Virus Classifications and Nomenclature |
Combinations of codes for ambiregnal names should be made by concatenating the codes, separated by a semi-colon (;). Example: ICZN; ICBN
See also the discussion at http://vocabularies.gbif.org/vocabularies/nomeclaturalCode.
originalNameUsageID, originalNameUsage
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#originalNameUsageID
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#originalNameUsage
- For an original name usage record, the
nameAccordingTovalue should match thenamePublishedInvalue. - A description of basionym and basonym can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basionym.
- Good examples for synonyms, basionyms, replaced names, etc. can be found in http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/PROTEM/TAXSIG/taxonomy_synonyms_examples.pdf.
scientificName
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#scientificName
In an Occurrence record, the scientificName (and associated taxon fields) should be populated at the source based on the identification (determination) currently accepted by the institution maintaining the original record (usually, but not necessarily, the latest determination).
taxonomicStatus
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#taxonomicStatus
The GBIF recommended controlled value vocabulary can be found at http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/taxonomic_status.xml and includes the following:
| Value | Comment |
|---|---|
| accepted | botanical |
| valid | zoological |
| synonym | unknown if homo- or heterotypic |
| homotypic synonym | objective |
| heterotypic synonym | subjective |
| proParteSynonym | s ome series members assigned to new type |
| misapplied |
See also the discussion at http://vocabularies.gbif.org/vocabularies/taxonomic_status.
taxonRank
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#taxonRank
The GBIF recommended controlled value vocabulary can be found at http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/rank.xml and includes the following:
| English | Latin |
|---|---|
| kingdom | regnum |
| subkingdom | subregnum |
| division or phylum | divisio or phylum |
| subdivision or subphylum | subdivisio or subphylum |
| class | classis |
| subclass | subclassis |
| order | ordo |
| suborder | subordo |
| family | familia |
| subfamily | subfamilia |
| tribe | tribus |
| subtribe | subtribus |
| genus | genus |
| subgenus | subgenus |
| section | sectio |
| subsection | subsectio |
| series | series |
| subseries | subseries |
| species | species |
| subspecies | subspecies |
| variety | varietas |
| subvariety | subvarietas |
| form | forma |
| subform | subforma |
See also the discussion at http://vocabularies.gbif.org/vocabularies/taxonomic_status.
ResourceRelationship terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#ResourceRelationship
relationshipEstablishedDate
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#relationshipEstablishedDate
Further explanation of the International Standards Organization standard ISO 8601 can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601.
MeasurementOrFact terms
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#MeasurementOrFact
measurementUnit
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#measurementUnit
An explanation of the International System of Units can be found at http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/.
measurementDeterminedDate
Quick reference: http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/index.htm#measurementDeterminedDate
Further explanation of the International Standards Organization standard ISO 8601 can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601.
Type vocabulary terms
The Type Vocabulary used in Darwin Core consists of two parts, vocabulary to describe the record in terms consistent with the Dublin Core Type vocabulary (using the dcterms:type term) and vocabulary to describe the specific biodiversity-related content for a record (using the basisOfRecord term).
dcterms:type
The list of valid values for the dcterms:type include:
PhysicalObject
StillImage
MovingImage
Sound
Event
dcterms designates the namespace for the Dublin Core terms, which is http://purl.org/dc/terms.
basisOfRecord
The list of valid values for the basisOfRecord include:
Occurrence
MaterialSample
Event
Location
Taxon
PreservedSpecimen
FossilSpecimen
LivingSpecimen
HumanObservation
MachineObservation
NomenclaturalChecklist
``
#### PreservedSpecimen
**Quick reference**: <http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/index.htm#PreservedSpecimen>
There is (or was at one time) a preserved physical part of the organism (however small) that could be re-evaluated. The organism is preserved (dead) but was living within historic times.
#### MaterialSample
**Quick reference**: <http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/index.htm#MaterialSample>
There is (or was at one time) physical material collected using a sampling or subsampling method.
#### FossilSpecimen
**Quick reference**: <http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/index.htm#FossilSpecimen>
There is (or was at one time) a preserved physical part of the organism that could be re-evaluated. The organism was living within prehistoric times.
#### LivingSpecimen
**Quick reference**: <http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/index.htm#LivingSpecimen>
There is a specimen available. The specimen was living (growing/metabolizing, not a dormant part of a PreservedSpecimen), at least when the resource was created.
#### HumanObservation
**Quick reference**: <http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/index.htm#HumanObservation>
The occurrence was documented without collected physical or digital evidence that could be re-evaluated.
#### MachineObservation
**Quick reference**: <http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/index.htm#MachineObservation>
The occurrence was documented with machine-recorded evidence that could be re-evaluated, such as photographs (camera-trap or hand-held camera), video, or sound recordings.
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Use only
presentorabsentas the possible values foroccurrenceStatusof particular Events. It should be considered critical to include this term with the valueabsentfor Occurrence records that document that a particular Taxon was not present during an event. Other values of the vocabulary are permissible for taxon distribution records. ↩︎