Public review of new conceptual model and Data Package Guide for Darwin Core

Public review of new conceptual model and Data Package Guide for Darwin Core

After an extensive period of community feedback and testing, the Darwin Core Maintenance Group has approved moving the proposal for a conceptual model and Data Package guide forward to a period of public comment. The public comment period will begin on Wednesday, 17 September 2025 and will extend until at least 16 December (90 days).

This public review is longer than normal since this coordinated set of additions and changes to the Darwin Core standard is more complex than typical change proposals. The procedures for handling such complex proposals, known as vocabulary enhancements, are described in the TDWG Vocabulary Maintenance Specification. In deciding to move the proposal forward, the Maintenance Group considered the working group’s Implementation Experience Report to assess the necessity and effectiveness of the proposed changes relative to needs expressed by members of the community who chose to participate in the initial development and testing of use cases.

A link to this report, along with summary descriptions of and links to details of the three major parts of the proposal, are included in a review landing page at https://gbif.github.io/dwc-dp/. The landing page also explains how you can participate in the review. All members of the community are encouraged to participate. We would particularly welcome feedback from those with technical expertise and interest in developing applications based on the Conceptual Model and Data Package guide, included in the proposal.

If you have any questions about the review, please contact Steve Baskauf.

Steve Baskauf
Convener, on behalf of the Darwin Core Maintenance Group