Darwin Core Type Vocabulary

Title:	Darwin Core Type Vocabulary
Date Issued:	2009-02-12
Date Modified:	2011-10-26
Abstract:	The Darwin Core Type Vocabulary extends the DCMI Type Vocabulary and provides a list of approved values that may be used for the basisOfRecord term to identify the specific type of a resource. The terms documented here are also included in the more comprehensive document Darwin Core Terms: A complete history, see [HISTORY].
Contributors:	John Wieczorek (MVZ), Markus Döring (GBIF), Renato De Giovanni (CRIA), Tim Robertson (GBIF), Dave Vieglais (KUNHM)
Legal:	This document is governed by the standard legal, copyright, licensing provisions and disclaimers issued by the Taxonomic Databases Working Group.
Part of TDWG Standard:	http://www.tdwg.org/standards/450/
Creator:	Darwin Core Task Group
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/2011-10-26/terms/type-vocabulary/
Latest Version:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/type-vocabulary/
Replaces:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/2009-12-07/terms/type-vocabulary/
Document Status:	Current Standard

1. Introduction

Audience: This document is targeted toward those who need a reference (lists and definitions) to the essential information about the recommended values of the basisOfRecord Darwin Core term.

The Type Vocabulary is a recommended set of values to use for the basisOfRecord term to categorize Darwin Core resources. The Darwin Core Type Vocabulary extends and refines terms from the Dublin Core Type Vocabulary [DCMI-TYPE] to describe and categorize resources more specifically for biodiversity applications. The basisOfRecord should be populated with the value from the Darwin Core Type Vocabulary that best corresponds to the resource being shared.

2. Term Index

Vocabulary for basisOfRecord

3. Term Definitions

The table below contains the term information essential for most users. The complete documentation for each term can be found by following the link in the Details section of the term description. The link takes you to the appropriate entry in the Complete History [HISTORY] document. The definitions for the fields describing each term are:

Term Name:	The name by which the latest version of the term is commonly known.
Identifier:	The unique identifier for the latest version of the term.
Definition:	A description of the nature of the content of the term.
Comment:	Further commentary about the usage of the term, with examples and a reference to further information.
Type of Term:	The category (property, class, vocabulary encoding scheme) to which the term belongs.
Member Of:	The Class (DCMI or Darwin Core Type Vocabulary) of which this term is a member.
Version:	The identifier for the specific version of the term.
Refines:	The name of a term of which this term is a refined (more specialized) version.
Details:	A link to the complete information about the term, including access to its history.

Term Name: Occurrence
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/Occurrence
Definition:	A resource describing an instance of the Occurrence class.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	Occurrence-2011-10-16
Refines:
Details:	Occurrence
Term Name: Event
Identifier:	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Event
Definition:	A non-persistent, time-based occurrence. For Darwin Core, a resource describing an instance of the Event class.
Comment:	Metadata for an event provides descriptive information that is the basis for discovery of the purpose, location, duration, and responsible agents associated with an event. For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://purl.org/dc/terms/DCMIType
Version:	http://dublincore.org/usage/terms/history/#Event-003
Refines:
Details:	http://dublincore.org/usage/terms/history/#Event-003, Event
Term Name: Location
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/Location
Definition:	A resource describing an instance of the Location class.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	Location-2009-04-24
Refines:
Details:	Location
Term Name: Taxon
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/Taxon
Definition:	A resource describing an instance of the Taxon class.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	Taxon-2009-01-23
Refines:
Details:	Taxon
Term Name: PreservedSpecimen
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/PreservedSpecimen
Definition:	A resource describing a preserved specimen.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	PreservedSpecimen-2011-10-16
Refines:
Details:	PreservedSpecimen
Term Name: FossilSpecimen
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/FossilSpecimen
Definition:	A resource describing a fossilized specimen.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	FossilSpecimen-2011-10-16
Refines:
Details:	FossilSpecimen
Term Name: LivingSpecimen
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/LivingSpecimen
Definition:	A resource describing a living specimen.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	LivingSpecimen-2011-10-16
Refines:
Details:	LivingSpecimen
Term Name: HumanObservation
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/HumanObservation
Definition:	A resource describing an observation made by one or more people.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	HumanObservation-2011-10-16
Refines:
Details:	HumanObservation
Term Name: MachineObservation
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/MachineObservation
Definition:	A resource describing an observation made by a machine.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	MachineObservation-2011-10-16
Refines:
Details:	MachineObservation
Term Name: NomenclaturalChecklist
Identifier:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/dwctype/NomenclaturalChecklist
Definition:	A resource describing a nomenclatural checklist.
Comment:	For discussion see http://code.google.com/p/darwincore/wiki/DwCTypeVocabulary
Type of Term:	http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#Class
Member Of:	http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/DwCType
Version:	NomenclaturalChecklist-2009-01-23
Refines:
Details:	NomenclaturalChecklist

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