TDWG Subgroup on Biological Collection Data

Standards, Information Models, and Data Dictionaries
for Biological Collections



** denotes page which has been (temporarily) unavailable, please let me know if you find new location. A + after the year of publication indicates a life on-line dataset.

Information models and data dictionaries

ADL (2000): ADL Gazetteer Content Standard. Alexandra Digital Library. http://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu/gazetteer/gaz_content_standard.html. [Relational database model by Qi Zheng]

ASC (1993): An information model for Biological Collections (Draft) [The ASC Model]. Report of the Biological Collections Data Standards Workshop, August 18-24, 1992. Association of Systematic Collections, Committee on Computerization and Networking. gopher://kaw.keil.ukans.edu:70/11/standards/asc [postscript, text, and Adobe Acrobat format].

ASC/CNC (1997): A Library of Information Models (Schemas) for Biological Collections. The Association of Systematic Collections Computerization and Networking Committee. http://gizmo.lbl.gov/DM_TOOLS/OPM/BCSL/BCSL.html

Berendsohn, W. G. (1994): IOPI World Vascular Plant Checklist. A CASE Model of Checklist System Data. [Draft version 6 in:] Wilson, K. (ed.): Global Plant Checklist project plan, version 1.2. International Organization for Plant Information (IOPI), Sidney. [Draft version 7.3 under] http://www.bgbm.org/IOPI/IOPIModel73/7301root.htm. [Latest version (excluding bibliography and geography) see Berendsohn (1997).]

Berendsohn, W. G. (1997): A taxonomic information model for botanical databases: the IOPI model. Taxon 46:283-309.

Berendsohn, W. G., Anagnostopoulos, A., Jakupovic, J., Nimis, P. L. & Valdés, B. 1996. A Framework for Biological Information Models. In: Valdés, B. & Silvestre, S. (ed.), Proceedings of the VIII OPTIMA meeting. Lagascalia 19:667-672. [Preprint HTML and WinWord 6 format:] http://www.bgbm.org/cdefd/objects/

Berendsohn, W. G., Anagnostopoulos, A., Hagedorn, G., Jakupovic, J., Nimis, P.L. & Valdés, B. (1996): The CDEFD Information Model for Biological Collections. [Draft in HTML and WinWord 6 format:] http://www.bgbm.org/CDEFD/CollectionModel/cdefd.htm   [See also Berendsohn & al. 1999]

Berendsohn, W. G., Greilhuber, J., Anagnostopoulos, A., Bedini, G., Jakupovic, J., Nimis, P.L. & Valdés, B. (1996): A comprehensive datamodel for karyological databases. Plant Syst. Evol. 205:85-98.

Berendsohn, W. G., Anagnostopoulos, A., Hagedorn, G., Jakupovic, J., Nimis, P. L., Valdés, B., Güntsch, A., Pankhurst, R. J. & White, R. J. (1999):  A comprehensive reference model for biological collections and surveys. Taxon 48: 511-562. [Reprint: ] http://www.bgbm.org/biodivinf/docs/CollectionModel/

Bisby, F. (1995): Plant Names in Botanical Databases. Plant Taxonomic Database Standards No. 3, International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases for Plant Sciences (TDWG). Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh. [TDWG Standard]

Blum, S. D. (1995): Draft Information Model for MVZ Collections Transactions. University of California at Berkeley, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. [In Adobe Acrobat format under ] gopher://muse.bio.cornell.edu:70/11/standards/mvz [See also next reference]

Blum, S. D. (1996): The MVZ Collections Information Model. Conceptual and Logical Models. University of California at Berkeley, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. [In Adobe Acrobat format under ] http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/mvz/cis/index.html [with an introduction by B. Stein.]

Copp, C. J. T. (1998):  The Recorder Project. Systems Analysis. Unpublished project report, JNCC, January 1998. [Pdf document under ] http://www.bgbm.org/biodivinf/docs/archive/Copp_C_1998_-_The_Recorder_Project.pdf.

Copp, C. J. T. (2000): The NBN data model and its implementation in Recorder 2000. Environmental Information Management, October 2000. [Pdf document under ] http://www.bgbm.org/biodivinf/docs/archive/Copp_C_2000_-_NBN_Data_Model.pdf.

Elankovan, S., Berendsohn, W. G. & Meyer, H. (1996): Person Teams in the CDEFD and IOPI Models: An Implementation. [HTML and WinWord 6 format:] http://www.bgbm.org/CDEFD/PersonTeams/Title.htm.

ERIN (1994): Standards and Core Attributes for Biological Data. [Core attributes for biological observations, Core attributes for site description]. Environmental Resources Information Network, Commonwealth of Australia *http://kaos.erin.gov.au:80/general/standards/biological_stds.html.

Farr, E. (unpublished): Proposed new consensus structure for types databases. Working document, International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases for Plant Sciences (TDWG), 1991.

Grant, A., Nieuwenhuis, J. & Petersen, T. (1995): International Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information Categories. International Committee for Documentation of the International Council of Museums, Paris. http://www.cidoc.icom.org/guide/guide.htm

Kaufmann, K. & Collins, L. (1999): A datamodel for the Panama Paleontology Project. http://www.fiu.edu/~collinsl/MODEXP.HTML [Model diagram:] http://www.fiu.edu/~collinsl/bestdatmod.gif [project site:] http://www.fiu.edu/~collinsl/

Meyer, H., Berendsohn, W. G. & Elankovan, S. (1996): Taxonomic Identification Within the CDEFD Information Model. [HTML and WinWord 6 format:] http://www.bgbm.org/cdefd/identifications/title.htm.

Missouri Botanical Garden (1996): Missouri Botanical Garden Research Data Model. Tropicos II ER Diagram. Copy of 1.33 MB gif file [originally downloaded from  http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/datamodel.html]

Morris, P.J., 1995. A data model for species level invertebrate paleontological data sets. [http://www.athro.com/mole/datamodel.html]

Morris, P.J., 2000. A data model for invertebrate paleontological collections information. pp. 105-108, 155-260 In: R.D. White and W.D. Allmon eds. Guidelines for the management and curation of Invertebrate Fossil Collections: including a data model and standards for computerization. Paleontological Society Special Publications Volume 10. [Not currently available online, formerly at: http://www.englib.cornell.edu/pri/ProBltn/Chapters/chapter9/colldm.html]

Reed, P. A. (1995): The CIDOC Relational Data Model. International Documentation Committee of the International Council of Museums (CIDOC). http://www.nrm.se/cidoc/model/relational.model/ [text, postscript, and PDF format]

Rousse, Guillaume (2001): The OSIS (Object Systematics Information System) Project.  http://lis.snv.jussieu.fr/~rousse/recherche/osis/ 

Smithsonian Institution (1994): Logical Data Model for Museum Collections Transaction Management. Collections and Research Information System (CRIS) Development Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. [GIF and text format:] gopher://nmnhgoph.si.edu:70/11/.compute/.cris/.logicaldm.

SPNHC (1994): Guidelines for the Care of Natural History Collections [endorsed by the SPNHC Council, May 15, 1994]. Part VI. Definitions [of general English terms in natural history collections]. Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/spnhc/spnhc1.html

Steedman, D. (1990): Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) - The Tutorial and Reference, Technology Appraisals, 1990. [Abstract:] *http://www.techapps.co.uk/asn1gloss.html [Berlin mirror of document].

Thompson, F. C. (1994): Bar Codes for Specimen Data Management [Standard adopted by the Entomological Collection Network for the use of Bar Codes]. Insect Collection News 9:2-4. Dept of Entomology, NMNH, Washington, DC. gopher://muse.bio.cornell.edu:70/00/standards/entomology/bar_code

Wilson, P. D. (1993): Missouri Botanical Garden Research Data Model. Release 4.0. Prepared for the Research and Steering Committee. Missouri Botanical Garden (unpublished). gopher://cissus.mobot.org:70/11/pub


Models of implemented systems (physical models)

Anonymous (1996): NAPRALERT [(NAtural PRoducts ALERT] STN Database Summary Sheet. http://info.cas.org/ONLINE/DBSS/napralertss.html.

Anonymous (1996): CASSIA [Collections and Specimen System for Information and Analysis]. New York Botanical Garden. http://www.nybg.org/bsci/cass/spec.html

Anonymous (1997): ITIS - Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Documentation Menu: ITIS Database - Physical Model.  http://www.itis.usda.gov/plantproj/itis/document.html

Anonymous (1999): Specify - Biodiversity and Biological Collection Management, Beta 2.0 Draft Users Guide. Appendix A: Table names, Appendix B: Field names. http://www.usobi.org/specify/Docs.html

Anonymous (2005): [Information model for the portions of the BioLink tables used in the IndoPacific Mollusc Project, along with the alterations made to these structures] http://data.acnatsci.org/obis/docs/druid/index.html http://data.acnatsci.org/obis/docs/toolkit_doc.html

Colwell, R. K. (1997): The Biota Data Model (Biota Manual, Appendix A). http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu/BiotaPages/DataModel.html

Johnson, N. F. & Musetti, L. (1997): The Pelecinus Project - Database Structure and Standards. [Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University.] http://iris.biosci.ohio-state.edu/projects/tpp/index.html

Minnigerode, M. D. (1998): Overview of Tracy, Datamodel. http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/input/overview.html#datamodel

MIP (1996): SMASCH [Specimen Management System for California Herbaria] Documentation. Museum Informatics Project (MIP), Information Systems and Technology, University of California, Berkeley. http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/www_apps/smasch/

New York Botanical Garden (1997): CASSIA [Collection And Specimen System for Information and Analysis], Introduction. http://www.nybg.org/bsci/cass/spec.html

Shattuck, S., Fitzsimmons, N. & Baird, D. (1999): Technical Development - the BioLink Datamodel. http://www.ento.csiro.au/biolink/development.html.

Tassone, R., Zilm, N. & Emery, R. (1999): Agriculture Western Australia, Invertebrate Reference Collection Database: Background and User's Guide. http://www.agric.wa.gov.au:7000/ento/icdb/icdb4.htm#structure [relational model diagram:] http://www.agric.wa.gov.au:7000/ento/_fpclass/icdb23.gif   [data dictionary available on request]

Theodor, J. & Lindberg, D. (1996): UCMP [University of California Museum of Paleontology] Data Model for paleontological collection. http://www.ucmp.Berkeley.Edu/museum/datamodel/datamodel.html


Data exchange standards

Allkin, B. & White, R. (1991): XDF. A language for the definition and exchange of biological data sets. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. [TDWG Standard]

Flora of Texas Consortium (1997):  Data Specification, Common data exchange format - Core Data. http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/ftc/ftcffld4.htm

Conn, B.J. (1996) (ed.): HISPID3. Herbarium Information Standards and Protocols for Interchange of Data.Version 3. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. [TDWG standard] [Electronic version under:] http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/HISCOM/default.htm. [Document in word format:] uncompressed, compressed with pkzip.

Conn, B.J. (1997):  BarCode Technology for Herbarium and Museum Biological Collections, Technical Report. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/HISCOM/barcode/barcode.html

Croft, J. R. (ed.) (1989): HISPID - Herbarium Information Standards and Protocols for Interchange of Data [version 1]. Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra. [Summary paper and data dictionary, dated 1992:] gopher://muse.bio.cornell.edu/00/standards/hispid/hispid91.std, [the same with some changes, in HTML format:] *http://www.anbg.gov.au/projects/hispid/hispid-contents.html. [Latest version see Conn (1996)]

IUCN/WWF (1987): The International Transfer Format (ITF) for Botanic Garden Plant Records. Plant Taxonomic Database Standards No. 1. Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh. [See Wyse Jackson (1997) for latest version.] [TDWG Standard]

McLaren, S.B., et al., 1996. Documentation standards for automatic data processing in Mammalogy. Version 2.0. 68pp. American Society of Mammologists. 68pp. http://www.mammalsociety.org/committees/comminformatics/docstandards.pdf

Whalen, A. (ed) (1993): HISPID - Herbarium Information Standards and Protocols for Interchange of Data [version 2]. National Herbarium of New South Wales, Sydney. [Latest version see Conn (1996)]

Wyse Jackson, D. (compiler) (1997): International Transfer Format for Botanic Garden Plant Records (version 2.00 draft 3.2.). Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Richmond. [proposed TDWG standard] [Electronic version, document in MS Word 6 format:] uncompressed, compressed with pkzip. [Check http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/BGCI/news.htm for updates.]


XML encoding of collection data

ABCD 2003: Content definition: the ABCD Schema. CODATA/TDWG Task Group on Access to Biological Collection Data. http://www.bgbm.org/TDWG/CODATA/Schema/default.htm 

Cuthbert, A., O'Rourke, B., Keighan, E., Margoulies, S., Sharma, J., Daisey, P., Lake, R. & Johnson, S. 2000: Geography Markup Language (GML) v. 1.0. Open GIS Consortium. http://www.opengis.org/techno/specs/00-029/GML.html 

Digital Imaging Group Inc. 2000: DIG35 Specification - Metadata for Digital Images - Version 1.0, August 30, 2000. http://members.digitalimaging.org/dls/dig35v1.0-Sept00.pdf 

Digital Imaging Group Inc. 2001: DIG35 Specification - Metadata for Digital Images - Version 1.1, working draft, April 16, 2001. http://www.digitalimaging.org/. Specification. DTD. XSD

Güntsch, A. 1999: ENHSIN [European Natural History Specimen Information Network) Pilot DTD. http://www.bgbm.org/BioDivInf/Projects/ENHSIN/PilotCollectionDTD.htm 

NBN 2000: The Document Type Definition for Recorder 2000 data exchange files. National Biodiversity Network, UK. http://www.nbn.org.uk/ 

University of Illinois [undated]: DTD for Butterfly. XML-enabled EcoWatch Butterflies of Illinois. http://www.canis.uiuc.edu/~webvibe/bflyxml/bfly.dtd.txt 

Vieglais, D. & Munro, D. 1999 [Oct]: DTD for ITIS records, Version: 0.1. http://habanero.nhm.ukans.edu/DTD/ITIS.dtd [Note: use the "view source" option of your browser to display]. 


Standard data

Arnett, R.H., Samuelson,  G.A. & Nishida, G.M. 1993: The Insect and Spider Collections of the World. 2nd edition. [See Samuelson & Evenhuis for updated version of Abbreviations for Insect and Spider Collections.] 

ASIH 1998+: ASIH Institutional Code Database. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Ocean Springs. [Codes for collections in herpetology and ichthyology. Full database as HTML-document:] http://lionfish.ims.usm.edu/~musweb/asih_codes.cgi.

Bridson, G. D. R. & Smith, E. R. 1991: Botanico-Periodicum-Huntianum/supplementum. Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh. 1068 pages. [TDWG standard,  abbreviations for titles of periodicals. To be used in conjunction with Lawrence 1968. see Bridson 2004 for updated version]

Bridson, G. D. R. 2004: BPH-2, Periodicals with botanical content. Botanico-Periodicum-Huntianum, second edition. Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh.

Brummitt, R. K. 2001: World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions. Plant Taxonomic Database Standards No. 2, Edition 2. International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases (TDWG). Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh. [TDWG Standard] [Electronic version available under http://www.tdwg.org/geo2.htm.]

Brummitt, R.K. & C.E. Powell 1992. Authors of plant names. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. [TDWG Standard] [Searchable database included in the IPNI database,  see http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/web.dbs/authors.html. and below under The Plant Names Project 1999+]

Bruner, J. C. 2005: Standard Institutional Codes for Herpetology and Ichthyology Collections. http://www.asih.org/codons.pdf

Cook, E. M. 1995: Economic Botany Data Collection Standard. Prepared for the International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases for Plant Sciences (TDWG). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [TDWG Standard]

Davis, G.M., 1974. Standards for Data Processing Malacological Collections. Council of Systematic Malacologists. [Privately circulated]. 94pp.

Di Gregorio, A. & Jansen, L. J. M. 1996: FAO Land Cover Classification: A Dichotomous, Modular-Hierarchical Approach. http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/SUSTDEV/EIdirect/EIre0019.htm

Hafner, M. S., Gannon, W. L., Salazar-Bravo, J. & Alvarez-Castañeda, S. T. 1997: Mammal collections in the western hemisphere, a survey and directory of existing collections. Appendix VII: Alphabetical index of collection acronyms. American Society of Mammalogists, Systematic Collections Committee. [A comprehensive list of collection acronyms, which may contribute to a general standardization of collection acronyms. In Word 6-Mac, Word 97 and PDF format under link to Systematik Collections in ] http://www.mammalsociety.org/committees/.

Heywood, C. A., Heywood, V. H. & Wyse Jackson, P. S. 1990: International Directory of Botanical Gardens. Koeltz, Koenigstein.

Hollis, S. & Brummitt, R. 1992: World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions. Plant Taxonomic Database Standards No. 2, International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases for Plant Sciences (TDWG). Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh. [TDWG Standard] [Electronic version available under http://www.bgbm.org/TDWG/geo/default.htm] [See edition 2 under Brummitt 2001.]

Holmgren, P. K., Holmgren, N. H. & Barnett, L. C. (1990): Index Herbariorum, Pt. 1: The Herbaria of the World (ed. 8). Regnum Vegetabile 120. [TDWG Standard for abbreviations of herbaria] [An updated version - not yet accepted as TDWG standard - is being made available under http://www.nybg.org/bsci/ih/ih.html]

ISO 1988. ISO 639. Codes for the representation of names of languages. Vienna. 

ISO (1994): Codes from ISO 3166. Updated by the RIPE Network Coordination Centre, in coordination with the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency at DIN Berlin. [Update for country codeshttp://www.chemie.fu-berlin.de/outerspace/mirror-packages/german/iso-3166.html

ISO 1997: Some Codes from ISO 3166. Updated by the RIPE Network Coordination Centre.Source: ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency. [Country codes and updates.]  http://nl.ijs.si/gnusl/cee/std/ISO_3166.html

ISO 1997. ISO 3166-1. Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions - Part 1: Country codes. Berlin.

ISO 1998. ISO 3166-2. Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions - Part 2: Country subdivision code. Berlin.

ISO 1998. ISO 639-2. Codes for the representation of names of languages - Part 2: Alpha-3 code. Vienna.

ISO 1999. ISO 3166-3. Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions - Part 3: Code for formerly used names of countries. Berlin.

ISO [2003]. ISO 639-2. Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages - Part 2: Alpha-3 Code. http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/normtext.html

IUCN (1994): IUCN Red List Categories. Prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission. As approved by the 40th meeting of the IUCN Council, Gland, Switzerland, 30 November 1994.

Lawrence et al. 1968. Botanico-periodicum-huntianum. Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh. [TDWG standard as to abbreviations for titles of periodicals. To be used in conjunction with Bridson et al. (1991).]

Nature Conservancy (1997): The National Vegetation Classification System: List of Types. http://consci.tnc.org/library/pubs/class/vol2/4list.pdf  

Samuelson, A. & Evenhuis, N. (1998+): Abbreviations for Insect and Spider Collections of the World. Bishop Museum, Honolulu. [Full document:] http://www.bishop.hawaii.org/bishop/ento/codens-inst.html. [Search engine: ] http://www.bishop.hawaii.org/bishop/ento/codensearch.html.

Stafleu, F. A. & Cowan, R. S. (1976-): Taxonomic literature, ed. 2 and its Supplements. Reg. Veg. 125 etc. [Key fields for this standard are currently being automated as a cooperative project between the Royal Botanic Garden-Edinburgh and the USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center.] [TDWG Standard for the abbreviation of book titles in taxonomic literature citations of plants.]

Takhtajan, A. (1986): Floristic Regions of the World. University of California Press. Bishen Singh, Dehra Dun. [Pp. vii-xiii accepted as standard phytogeographical regions by TDWG.]

The Plant Names Project 1999+. Author Query [Authors of plant names]. International Plant Names Index. http://www.ipni.org/ipni/query_author.html 

WCMC (1995): Plant Occurence and Status Scheme , a Standard for Recording the Relationship between a Plant and a Place. WCMC, Cambridge. [POSS version 2.0]. [TDWG Standard]  [Electronic version available under http://plants.usda.gov/npdc/poss_standard.html]


Nomenclatural codes

Francki, R.I.B., Fauquet, C.M., Knudson, D.L. & Brown, F. (1990): Classification and nomenclature of viruses. Archives of Virology Supplement 2: 1-445.

W. Greuter, J. McNeill, R. Barrie, H.-M. Burdet, V. Demoulin, T. S. Filguerias, D. H. Nicolson, P. C. Silva, J. E. Skog, P. Trehane, N. J. Turland, D. L. Hawksworth (editors & compilers) (2000): International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Saint Louis Code) adopted by the Sixteenth International Botanical Congress St. Louis, Missouri, July - August 1999. Regnum Vegetabile 138. Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein. 

[supersedes: Greuter, W., Barrie, F., Burdet, H.M., Chaloner, W.G., Demoulin,V., Hawksworth, D.L., Jorgensen, P.M., Nicolson, D.H., Silva, P.C., Trehane, P. & McNeill, J. (ed.) (1994): International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Tokyo Code). Regnum Vegetabile 131. Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein. [IAPT - International Association for Plant Taxonomy: http://www.bgbm.org/iapt/nomenclature/code/default.htm]

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ed.) (1999): International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Fourth Edition. - London: The International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature; 306 pp. 

Sneath, P. H. A. (Ed.) 1992. International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, 1980 Revision. Washington.

Trehane, P., Brickell, C.D., Baum, B.R., Hetterscheid, W.L.A., Leslie, A.C., McNeill, J., Spongberg, S.A. & Vrugtman, F. (1995): International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. [ICNCP or Cultivated Plant Code.] Quarterjack Publishing, Wimborne.


"Metadata" standards 

Check also Metadata standards directories by CESSE: http://www.ulb.ac.be/ceese/meta/meta.html 

Anonymous 1996: Dublin Core Metadata Element Set: Reference Description. OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. http://purl.org/metadata/dublin_core_elements

Crossley, D. 1996: ERIN Standards for Spatial Information. *http://www.erin.gov.au/gis/gis_standards.html

FGDC 1994: Content standards for digital spatial metadata (June 8 draft). Federal Geographic Data Committee. Washington, D.C.  http://geology.usgs.gov/tools/metadata/standard/metadata.html

FGDC 1997: FGDC-STD-005 Vegetation Classification and Information Standards. Federal Geographic Data Committee, Vegetation Subcommittee. Federal Geographic Data Committee Secretariat, Reston.[Standard vegetation classification system for use by U.S. Federal Agencies and their cooperators.] http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/documents/standards/vegetation/

FGDC 1998: FGDC-STD-001-1998. Content standard for digital geospatial metadata (revised June 1998). Federal Geographic Data Committee. Washington, D.C. http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/csdgm/

FGDC Biological Data Working Group and USGS Biological Resources Division 1999: Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata. Part 1: Biological Data Profile. Federal Geographic Data Committee, Washington D.C. http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/documents/standards/biodata/biodatap.html

MDA 2000: SPECTRUM: The UK Museum Documentation Standard. London, UK. [Available as book or CD only.]

Steedman, D. 1990: Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) - The Tutorial and Reference, Technology Appraisals, 1990. [Abstract:]
*http://www.techapps.co.uk/asn1gloss.html [Berlin mirror of document].


International gazetteers 

ADL 2000: Alexandria Digital Library Gazetteer Server. *http://fat-albert.alexandria.ucsb.edu:8827/gazetteer/

Anonymous 2000: Global Gazetteer. http://www.calle.com/world/ 

Barnett, N. 2003: Biolink - Gazetteer files. http://www.ento.csiro.au/biolink/gazfiles.html

GII 1998: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Name (TGN). Getty Information Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.. [Database query form:] http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/tgn/index.html  [See also http://www.open.gov.uk/mdocassn/info23h.htm#Proper for background information]

NIMA 2001: GEONet Names Server. National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) database of foreign geographic feature names.  Fairfax, Virginia. http://gnpswww.nima.mil/geonames/GNS/. Coverage: Worldwide excluding the United States and Antarctica. 

USGS 2001: Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Reston, Virginia, USA. http://geonames.usgs.gov/. Coverage: USA and Antarctica.

(Other geographical data links: )

ADL 2000: Alexandria Digital Library: Spatial data on the web . http://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu/other-sites/Universe.html

Anonymous 2000: DIFFUSE standards and specifications list, geographic data exchange standards. European Commission, Information Society Technologies Programme (IST). http://www.diffuse.org/gis.html 

Buehler, Kurt; McKee, Lance. Eds. 1998. Introduction to Interoperable Geoprocessing and the OpenGIS Specification. The OpenGIS ® Guide DRAFT ? June 3, 1998. Third Edition. Open GIS Consortium Technical Committee. http://www.opengis.org/techno/guide/guide980615/toc.htm [see also http://www.opengis.org/index.htm]

University of Arizona 2001. Place Name Servers on the Internet. http://www.asu.edu/lib/hayden/govdocs/maps/geogname.htm 

USGS 2001. Useful Geographic Names Links. http://geonames.usgs.gov/otherlinks.html 

University of Texas 2001: Maps on Other Web Sites. Austin, Texas, USA.  http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/map_sites/map_sites.html 

(Conversion of co-ordinates: )

PGSC 1999: Programmer’s Guide for Geographic Translator (GEOTRANS) Version 2. PAR Government Systems Corporation (PGSC), Rome, NY. http://www.remotesensing.org/docs/geotrans.php3

Date and time

Houston, G. 1993: ISO 8601:1988 Date/Time Representations. http://hydracen.com/dx/iso8601.htm and  http://www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/technical/software/SGML/doc/iso8601/ISO8601.html 

Kuhn, M. 1995-2001: A Summary of the International Standard Date and Time Notation. http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-time.html 


Check also gopher://kaw.keil.ukans.edu/  and http://www.diffuse.org/museums.html 


TDWG-Accessions subgroup homepage. This page last updated 10.06.05. Editor: W. Berendsohn, wgb@zedat.fu-berlin.de