VegCore data dictionary

VegCore is a vegetation exchange schema which combines 350+ terms and 29 tables from existing exchange schemas

Examples

Example specimen data

See ACAD.Specimen.csv1, which contains well-formed Darwin Core data.

1 The dataset is from ACAD, a Canadensys herbarium, so it's public domain.

Notes

  • Copying a term name gives you a permalink to that term, which can be pasted into an HTML-formatted e-mail
  • In the data dictionary, terms are placed in the table they are most applicable to.
    In a VegCore export, they can also be placed in any other table they apply to, according to how the data is normalized.
  • A leading ? indicates an ambiguous term
  • Some links contain a URL fragment (the part after the #) which indicates a section within the linked resource. Mouse over the link to view this fragment.

See also: Editing guide | Sources

Downloads

Vocabulary | Thesaurus

Tables

Occurrence
Source
Method
Project
Event
Coordinates
Placename
Geovalidation
Location
LocationObservation
SoilObservation
Subplot
SubplotObservation
GeologicalContext
Community
Taxon
TaxonConcept
TaxonOccurrence
TaxonDetermination
TaxonObservation
AggregateObservation
Individual
IndividualObservation
Stem
StemObservation
Specimen
Voucher
Measurement
ResourceRelationship

Occurrence from DwC (fields)

An observation of any entity, biological or otherwise

Synonym: Observation_VegCore alternative of ?Observation

Named like: Observation_VegBank

occurrenceID from DwC

"A globally unique identifier for the specimen or observation, formed by combining the [...] unique identifier of the collection with the locally unique identifier of the specimen. For specimens, construct as follows: "urn:catalog:[institutionCode]:[collectionCode]:[catalogNumber]". If a properly formed occurrenceID is provided by the data provider, use it. For plots, construct as follows: "urn:observation:[datasource]:[dataset]:[catalogNumber]. Replace any spaces in dataset name with hyphens." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

Synonym: globalUniqueIdentifier_DwC from DwC alternative of ?globalUniqueIdentifier

datasetRecordID from Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms

"Unique ID (database primary key) for the specimen or observation in the dataset, if provided." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

Related: dataset, Record

datasourceRecordID from Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms

"Unique ID (primary key) within datasource database. Will be same as datasetRecordID if dataset and datasource are the same." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

Synonym: ID from Canadensys | TEAM#Id | U#ID

Synonym: globalUniqueIdentifier_SpeciesLink from SpeciesLink#dwc_dwcore_GlobalUniqueIdentifier alternative of ?globalUniqueIdentifier

Related: datasource, Record

?globalUniqueIdentifier AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: globalUniqueIdentifier_DwC

Alternative: globalUniqueIdentifier_SpeciesLink

occurrenceRemarks from DwC

recordNumber from DwC

Synonym: collectorNumber from DwC

Synonym: fieldNumber_DwC_classic from DwC alternative of ?fieldNumber

recordedBy from DwC

"A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups, or organizations responsible for recording the original Occurrence. The primary collector or observer, especially one who applies a personal identifier (recordNumber), should be listed first." (DwC)

Synonym: collector from DwC

Components:

recordedBy_givenName from VegX

"The given name" (VegX)

recordedBy_middleName from VegBank

The "middle name or initial" (VegBank)

recordedBy_surName from VegX

"The last name" (VegX)

associatedMedia from DwC

associatedReferences from DwC

associatedOccurrences from DwC

associatedSequences from DwC

Source

a "reference[...] cited within the database" (VegBank)

Synonym: Reference from VegBank

Synonym: Record from DwC

datasource from Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms

"Internal BIEN string. Uniquely identifies the person [or] institution that provided the data to BIEN (the proximate data provider). This could be an aggregator (such as GBIF or SALVIAS) or an original source (a herbarium such as ARIZ)." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

Synonym: datasourceName from BIEN2

Related: institutionCode

type

Synonym: dcterms_type from DwC

referenceType from VegBank

Values: herbarium, primary database, aggregator, ...

Synonym: aggregatorOrPrimary from BIEN2

Components:

isHerbarium from BIEN2

modified

"I think is this merely an internal timestamp indicated when record last modified, not necessarily when determination (taxon name) last modified" (Brad Boyle)

Synonym: dcterms_modified from DwC

Synonym: dateLastModified from DwC

language

Synonym: dcterms_language from DwC

rights

Synonym: dcterms_rights from DwC

rightsHolder

Synonym: dcterms_rightsHolder from DwC

accessRights

Synonym: dcterms_accessRights from DwC

bibliographicCitation

Synonym: dcterms_bibliographicCitation from DwC

references

A list of datasources through which the record passed, starting with the original provider (where the record was created) and ending with the top-level provider (where the record was obtained)

Synonym: dcterms_references from DwC

institutionID from DwC

collectionID from DwC

datasetID from DwC

institutionCode from DwC

"Identifies the institution where a specimen is held. For herbaria, this will be the acronym of the herbarium. In general, use the verbatim value provided by the data provider, unless this is incorrect. For an aggregator such as GBIF, this column will contain many values corresponding to different data providers. For a primary source (e.g., New York Botanical Garden), all values should be the same (e.g., "NY"). Some herbaria incorrectly list the acronym that sent them the specimen if it was an exchange or trade. This is incorrect. Only the acronym of the herbarium providing the data should be listed here, regardless of whether they collected the specimen themselves or received it as a duplicate from another herbarium." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

collectionCode from DwC

"Identifies the collection within the institution where a specimen is held. This is not an important field for herbaria because the herbarium acronym (institutionCode) is already globally unique. Herbaria typically use a word describing the type of collection, such as "herbarium", although I have also seen the acronym repeated here. Needed for animal collections where institutionCode is the name of a university and collectionCode distinguishes one of several collections (e.g., institutionCode="University of Colorado", collectionCode="Mammals"). In general, use whatever the data provider provides, unless badly formed." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

datasetName from DwC

"Internal BIEN string. Uniquely identifies a dataset belonging to a designated primary data owner, either a person or an institution. For a specimen record provided to BIEN by an aggregator, datasource<>(dataset=institutionCode). For a specimen record provided to BIEN by the herbarium which holds that specimen, datasource= dataset =institutionCode. For a plot provided by the data owner, datasource= dataset <>(institutionCode=NULL). For a plot provided by an aggregator, datasource<> dataset <>(institutionCode=NULL)." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

Synonym: dataset from Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms

ownerInstitutionCode from DwC

The institution which owns the specimen replicate

basisOfRecord from DwC

informationWithheld from DwC

dataGeneralizations from DwC

dynamicProperties from DwC

Method from VegX

"A specific method definition followed in the creation of the dataset. Each method links to a protocol and literature citation reference. A protocol may have many method or steps." (VegX)

Synonym: SamplingProtocol from DwC

Related: VegBank:stratumMethod, VegBank:coverMethod

samplingProtocolID

samplingProtocol from DwC

Synonym: method

Named like: Method

Synonym: methodology

Named like: plotMethodology

Synonym: plotMethodology from SALVIAS

samplingEffort from DwC

observationGranularity

Values: plot, specimen

Synonym: observationType_BIEN2 from BIEN2 alternative of ?observationType

observationMeasure from Brad Boyle's method attribute examples spreadsheet

Values: count, cover, presence, points-intercepted, distance-intercepted

Synonym: observationType_SALVIAS from SALVIAS alternative of ?observationType

?observationType AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: observationType_SALVIAS

Alternative: observationType_BIEN2

Project from VegX | VegBank

A "project established to collect vegetation plot data. Each plot originates as part of a project." (VegBank)

projectID from VegX

"A reference to a specific 'project'" (VegX)

projectName

"Title of the project" (VegX)

Synonym: projectTitle from VegX

Named like: plotName

projectStartDate

"Project start date" (VegBank)

Related: VegBank:startDate, VegX:obsStartDate

projectEndDate

"Project stop date" (VegBank)

Related: VegBank:stopDate, VegX:obsEndDate

Event from DwC (fields)

"an action that occurs at a place and during a period of time" (DwC)

eventID from DwC

Synonym: censusID from CTFS

eventDate from DwC

"The date-time or interval during which an Event occurred" (DwC)

startDate

"The start date" (VegX) of the "interval during which an Event occurred" (DwC)

Synonym: obsStartDate from VegX

Related: eventDate

endDate

"The end date" (VegX) of the "interval during which an Event occurred" (DwC)

Synonym: obsEndDate from VegX

Related: eventDate

eventTime from DwC

Synonym: timeOfDay from DwC

startDayOfYear from DwC

Synonym: julianDay from DwC

endDayOfYear from DwC

year from DwC

month from DwC

day from DwC

verbatimEventDate from DwC

habitat from DwC

authorEventCode

"the code or name that the author uses to identify [the] event" (VegBank)

Synonym: authorObsCode from VegBank

Synonym: plotCensusNumber from CTFS

Synonym: fieldNumber_DwC_terms from DwC alternative of ?fieldNumber

?fieldNumber AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: fieldNumber_DwC_classic

Alternative: fieldNumber_DwC_terms

eventRemarks from DwC

"the text of notes taken in the field about the Event" (DwC)

Synonym: fieldNotes_DwC_terms from DwC alternative of ?fieldNotes

Coordinates from CTFS

A numerically-defined point

decimalLatitude from DwC

Synonym: latitude from DwC

acceptedDecimalLatitude

Related: decimalLatitude, acceptedNameUsage

decimalLongitude from DwC

Synonym: longitude from DwC

acceptedDecimalLongitude

Related: decimalLongitude, acceptedNameUsage

coordinateSource

Where the coordinates came from

Values: source data, GPS, georeferencing

Synonym: coordinateSource_bien from e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-1-24

realLatitude from VegBank

Replace with: PRIVATE

realLongitude from VegBank

Replace with: PRIVATE

longitude_DMS

Related: DwC:longitude

latitude_DMS

Related: DwC:latitude

verbatimCoordinates from DwC

verbatimLatitude from DwC

verbatimLongitude from DwC

verbatimCoordinateSystem from DwC

verbatimSRS from DwC

geodeticDatum from DwC

coordinateUncertaintyInMeters from DwC

coordinatePrecision_deg

Related: coordinatePrecision

pointRadiusSpatialFit from DwC

footprintWKT from DwC

Synonym: boundingBox from DwC

Synonym: shapeOfSite from CTFS

footprintSRS from DwC

footprintSpatialFit from DwC

Placename

A named region

Synonym: NamedPlace from VegBank

higherGeographyID from DwC

higherGeography from DwC

continent from DwC

Synonym: continentOcean from DwC

waterBody from DwC

islandGroup from DwC

island from DwC

country from DwC

Synonym: countryName from CTFS

acceptedCountry

Related: country, acceptedNameUsage

countryCode from DwC

stateProvince from DwC

Synonym: state from NCU-NCSC#State | REMIB#state | UNCC#state

acceptedStateProvince

Related: stateProvince, acceptedNameUsage

county from DwC

acceptedCounty

Related: county, acceptedNameUsage

municipality from DwC

locality from DwC

Synonym: locationNarrative from VegX

Synonym: descriptionOfSite from CTFS

verbatimLocality from DwC

Geovalidation

The accuracy and source of the Coordinates, taking into account the Placename

Synonym: Geoscrub from BIEN2

Named like: geovalid

geovalid

Synonym: isGeovalid from BIEN2

latLongDomainValid

Whether the coordinates are in the range of valid decimal values

Synonym: isValidLatLong from BIEN2

latLongDomainInvalid

Whether the coordinates are not in the range of valid decimal values

Synonym: isBadLatLong from BIEN2

Named like: isValidLatLong

latLongInCountry

Synonym: isInCountry from BIEN2

Named like: isValidLatLong, country

?distanceToCountry Requires units

Synonym: ?distErrCountry from BIEN2

Named like: country

Unit alternative: distanceToCountry_m

Unit alternative: distanceToCountry_km

latLongInStateProvince

Synonym: isInStateProvince from BIEN2

Named like: isValidLatLong, stateProvince

?distanceToStateProvince Requires units

Synonym: ?distErrStateProvince from BIEN2

Named like: stateProvince

Unit alternative: distanceToStateProvince_m

Unit alternative: distanceToStateProvince_km

latLongInCounty

Synonym: isInCountyParish from BIEN2

Named like: isValidLatLong, county

isNewWorld from BIEN2

Synonym: isNewWorld_bien from e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-1-24

georeferencedBy from DwC

georeferencedDate from DwC

georeferenceProtocol from DwC

Synonym: georeferenceProtocol_bien from e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-1-24

georeferenceSources from DwC

georeferenceVerificationStatus from DwC

georeferenceRemarks from DwC

Location from DwC (fields)

"A spatial region" (DwC) or point

Synonym: Plot from VegX | VegBank

Synonym: PlotLocation from Madidi

locationID from DwC

Synonym: plotID from VegX

Synonym: plotUniqueIdentifierID from VegX

locationName

"Name or label for a plot" (VegX)

Synonym: plotName from VegX

Synonym: authorPlotCode from VegBank

Synonym: locationNumber

Named like: recordNumber

parentLocationID

Related: locationID, VegBank:PARENT_ID

parentPlotName

"Name or label" (VegX) for "the parent plot when plot is nested within another plot" (VegBank)

Related: VegX:plotName, VegBank:PARENT_ID

locationAccordingTo from DwC

LocationObservation

A sampling of a Location

Synonym: PlotObservation_VegX from VegX alternative of ?PlotObservation

Synonym: Observation_VegBank from VegBank alternative of ?Observation

Synonym: PlotInventory from Madidi

Related: Location, VegBank:plot

locationRemarks from DwC

Synonym: plotNotes

Synonym: plotNote from VegX

Synonym: notes_Madidi from Madidi#Notes alternative of ?notes

?elevation Requires units from DwC | CTFS

Unit alternative: elevationInMeters

Unit alternative: verbatimElevation from DwC

Value must include units

Unit alternative: verbatimElevation_m

Components:

?minimumElevation Requires units from DwC

Unit alternative: minimumElevationInMeters from DwC

Unit alternative: minimumElevation_verbatim

Value must include units

?maximumElevation Requires units from DwC

Unit alternative: maximumElevationInMeters from DwC

Unit alternative: maximumElevation_verbatim

Value must include units

?depth Requires units

Unit alternative: verbatimDepth from DwC

Components:

?minimumDepth Requires units from DwC

Unit alternative: minimumDepthInMeters from DwC

Unit alternative: minimumDepth_verbatim

Value must include units

?maximumDepth Requires units from DwC

Unit alternative: maximumDepthInMeters from DwC

Unit alternative: maximumDepth_verbatim

Value must include units

distanceAboveSurfaceInMeters

Components:

minimumDistanceAboveSurfaceInMeters from DwC

maximumDistanceAboveSurfaceInMeters from DwC

?plotArea Requires units

"Total area of the plot" (VegX)

Synonym: ?area from VegX

Unit alternative: plotArea_m2

Unit alternative: plotArea_ha from SALVIAS

slopeAspect from VegX

"Representative azimuth of slope gradient (0-360 degrees) or as a cardinal direction (e.g. N, S, NE)" (VegX)

minSlopeAspect from VegBank

maxSlopeAspect from VegBank

slopeGradient from VegX

"Representative inclination of slope in degrees" (VegX)

minSlopeGradient from VegBank

maxSlopeGradient from VegBank

landform from VegX

"A recognizable physical feature on the surface of the earth, often including consideration of the natural cause of its formation" (VegX)

?temperature Requires units from VegX

"Temperature during observation" (VegX)
"Mean annual temperature" (SALVIAS)

Unit alternative: temperature_C

Synonym: temp_C from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: temperature_F

?precipitation Requires units

Unit alternative: precipitation_m

Unit alternative: precipitation_mm

Synonym: precip_mm from SALVIAS

?Observation AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: Observation_VegCore

Alternative: Observation_VegBank

SoilObservation

A sampling of a Location's soil

Synonym: AbioticObservation from VegX

Synonym: SoilObs from VegBank

?phosphorus Requires units from VegX

"Phosphorus of soil" (VegX)

Unit alternative: phosphorus_fraction

Unit alternative: phosphorus_percent

?potassium Requires units

"Pottasium of soil" (VegX)

Synonym: pottasium from VegX

Unit alternative: potassium_fraction

Unit alternative: potassium_percent

?magnesium Requires units from VegX

"Magnesium of soil" (VegX)

Unit alternative: magnesium_fraction

Unit alternative: magnesium_percent

?nitrogen Requires units from VegX

"Nitrogen of soil" (VegX)

Unit alternative: nitrogen_fraction

Unit alternative: nitrogen_percent

?carbon Requires units

Synonym: ?soilC from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: carbon_fraction

Unit alternative: carbon_percent

?calcium Requires units

Synonym: ?soilCa from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: calcium_fraction

Unit alternative: calcium_percent

?sodium Requires units

Synonym: ?soilNa from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: sodium_fraction

Unit alternative: sodium_percent

?acidity Requires units

Synonym: ?soilAcidity from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: acidity_fraction

Unit alternative: acidity_percent

?organic Requires units

Synonym: ?soilOrganic from VegBank

Unit alternative: organic_fraction

Unit alternative: organic_percent

texture

Synonym: soilTexture from VegBank

?sand Requires units

Synonym: ?soilSand from VegBank

Unit alternative: sand_fraction

Unit alternative: sand_percent

?silt Requires units

Synonym: ?soilSilt from VegBank

Unit alternative: silt_fraction

Unit alternative: silt_percent

?clay Requires units

Synonym: ?soilClay from VegBank

Unit alternative: clay_fraction

Unit alternative: clay_percent

ph from VegX

"The pH of the soil" (VegX)

?cationExchangeCapacity Requires units from Wikipedia

Synonym: ?exchangeCapacity from VegBank

Synonym: ?soilCationCap from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: cationExchangeCapacity_cmol_kg from Wikipedia

Unit alternative: cationExchangeCapacity_meq_100g from Wikipedia

?baseSaturation Requires units from VegBank

Unit alternative: baseSaturation_fraction

Unit alternative: baseSaturation_percent

conductivity

Synonym: soilConductivity from SALVIAS

Subplot

"subplot, line, or any other subsample or subdivision of plot" (SALVIAS)

Related: SALVIAS:subplot

subplotID

Synonym: quadratID from CTFS

Related: locationID, SALVIAS:subplot

subplot from SALVIAS

Synonym: quadratName from CTFS

subplotX

"The X-coordinate of the related items position in meters. The user will enter the relative position of related item with respect to the plot origin (in meters) with the x-axis defined by the plot azimuth." (VegX)

Synonym: plotRelativeX from VegX

Named like: SALVIAS:subplot

Synonym: startX from CTFS

subplotY

"The Y-coordinate of the related items position in metres. The user will enter the relative position of related item with respect to the plot origin (in meters) with the y-axis defined by the plot azimuth." (VegX)

Synonym: plotRelativeY from VegX

Named like: SALVIAS:subplot

Synonym: startY from CTFS

SubplotObservation

A sampling of a Subplot

Related: Subplot, LocationObservation

GeologicalContext from DwC (fields)

"information pertaining to a location within a geological context, such as stratigraphy" (DwC)

geologicalContextID from DwC

earliestEonOrLowestEonothem from DwC

latestEonOrHighestEonothem from DwC

earliestEraOrLowestErathem from DwC

latestEraOrHighestErathem from DwC

earliestPeriodOrLowestSystem from DwC

latestPeriodOrHighestSystem from DwC

earliestEpochOrLowestSeries from DwC

latestEpochOrHighestSeries from DwC

earliestAgeOrLowestStage from DwC

latestAgeOrHighestStage from DwC

lowestBiostratigraphicZone from DwC

highestBiostratigraphicZone from DwC

lithostratigraphicTerms from DwC

group from DwC

formation from DwC

member from DwC

bed from DwC

Community

communityID

"A community type is an abstract grouping of organisms that tend to co-occur on the landscape due to shared ecological requirements or preferences. May be designated by syntaxon or physiognomic types." (VegX)

Related: VegX:communityConcept, occurrenceID

communityName

"A textual label for a community type" (VegX)

Synonym: communityConceptName from VegX

Taxon from Wikipedia | DwC (fields)

"a group of one (or more) populations of organism(s), which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit" (Wikipedia)

Synonym: TaxonName from VegX

Synonym: PlantName from VegBank

taxonID from DwC

parentTaxonID

Related: taxonID, VegBank:plantParent_ID

scientificNameID from DwC

acceptedScientificNameID analogous to scientificNameID

parentScientificNameID

Related: scientificNameID, VegBank:plantParent_ID

acceptedNameUsageID from DwC

parentNameUsageID from DwC

originalNameUsageID from DwC

namePublishedInID from DwC

scientificName from DwC

Taxonomic name with author

Compare to: taxonName

taxonName

Taxonomic name without author

Compare to: scientificName

Named like: Taxon

acceptedTaxonName analogous to scientificName

originalTaxonName analogous to scientificName

taxonNameOrEpithet

Related: higherClassification, taxonName

Named like: specificEpithet

verbatimTaxonName analogous to scientificName

acceptedScientificName analogous to scientificName

originalScientificName analogous to scientificName

verbatimScientificName analogous to scientificName

taxonNameWithMorphospecies

Related: taxonName, morphospecies

morphoname from SALVIAS

The name assigned in the field (the original TaxonDetermination), which is unique within the plot

speciesBinomial from Wikipedia

genus+specificEpithet

Synonym: species_VegBank from VegBank alternative of ?species

acceptedNameUsage from DwC

parentNameUsage from DwC

originalNameUsage from DwC

namePublishedIn from DwC

namePublishedInYear from DwC

higherClassification from DwC

higherPlantGroup from BIEN2

Synonym: higherPlantGroup_bien from e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-1-24

Related: higherClassification

kingdom from DwC

acceptedKingdom analogous to kingdom

originalKingdom analogous to kingdom

phylum from DwC

acceptedPhylum analogous to phylum

originalPhylum analogous to phylum

class from DwC

acceptedClass analogous to class

originalClass analogous to class

order from DwC

acceptedOrder analogous to order

originalOrder analogous to order

family from DwC

acceptedFamily analogous to family

originalFamily analogous to family

genus from DwC

acceptedGenus analogous to genus

originalGenus analogous to genus

subgenus from DwC

specificEpithet from DwC

Synonym: species_DwC from DwC alternative of ?species

Synonym: speciesName from CTFS

?species AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: species_DwC

Alternative: species_VegBank

acceptedSpecificEpithet analogous to specificEpithet

originalSpecificEpithet analogous to specificEpithet

morphospecies from SALVIAS

infraspecificEpithet from DwC

acceptedInfraspecificEpithet analogous to infraspecificEpithet

originalInfraspecificEpithet analogous to infraspecificEpithet

forma from Wikipedia

Synonym: fm from TCS

acceptedForma analogous to fm

originalForma analogous to fm

variety from Wikipedia

Synonym: var from TCS

acceptedVariety analogous to var

originalVariety analogous to var

cultivar

Synonym: cv from TCS

Notes: "The epithet is usually output in single quotes and may contain multiple words, see ICBN §28" (TCS)

acceptedCultivar analogous to cv

Notes: "The epithet is usually output in single quotes and may contain multiple words, see ICBN §28" (TCS)

originalCultivar analogous to cv

Notes: "The epithet is usually output in single quotes and may contain multiple words, see ICBN §28" (TCS)

subspecies from Wikipedia

Synonym: ssp from TCS

Synonym: subspeciesName from CTFS

acceptedSubspecies analogous to ssp

originalSubspecies analogous to ssp

taxonRank from DwC

acceptedTaxonRank analogous to taxonRank

originalTaxonRank analogous to taxonRank

verbatimTaxonRank from DwC

scientificNameAuthorship from DwC

Synonym: scientificNameAuthor from DwC

acceptedScientificNameAuthorship analogous to scientificNameAuthorship

originalScientificNameAuthorship analogous to scientificNameAuthorship

vernacularName from DwC

nomenclaturalCode from DwC

taxonomicStatus from DwC

taxonIsCanonical

Synonym: taxonIsAccepted from DwC (enum value)

Named like: Taxon

nomenclaturalStatus from DwC

taxonRemarks from DwC

threatened from IUCN

TaxonConcept from VegX

A Taxon described by a specific Reference

Synonym: PlantConcept from VegBank

Related: taxonConceptID

taxonConceptID from DwC

parentTaxonConceptID

Related: taxonConceptID, VegBank:plantParent_ID

nameAccordingTo from DwC

"Information about the authorship of this concept which uses the Name in their sense (i.e. secundum, sensu)" (TCS)

Synonym: accordingTo from TCS

nameAccordingToID from DwC

TaxonOccurrence

Any entity on which TaxonDeterminations can be made

"A taxon name string occurring within the dataset. This is a usage concept defined by the dataset author which may follow, or be according to, an additional third party. It may be further related to a published name (taxon name, tcs:TaxonName) and or taxonomic name (taxon concept, tcs:TaxonConcept) in taxonDetermination." (VegX)

Requirements: Should be at the finest level of granularity possible, i.e. each specimen, plant, size class, etc. gets its own TaxonOccurrence

Synonym: TaxonNameUsageConcept from VegX

Named like: DwC:Occurrence

authorTaxonCode

Synonym: authorPlantName from VegBank

Related: recordNumber, VegBank:authorPlotCode, VegBank:stemCode, Taxon

taxonOccurrencePkey

Related: taxonOccurrenceID

taxonOccurrenceID

Synonym: taxonNameUsageConceptID from VegX

Related: VegBank:taxonObservation

dateCollected

Related: DwC:EarliestDateCollected-2007-04-17 (dwcore)

Synonym: collectedDate from BIEN2

yearCollected from DwC

monthCollected from DwC

dayCollected from DwC

growthForm

Synonym: habit from SALVIAS

Related: VegBank:growthform1Type, habitClassIncluded

oldGrowth from BIEN2

TaxonDetermination from VegX

An assertion that a TaxonOccurrence is a particular Taxon

Synonym: Identification from DwC (fields)

Synonym: TaxonInterpretation from VegBank

identificationID from DwC

identificationType

Synonym: interpretationType from VegBank

Named like: Identification

identifiedBy from DwC

dateIdentified from DwC

Synonym: identifiedDate from BIEN2

yearIdentified from DwC

monthIdentified from DwC

dayIdentified from DwC

identificationReferences from DwC

identificationVerificationStatus from DwC

identificationRemarks from DwC

identificationQualifier from DwC

Synonym: taxonFit from VegBank

Synonym: cf_aff from SALVIAS

Synonym: annotations from TNRS

acceptedIdentificationQualifier

Related: identificationQualifier, acceptedNameUsage

originalIdentificationQualifier

Related: identificationQualifier, originalNameUsage

matchedTaxonFit_fraction

Synonym: overallScore from TNRS

Related: taxonFit, TNRS:Name_matched

matchedFamilyFit_fraction

Synonym: familyScore from TNRS

Related: taxonFit, TNRS:Family_matched

matchedGenusFit_fraction

Synonym: genusScore from TNRS

Related: taxonFit, TNRS:Genus_matched

matchedSpeciesFit_fraction

Synonym: specificEpithetScore from TNRS

Related: taxonFit, TNRS:Specific_epithet_matched

Named like: DwC:Species

typeStatus from DwC

"Indicates whether this specimen served as type for taxon name" (Brad Boyle)

previousIdentifications from DwC

associatedTaxa from DwC

TaxonObservation

An observation of just a Taxon's presence

Synonym: SpeciesInventory from VegBank | CTFS

taxonObservationID from VegBank

Synonym: speciesInvID from CTFS

occurrenceStatus from DwC

AggregateObservation

"An observation applying to all occurrences of an organism based on an aggregation factor" (VegX)

"the importance (i.e. cover, basal area, biomass) of [a] taxon observed on a plot" (VegBank)

Synonym: AggregateOrganismObservation from VegX

Synonym: AggregateOccurrence from meeting on 2012-1-11

Synonym: TaxonImportance from VegBank

Related: VegBank:stemCount, IndividualObservation

aggregateOrganismObservationID from VegX

Synonym: aggregateOccurrenceID

individualCount from DwC

coverPercent from VegX

"Average cover of the index in percent" (VegX)

?intercept Requires units

Unit alternative: intercept_m

Unit alternative: intercept_cm from SALVIAS

individualCount_1cm_or_more

Synonym: abund1cm from BIEN2

Related: individualCount

individualCount_2_5cm_or_more

Synonym: abund2_5cm from BIEN2

Related: individualCount

individualCount_10cm_or_more

Synonym: abund10cm from BIEN2

Related: individualCount

Individual

A distinct biological organism

Synonym: IndividualOrganism from VegX

Synonym: Organism

Synonym: Tree from CTFS

Related: IndividualObservation

individualID from DwC

tag

Synonym: identificationLabel from VegX

Synonym: tag2 from SALVIAS

IndividualObservation

An observation of an Individual

Synonym: IndividualOrganismObservation from VegX

Synonym: OrganismObservation

Synonym: PlotObservation_SALVIAS from SALVIAS | Madidi alternative of ?PlotObservation

Related: Individual

individualObservationID

The unique identifier for the observation of an individual

Requirements: Must be unique within the datasource

Synonym: individualOrganismObservationID from VegX

Related: individualID

Suggestions: Usually set to a database primary key

individualCode from SALVIAS

Synonym: authorPlantCode

Named like: authorPlotCode, PlantConcept

organismX_m

"The X-coordinate of the related item position in m. The user will enter the relative position of related item with respect to the plot origin (in meters) with the x-axis defined by the plot azimuth." (VegX)

Synonym: individualOrganismObservationRelativeX from VegX

organismY_m

"The Y-coordinate of the relatedSpatialItem position in m. The user will enter the relative position of relatedSpatialItems with respect to the plot origin (in meters) with the y-axis defined by the plot azimuth." (VegX)

Synonym: individualOrganismObservationRelativeY from VegX

censusNumber

Synonym: censusNo from SALVIAS

stemCount from VegBank

sex from DwC

lifeStage from DwC

reproductiveCondition from DwC

Synonym: phenology from SALVIAS:soilAcidity

behavior from DwC

establishmentMeans from DwC

cultivated from DwC (picklist value)

Synonym: cultivated_bien from e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-1-24

cultivatedBasis

Related: cultivated

Synonym: cultivatedBasis_bien from e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-1-24

canopyForm

Synonym: stemCanopyForm from SALVIAS

canopyPosition

Synonym: stemCanopyPosition from SALVIAS

lianaInfestation

Synonym: stemLianaInfestation from SALVIAS

organismNotes

Synonym: fieldNotes_DwC_curatorial from DwC alternative of ?fieldNotes

Synonym: remarks from DwC

Synonym: notes_SALVIAS from SALVIAS alternative of ?notes

?fieldNotes AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: fieldNotes_DwC_curatorial

Alternative: fieldNotes_DwC_terms

?notes AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: notes_SALVIAS

Alternative: notes_Madidi

?PlotObservation AMBIGUOUS

Alternative: PlotObservation_VegX

Alternative: PlotObservation_SALVIAS

Stem from CTFS

An "individual tree stem" (VegBank)

Synonym: StemLocation from VegBank

Related: StemObservation, Individual

stemID from SALVIAS

stemTag

Synonym: stemTag2 from SALVIAS

StemObservation

An observation of a Stem

Related: Stem, IndividualObservation

authorStemCode

"Name or code applied to a specific stem in the plot. This is generally a numeric label to associate a field data entry with a stem in the database." (VegBank)

Synonym: stemCode from VegBank

Named like: VegBank:authorPlotCode

?height Requires units from VegX

"The measured height of the stem" (VegBank)

Synonym: ?stemHeight from VegBank

Unit alternative: height_m

Unit alternative: height_ft

?heightFirstBranch Requires units

Unit alternative: heightFirstBranch_m

Synonym: htFirstBranch_m from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: heightFirstBranch_ft

?diameterBreastHeight Requires units

Synonym: ?stemDbh from SALVIAS

Synonym: ?DBH from CTFS

Unit alternative: diameterBreastHeight_m

Unit alternative: diameterBreastHeight_cm

Unit alternative: diameterBreastHeight_in

?diameterBreastHeightGentry Requires units

Synonym: ?gentryDbh from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: diameterBreastHeightGentry_m

Unit alternative: diameterBreastHeightGentry_cm

Unit alternative: diameterBreastHeightGentry_in

?basalDiameter Requires units

Synonym: ?basalDiam from SALVIAS

Unit alternative: basalDiameter_m

Unit alternative: basalDiameter_cm

Unit alternative: basalDiameter_in

stemNotes from SALVIAS

Specimen from Wikipedia | CTFS

A "part of a plant" (Wikipedia) collected from it

Related: Occurrence

barcode from Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms | NCU | U

"a bar code, machine-generated and glued or stamped to the specimen and recorded in the database" (e-mail from Brad Boyle on 2013-1-31)
"IF a herbarium provides a field labelled "barCode" (or similar) that value goes here, otherwise NULL. Should be locally unique within the dataset (it may also be unique within the datasource if datasource=dataset)." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

catalogNumber from DwC

"an accession number stamped physically on the specimen [...] The accession number is the most widely used, but is not guaranteed to be unique because of the physical stamping process, human error, etc." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)
"Whatever the data provider provides, as long as catalogNumber is unique within the dataset. If no catalogNumber provided, use accessionNumber, but only if it is unique within the dataset. If no accession number, use datasetRecordID, else use barCode, else use datasourceRecordID. This usage differs from DwC in that catalogNumber is constrained to be unique within the dataset. It is populated for plot data as well as specimens." (Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms)

Synonym: museumAccessionNumber from VegBank

Synonym: accessionNumber from Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms | REMIB

Synonym: accession from UNCC

preparations from DwC

Synonym: preparationType from DwC

Synonym: preparation from REMIB#preparation

disposition from DwC

otherCatalogNumbers from DwC

Synonym: previousCatalogNumber from DwC

Voucher

voucherType

Values: direct, indirect

Synonym: detType from SALVIAS

Measurement

An attribute of any type of Occurrence

Synonym: MeasurementOrFact from DwC (fields)

Synonym: TraitObservation from BIEN2

Synonym: Trait

Named like: TraitObservation

measurementID from DwC

measurementName

Synonym: measurementType from DwC

Synonym: traitName from BIEN2

measurementValue from DwC

Synonym: traitValue from BIEN2

measurementAccuracy from DwC

measurementUnit from DwC

Synonym: unit from BIEN2

measurementDeterminedDate from DwC

measurementDeterminedBy from DwC

measurementMethod from DwC

measurementRemarks from DwC

ResourceRelationship from DwC (fields)

"information pertaining to relationships between resources (instances of data records, such as Occurrences, Taxa, Locations, Events)" (DwC)

resourceRelationshipID from DwC

resourceID from DwC

relatedResourceID from DwC

Synonym: relatedCatalogItem from DwC

relationshipOfResource from DwC

Synonym: relationshipType from DwC

relationshipAccordingTo from DwC

relationshipEstablishedDate from DwC

relationshipRemarks from DwC

Special terms

OMIT

The field contains data but should be omitted

The reason for omission should be described in the mapping's comments

PRIVATE

The field contains private data which should be omitted from a public database

UNUSED

The field does not contain any data

The following query should return no rows: SELECT * FROM table WHERE field IS NOT NULL

Sources

Mouse over a source's acronym to see its full name

DwC

VegCore includes all Darwin Core terms (some have been renamed)

DwC-terms

DwC-history

DwC-MaNIS

DwC-classic

DwC-dwcore

TCS

VegX

VegBank

SALVIAS

CTFS

CTFS-DB

CTFS-v5

TNRS

BIEN2

BIEN2-web

BIEN2-core

BIEN2-DB

Brad Boyle's DwC ID terms

Editing

  • To get the Redmine syntax for linking to a term, copy the portion of that term's header with the form [[VegCore#term_anchor|term_name]]
  • After adding or renaming a term, be sure to regenerate the VegCore downloads, using the steps in README.TXT > Maintenance > VegCore data dictionary

Tables

  • Table names are capitalized
  • Table names should always be singular, not plural

Table template:

All sections are optional

h1. [[VegCore#Table|Table]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! !{font-size: small;}_(Source)!:URL#TableAsSpelledBySource

p(((. definition

h3((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.75em; font-weight: normal;}_(Synonym:)! [[VegCore#Table|Table]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! !_(Source)!:URL#SynonymAsSpelledBySource

[fields...]

Fields

  • Field names start with a lowercase letter

Field template:

All sections are optional

h2((. [[VegCore#field|field]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! !{font-size: small;}_(Source)!:URL#fieldAsSpelledBySource

p(((((. definition

h3((((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.65em; font-weight: normal;}_(Synonym:)! [[VegCore#synonym|synonym]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! !_(Source)!:URL#synonymAsSpelledBySource

p(((((. Related: [[VegCore#relatedTerm|relatedTerm]]

p(((((. Named like: [[VegCore#similarlyNamedTerm|similarlyNamedTerm]]

Ambiguous terms

  • Ambiguous term names must start with ? (this is required by scripts that parse the data dictionary page)
  • Except for fields requiring units, each alternative should also be listed as a synonym of an unambiguous term.
    All such synonyms must occur before the ambiguous term itself to ensure that the alternatives' anchors link to their definition rather than to their appearance in the alternatives list.
  • Term and synonym headers have the form [[VegCore#term|?term]]. The leading ? will be displayed in the data dictionary but won't be part of the HTML anchor, which allows the term to be permalinked using just its name.

Ambiguous table template:

h1. [[VegCore#Alternative1UnambiguousName|Alternative1UnambiguousName]] [...]
[...]
h3((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.75em; font-weight: normal;}_(Synonym:)! [[VegCore#AmbiguousTable_Source1|AmbiguousTable_Source1]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! [...] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(alternative of)! !_(?AmbiguousTable)!:https://projects.nceas.ucsb.edu/nceas/projects/bien/wiki/VegCore_data_dictionary#AmbiguousTable

[...]

h1. [[VegCore#AmbiguousTable|?AmbiguousTable]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;}_(AMBIGUOUS)!

h3(((. Alternative: [[VegCore#AmbiguousTable_Source1|AmbiguousTable_Source1]]

h3(((. Alternative: [[VegCore#AmbiguousTable_Source2|AmbiguousTable_Source2]]

Ambiguous field template:

h2((. [[VegCore#alternative1UnambiguousName|alternative1UnambiguousName]] [...]
[...]
h3((((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.65em; font-weight: normal;}_(Synonym:)! [[VegCore#ambiguousTerm_Source1|ambiguousTerm_Source1]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! [...] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(alternative of)! !_(?ambiguousTerm)!:https://projects.nceas.ucsb.edu/nceas/projects/bien/wiki/VegCore_data_dictionary#ambiguousTerm

[...]

h2((. [[VegCore#ambiguousTerm|?ambiguousTerm]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;}_(AMBIGUOUS)!

h3(((((. Alternative: [[VegCore#ambiguousTerm_Source1|ambiguousTerm_Source1]]

h3(((((. Alternative: [[VegCore#ambiguousTerm_Source2|ambiguousTerm_Source2]]

Field requiring units template:

Synonyms sections are optional

h2((. [[VegCore#fieldRequiringUnits|?fieldRequiringUnits]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-size: small; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;}_(Requires units)!

h3((((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.65em; font-weight: normal;}_(Synonym:)! [[VegCore#synonym|?synonym]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! !_(Source)!:URL#synonymAsSpelledBySource

h3((((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.65em; font-weight: normal;}_(Unit alternative:)! [[VegCore#fieldRequiringUnits_units1|fieldRequiringUnits_units1]]

h3((((((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.65em; font-weight: normal;}_(Synonym:)! [[VegCore#synonym_units1|synonym_units1]] !{padding-left: 1em; font-weight: normal;}_(from)! !_(Source)!:URL#synonymAsSpelledBySource

h3((((. !{padding: 0 0.3em 3pt 0.65em; font-weight: normal;}_(Unit alternative:)! [[VegCore#fieldRequiringUnits_units2|fieldRequiringUnits_units2]]

Related pages

ACAD.Specimen.csv Magnifier (12 KB) Aaron Marcuse-Kubitza, 12/05/2012 09:21 am

vegbien_identifier_examples.xlsx (28.6 KB) Aaron Marcuse-Kubitza, 01/31/2013 04:40 pm