Simple Darwin Core for Non-Biologists Primer

Abstract

This primer focuses on Simple DwC (http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/simple/), a “mechanism used to share biodiversity information using the simplest methods and structure” (Darwin Core Task Group, 2014). With Simple DwC, the DwC schema is applied to a single flat file (i.e., table or spreadsheet). Because it is a self-contained data set that can be opened, edited, and analyzed using a wide variety of software, Simple DwC is easier to implement than other forms of DwC that use XML, RDF, or relational databases. The primer’s goal is to assist a curator presented with a data set structured in Simple DwC, or to assist a curator in a decision to apply the standard to a data set.