[tdwg-content] Background for the Individual class proposal. 3. Should an Individual also be a Collecting Unit?

[Richard Pyle]

OK, a couple comments on your second: 

> > I agree with everything in this diagram *except* the box labelled
"multiple
> > tokens and types".  I'm still unclear on what this thing is, and what
sorts
> > of properties it would have.  However, if it represents what I think it
> > reprersents, then I would hang it off the "Individual" class.
>
> It means that in a single Occurrence you can take a picture, record, 
> a sound, and collect several specimens if you want.  
> You can't hang if off of the Individual class if you come back a year 
> later and do it again. 

OK, I'll have to digest this a bit more. Got a plane ride coming up, which
gives me a few hours of think-time. Perhaps my real problem is that I don't
think that collected specimens should be treated the same way that images
are (i.e., "tokens").

> Some people actually do that kind of thing (me, whale people, 
> bird people).  

And so do I.

> If you want to keep Darwin Core as the "one 
> specimen-one time" club that it was when it started, 
> then forget about the Individual class.

That's absolutely *NOT* my intention, and my preferred scope of Individual
allows MORE flexibility on this; not less.

Rich