All,

As Steve pointed out [1], the Darwin Core Term Change Policy [2] specifies that a 30-day public comment period is required before significant changes are made to the standard. I always thought that this 30 day period automatically begins when proposed changes are summarized and entered into the Issue Tracker. Steve, however, believes that the public-comment period must be initiated via an email to tdwg-content, sent by either John (in his capacity as DwC steward), or by the executive.

Maybe the best reading of the policy is that public comment periods should be initiated via email to tdwg-content, and that anyone can initiate a public comment period for a proposal that is contained in the Issue Tracker.

Taking this reading, I hereby initiate public comment on the changes outlined in issues 204 - 226 in the Darwin Core issue tracker [3].

Best to everyone, Joel.

1. http://lists.tdwg.org/pipermail/tdwg-content/2014-July/003277.html 2. http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/namespace/index.htm#classesofchanges 3. https://code.google.com/p/darwincore/issues/list