[tdwg-content] dwc:associatedOccurrences

[Mark Wilden]

On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 9:29 AM, John Wieczorek <tuco at berkeley.edu> wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 9:20 AM, Mark Wilden <mark at mwilden.com> wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 7:28 AM, John Wieczorek <tuco at berkeley.edu> wrote:
>>
>> > Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary.
>>
>> This sounds like an incorrect usage of the term "best practice," to
>> me. It can't be a "best practice" to do something that is impossible,
>> and if a controlled vocabulary doesn't exist... As you indicate, this
>> has a requirement that hasn't yet been met.
>
> It is not a requirement, it is a recommendation.

I meant "required" in the logical sense. If 50 different groups are
each using their own vocabulary, it isn't really very controlled, in
my view. In order for there to be a truly useful controlled
vocabulary, it is required that everyone use the same one.

> It is not impossible, just
> make a vocabulary. Well, hopefully with some community buy-in and open
> access. GBIF's vocabulary registry (http://vocabularies.gbif.org/) comes to
> mind as a solution.

That sounds good.

///ark
Web Applications Developer
Center for Applied Biodiversity Informatics
California Academy of Sciences