Session discussion: mineralogy extension and MIDS geology rules
Ben Norton, Adam Mansur · Rocks, Minerals, and Metadata: Integrating Earth Sciences into the TDWG Community
The short versionGeology collections now have concrete standards moments to engage with: the mineralogy extension ratification and the MIDS public review.
What this was about
In the closing discussion slot Ben Norton thanked the many people and institutions behind the four-year effort that began with GeoSpecify in 2022, noting that institutions share whole databases despite worrying their data are 'not clean', and announced the Darwin Core mineralogy extension was two to three weeks from approval by the TDWG Executive, with terms usable beyond minerals (e.g. hazard type). Adam Mansur urged geology collection holders to take part in the upcoming public review of MIDS, whose geology-specific rules would benefit from more perspectives, including on the importance of systematic imaging for abiotic collections. Ben added that MIDS includes a geology discipline with two terms pending ratification in Darwin Core.
Why it matters. Signals the point at which geology is being formally integrated into TDWG standards and asks the community to shape it.
In the room
- The effort started with GeoSpecify in 2022 and has involved dozens of institutions contributing databases.
- The mineralogy extension was expected within two to three weeks, pending TDWG Executive approval; some terms (e.g. hazard type) apply beyond geology.
- MIDS will go to public review soon and includes geology-specific rules that had only expert review so far.
- Open question: how important is systematic imaging for abiotic geology collections?
Notable moments
Transcript
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