Darwin Core Archive Format, Reference Guide to the XML Descriptor File
This document incorporates and extends the Darwin Core Text Guide located at
http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/guides/text/index.htm. It provides a detailed overview of
the XML descriptor file used to document the Darwin Core Archive format. The descriptor
file describes how biodiversity data files are organized.
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Publisher(s):
GBIF Secretariat, 2011
Target audience: Data administrators and data managers
Abstract: The Darwin Core Archive format relies on a special XML file, called a metafile (typically
named “meta.xml”), whenever the data is published across more than one file. This file
serves as a map that enables parsers and human readers to properly interpret the
published files. It provides a means to link data in a particular column of a file to a
specific defined term in the standard set of terms used by GBIF.
Bibliographic citation: GBIF (2011). Darwin Core Archive Format, Reference Guide to the XML Descriptor File, April 2011, (contributed by Döring, M., Robertson, T., Remsen, D.), Copenhagen: Global Biodiversity Information Facility,16 pp.
Rights: This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
Rights Holder: GBIF Secretariat
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User comments
Thanks for spotting! by Markus Döring
Yes, its indeed the number of rows to skip. We'll update the document as soon as possible!
out of 5 stars Error in document by Torsten Berg
Hi, a nice and helful write-up of the DwC-A format. However, it seems from the description on
http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/guides/text/index.htm
that the definition of ignoreHeaderLines is wrong. It is not a boolean but an integer giving the number of lines to ignore (as also can be seen from the schema at the the end of the document.
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