Lexicon Reference

Definitions: #main #location #imageEmbed #aspectRatio

#main (occurrence)

A biodiversity observation record following Darwin Core standards. Represents a single occurrence of an organism at a specific place and time.

Field	Type	Description	Constraints	DwC
eventDate*	datetime	The date-time when the observation occurred, in ISO 8601 format (Darwin Core dwc:eventDate).		dwc:eventDate
location*	#location	Geographic location information for the observation.
verbatimLocality	string	The original textual description of the place (Darwin Core dwc:verbatimLocality).	max 1024	dwc:verbatimLocality
blobs	#imageEmbed[]	Array of image references documenting the observation.	max 10	dwc:associatedMedia
notes	string	Additional notes or comments about the observation.	max 3000	dwc:occurrenceRemarks
license	string	SPDX license identifier for this observation (maps to Dublin Core dcterms:license).	max 32, 5 values	dwc:license
recordedBy	string[]	DIDs of co-observers who participated in this observation. The record creator is the primary observer.	max 10	dwc:recordedBy
basisOfRecord	string	The specific nature of the data record (Darwin Core dwc:basisOfRecord).	max 32, default: human-observation, human-observation | machine-observation | observation	dwc:basisOfRecord
occurrenceStatus	string	A statement about the presence or absence of a taxon at a location (Darwin Core dwc:occurrenceStatus).	max 16, default: present, present | absent	dwc:occurrenceStatus
individualCount	integer	The number of individuals observed (Darwin Core dwc:individualCount).	min 1	dwc:individualCount
sex	string	The sex of the organism(s) (Darwin Core dwc:sex).	max 32, male | female | hermaphrodite	dwc:sex
lifeStage	string	The age class or life stage of the organism(s) (Darwin Core dwc:lifeStage).	max 32, 9 values	dwc:lifeStage
habitat	string	A category or description of the habitat in which the event occurred (Darwin Core dwc:habitat).	max 256	dwc:habitat
establishmentMeans	string	The means by which the organism was established at the location (Darwin Core dwc:establishmentMeans).	max 64, 6 values	dwc:establishmentMeans
behavior	string	The behavior shown by the organism at the time of the observation (Darwin Core dwc:behavior).	max 256	dwc:behavior
caste	string	Categorisation of individuals for eusocial species (Darwin Core dwc:caste).	max 64	dwc:caste

#location

Geographic coordinates following Darwin Core standards.

Field	Type	Description	Constraints	DwC
decimalLatitude*	string	The geographic latitude in decimal degrees (Darwin Core dwc:decimalLatitude). Valid range: -90 to 90.		dwc:decimalLatitude
decimalLongitude*	string	The geographic longitude in decimal degrees (Darwin Core dwc:decimalLongitude). Valid range: -180 to 180.		dwc:decimalLongitude
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters	integer	The horizontal distance (in meters) from the given coordinates describing the smallest circle containing the whole of the Location (Darwin Core dwc:coordinateUncertaintyInMeters).	min 0	dwc:coordinateUncertaintyInMeters
geodeticDatum	string	The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system used (Darwin Core dwc:geodeticDatum). Defaults to WGS84.	max 64, default: WGS84	dwc:geodeticDatum
continent	string	The name of the continent (Darwin Core dwc:continent).	max 32, 7 values	dwc:continent
country	string	The name of the country or major administrative unit (Darwin Core dwc:country).	max 128	dwc:country
countryCode	string	The standard code for the country (Darwin Core dwc:countryCode). ISO 3166-1-alpha-2.	max 2	dwc:countryCode
stateProvince	string	The name of the next smaller administrative region than country (Darwin Core dwc:stateProvince).	max 128	dwc:stateProvince
county	string	The full, unabbreviated name of the next smaller administrative region than stateProvince (Darwin Core dwc:county).	max 128	dwc:county
municipality	string	The full, unabbreviated name of the next smaller administrative region than county (Darwin Core dwc:municipality).	max 128	dwc:municipality
locality	string	The specific description of the place (Darwin Core dwc:locality).	max 512	dwc:locality
waterBody	string	The name of the water body in which the location occurs (Darwin Core dwc:waterBody).	max 128	dwc:waterBody
minimumElevationInMeters	string	The lower limit of the range of elevation in meters (Darwin Core dwc:minimumElevationInMeters).		dwc:minimumElevationInMeters
maximumElevationInMeters	string	The upper limit of the range of elevation in meters (Darwin Core dwc:maximumElevationInMeters).		dwc:maximumElevationInMeters
minimumDepthInMeters	string	The lesser depth of a range of depth below the local surface in meters (Darwin Core dwc:minimumDepthInMeters).		dwc:minimumDepthInMeters
maximumDepthInMeters	string	The greater depth of a range of depth below the local surface in meters (Darwin Core dwc:maximumDepthInMeters).		dwc:maximumDepthInMeters

#imageEmbed

A reference to an uploaded image blob.

Field	Type	Description	Constraints	DwC
image*	blob	The image blob reference.
alt*	string	Alt text description of the image for accessibility.	max 1000
aspectRatio	#aspectRatio

#aspectRatio

Width and height of an image, used for proper display before loading.

Field	Type	Description	Constraints	DwC
width*	integer		min 1
height*	integer		min 1

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Darwin Core Alignment

Cross-reference against Darwin Core terms. Green = mapped, red = not yet implemented.

Occurrence (10/25)

DwC Term	Definition	Lexicon Field	Type	Status
associatedMedia	A list (concatenated and separated) of identifiers (publication, global unique identifier, URI) of media associated with the dwc:Occurrence.	blobs	#imageEmbed[]	mapped
associatedOccurrences	A list (concatenated and separated) of identifiers of other dwc:Occurrence records and their associations to this dwc:Occurrence.			missing
associatedReferences	A list (concatenated and separated) of identifiers (publication, bibliographic reference, global unique identifier, URI) of literature associated with the dwc:Occurrence.			missing
associatedTaxa	A list (concatenated and separated) of identifiers or names of dwc:Taxon records and the associations of this dwc:Occurrence to each of them.			missing
behavior	The behavior shown by the subject at the time the dwc:Occurrence was recorded.	behavior	string	mapped
caste	Categorisation of individuals for eusocial species (including some mammals and arthropods).	caste	string	mapped
catalogNumber	An identifier (preferably unique) for the record within the data set or collection.			missing
degreeOfEstablishment	The degree to which a dwc:Organism survives, reproduces, and expands its range at the given place and time.			missing
establishmentMeans	Statement about whether a dwc:Organism has been introduced to a given place and time through the direct or indirect activity of modern humans.	establishmentMeans	string	mapped
georeferenceVerificationStatus	A categorical description of the extent to which the georeference has been verified to represent the best possible spatial description for the dcterms:Location of the dwc:Occurrence.			missing
individualCount gbif rec	The number of individuals present at the time of the dwc:Occurrence.	individualCount	integer	mapped
lifeStage	The age class or life stage of the dwc:Organism(s) at the time the dwc:Occurrence was recorded.	lifeStage	string	mapped
occurrenceID gbif req	An identifier for the dwc:Occurrence (as opposed to a particular digital record of the dwc:Occurrence). In the absence of a persistent global unique identifier, construct one from a combination of identifiers in the record that will most closely make the dwc:occurrenceID globally unique.			missing
occurrenceRemarks	Comments or notes about the dwc:Occurrence.	notes	string	mapped
occurrenceStatus	A statement about the presence or absence of a dwc:Taxon at a dcterms:Location.	occurrenceStatus	string	mapped
organismQuantity	A number or enumeration value for the quantity of dwc:Organisms.			missing
organismQuantityType	The type of quantification system used for the quantity of dwc:Organisms.			missing
otherCatalogNumbers	A list (concatenated and separated) of previous or alternate fully qualified catalog numbers or other human-used identifiers for the same dwc:Occurrence, whether in the current or any other data set or collection.			missing
pathway	The process by which a dwc:Organism came to be in a given place at a given time.			missing
recordNumber	An identifier given to the dwc:Occurrence at the time it was recorded. Often serves as a link between field notes and a dwc:Occurrence record, such as a specimen collector's number.			missing
recordedBy	A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups, or organizations responsible for recording the original dwc:Occurrence. The primary collector or observer, especially one who applies a personal identifier (dwc:recordNumber), should be listed first.	recordedBy	string[]	mapped
recordedByID	A list (concatenated and separated) of the globally unique identifier for the person, people, groups, or organizations responsible for recording the original dwc:Occurrence.			missing
reproductiveCondition	The reproductive condition of the biological individual(s) represented in the dwc:Occurrence.			missing
sex	The sex of the biological individual(s) represented in the dwc:Occurrence.	sex	string	mapped
vitality	An indication of whether a dwc:Organism was alive or dead at the time of collection or observation.			missing

Event (2/23)

DwC Term	Definition	Lexicon Field	Type	Status
day	The integer day of the month on which the dwc:Event occurred.			missing
endDayOfYear	The latest integer day of the year on which the dwc:Event occurred (1 for January 1, 365 for December 31, except in a leap year, in which case it is 366).			missing
eventDate gbif req	The date-time or interval during which a dwc:Event occurred. For occurrences, this is the date-time when the dwc:Event was recorded. Not suitable for a time in a geological context.	eventDate*	datetime	mapped
eventID	An identifier for the set of information associated with a dwc:Event (something that occurs at a place and time). May be a global unique identifier or an identifier specific to the data set.			missing
eventRemarks	Comments or notes about the dwc:Event.			missing
eventTime	The time or interval during which a dwc:Event occurred.			missing
eventType	The nature of the dwc:Event.			missing
fieldNotes	One of a) an indicator of the existence of, b) a reference to (publication, URI), or c) the text of notes taken in the field about the dwc:Event.			missing
fieldNumber	An identifier given to the dwc:Event in the field. Often serves as a link between field notes and the dwc:Event.			missing
fundingAttribution	Text description of organizations or individuals who funded the creation of the resource.			missing
fundingAttributionID	A list (concatenated and separated) of the globally unique identifiers for the funding organizations or agencies that supported the project.			missing
habitat	A category or description of the habitat in which the dwc:Event occurred.	habitat	string	mapped
month	The integer month in which the dwc:Event occurred.			missing
parentEventID	An identifier for the broader dwc:Event that groups this and potentially other dwc:Events.			missing
projectID	A list (concatenated and separated) of identifiers for projects that contributed to a dwc:Event.			missing
projectTitle	A list (concatenated and separated) of titles or names for projects that contributed to a dwc:Event.			missing
sampleSizeUnit	The unit of measurement of the size (time duration, length, area, or volume) of a sample in a sampling dwc:Event.			missing
sampleSizeValue	A numeric value for a measurement of the size (time duration, length, area, or volume) of a sample in a sampling dwc:Event.			missing
samplingEffort	The amount of effort expended during a dwc:Event.			missing
samplingProtocol	The names of, references to, or descriptions of the methods or protocols used during a dwc:Event.			missing
startDayOfYear	The earliest integer day of the year on which the dwc:Event occurred (1 for January 1, 365 for December 31, except in a leap year, in which case it is 366).			missing
verbatimEventDate	The verbatim original representation of the date and time information for a dwc:Event.			missing
year	The four-digit year in which the dwc:Event occurred, according to the Common Era Calendar.			missing

Location (17/44)

DwC Term	Definition	Lexicon Field	Type	Status
continent	The name of the continent in which the dcterms:Location occurs.	continent	string	mapped
coordinatePrecision	A decimal representation of the precision of the coordinates given in the dwc:decimalLatitude and dwc:decimalLongitude.			missing
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters	The horizontal distance (in meters) from the given dwc:decimalLatitude and dwc:decimalLongitude describing the smallest circle containing the whole of the dcterms:Location. Leave the value empty if the uncertainty is unknown, cannot be estimated, or is not applicable (because there are no coordinates). Zero is not a valid value for this term.	coordinateUncertaintyInMeters	integer	mapped
country	The name of the country or major administrative unit in which the dcterms:Location occurs.	country	string	mapped
countryCode gbif rec	The standard code for the country in which the dcterms:Location occurs.	countryCode	string	mapped
county	The full, unabbreviated name of the next smaller administrative region than stateProvince (county, shire, department, etc.) in which the dcterms:Location occurs.	county	string	mapped
decimalLatitude gbif rec	The geographic latitude (in decimal degrees, using the spatial reference system given in dwc:geodeticDatum) of the geographic center of a dcterms:Location. Positive values are north of the Equator, negative values are south of it. Legal values lie between -90 and 90, inclusive.	decimalLatitude*	string	mapped
decimalLongitude gbif rec	The geographic longitude (in decimal degrees, using the spatial reference system given in dwc:geodeticDatum) of the geographic center of a dcterms:Location. Positive values are east of the Greenwich Meridian, negative values are west of it. Legal values lie between -180 and 180, inclusive.	decimalLongitude*	string	mapped
footprintSRS	The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geometry given in dwc:footprintWKT is based.			missing
footprintSpatialFit	The ratio of the area of the dwc:footprintWKT to the area of the true (original, or most specific) spatial representation of the dcterms:Location. Legal values are 0, greater than or equal to 1, or undefined. A value of 1 is an exact match or 100% overlap. A value of 0 should be used if the given dwc:footprintWKT does not completely contain the original representation. The dwc:footprintSpatialFit is undefined (and should be left empty) if the original representation is any geometry without area (e.g., a point or polyline) and without uncertainty and the given georeference is not that same geometry (without uncertainty). If both the original and the given georeference are the same point, the dwc:footprintSpatialFit is 1.			missing
footprintWKT	A Well-Known Text (WKT) representation of the shape (footprint, geometry) that defines the dcterms:Location. A dcterms:Location may have both a point-radius representation (see dwc:decimalLatitude) and a footprint representation, and they may differ from each other.			missing
geodeticDatum gbif rec	The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which the geographic coordinates given in dwc:decimalLatitude and dwc:decimalLongitude are based.	geodeticDatum	string	mapped
georeferenceProtocol	A description or reference to the methods used to determine the spatial footprint, coordinates, and uncertainties.			missing
georeferenceRemarks	Comments or notes about the spatial description determination, explaining assumptions made in addition or opposition to the those formalized in the method referred to in dwc:georeferenceProtocol.			missing
georeferenceSources	A list (concatenated and separated) of maps, gazetteers, or other resources used to georeference the dcterms:Location, described specifically enough to allow anyone in the future to use the same resources.			missing
georeferencedBy	A list (concatenated and separated) of names of people, groups, or organizations who determined the georeference (spatial representation) for the dcterms:Location.			missing
georeferencedDate	The date on which the dcterms:Location was georeferenced.			missing
higherGeography	A list (concatenated and separated) of geographic names less specific than the information captured in the dwc:locality term.			missing
higherGeographyID	An identifier for the geographic region within which the dcterms:Location occurred.			missing
island	The name of the island on or near which the dcterms:Location occurs.			missing
islandGroup	The name of the island group in which the dcterms:Location occurs.			missing
locality	The specific description of the place.	locality	string	mapped
locationAccordingTo	Information about the source of this dcterms:Location information. Could be a publication (gazetteer), institution, or team of individuals.			missing
locationID	An identifier for the set of dcterms:Location information. May be a global unique identifier or an identifier specific to the data set.			missing
locationRemarks	Comments or notes about the dcterms:Location.			missing
maximumDepthInMeters	The greater depth of a range of depth below the local surface, in meters.	maximumDepthInMeters	string	mapped
maximumDistanceAboveSurfaceInMeters	The greater distance in a range of distance from a reference surface in the vertical direction, in meters. Use positive values for locations above the surface, negative values for locations below. If depth measures are given, the reference surface is the location given by the depth, otherwise the reference surface is the location given by the elevation.			missing
maximumElevationInMeters	The upper limit of the range of elevation (altitude, usually above sea level), in meters.	maximumElevationInMeters	string	mapped
minimumDepthInMeters	The lesser depth of a range of depth below the local surface, in meters.	minimumDepthInMeters	string	mapped
minimumDistanceAboveSurfaceInMeters	The lesser distance in a range of distance from a reference surface in the vertical direction, in meters. Use positive values for locations above the surface, negative values for locations below. If depth measures are given, the reference surface is the location given by the depth, otherwise the reference surface is the location given by the elevation.			missing
minimumElevationInMeters	The lower limit of the range of elevation (altitude, usually above sea level), in meters.	minimumElevationInMeters	string	mapped
municipality	The full, unabbreviated name of the next smaller administrative region than county (city, municipality, etc.) in which the dcterms:Location occurs. Do not use this term for a nearby named place that does not contain the actual dcterms:Location.	municipality	string	mapped
pointRadiusSpatialFit	The ratio of the area of the point-radius (dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:coordinateUncertaintyInMeters) to the area of the true (original, or most specific) spatial representation of the dcterms:Location. Legal values are 0, greater than or equal to 1, or undefined. A value of 1 is an exact match or 100% overlap. A value of 0 should be used if the given point-radius does not completely contain the original representation. The dwc:pointRadiusSpatialFit is undefined (and should be left empty) if the original representation is any geometry without area (e.g., a point or polyline) and without uncertainty and the given georeference is not that same geometry (without uncertainty). If both the original and the given georeference are the same point, the dwc:pointRadiusSpatialFit is 1.			missing
stateProvince	The name of the next smaller administrative region than country (state, province, canton, department, region, etc.) in which the dcterms:Location occurs.	stateProvince	string	mapped
verbatimCoordinateSystem	The coordinate format for the dwc:verbatimLatitude and dwc:verbatimLongitude or the dwc:verbatimCoordinates of the dcterms:Location.			missing
verbatimCoordinates	The verbatim original spatial coordinates of the dcterms:Location. The coordinate ellipsoid, geodeticDatum, or full Spatial Reference System (SRS) for these coordinates should be stored in dwc:verbatimSRS and the coordinate system should be stored in dwc:verbatimCoordinateSystem.			missing
verbatimDepth	The original description of the depth below the local surface.			missing
verbatimElevation	The original description of the elevation (altitude, usually above sea level) of the Location.			missing
verbatimLatitude	The verbatim original latitude of the dcterms:Location. The coordinate ellipsoid, geodeticDatum, or full Spatial Reference System (SRS) for these coordinates should be stored in dwc:verbatimSRS and the coordinate system should be stored in dwc:verbatimCoordinateSystem.			missing
verbatimLocality	The original textual description of the place.	verbatimLocality	string	mapped
verbatimLongitude	The verbatim original longitude of the dcterms:Location. The coordinate ellipsoid, geodeticDatum, or full Spatial Reference System (SRS) for these coordinates should be stored in dwc:verbatimSRS and the coordinate system should be stored in dwc:verbatimCoordinateSystem.			missing
verbatimSRS	The ellipsoid, geodetic datum, or spatial reference system (SRS) upon which coordinates given in dwc:verbatimLatitude and dwc:verbatimLongitude, or dwc:verbatimCoordinates are based.			missing
verticalDatum	The vertical datum used as the reference upon which the values in the elevation terms are based.			missing
waterBody	The name of the water body in which the dcterms:Location occurs.	waterBody	string	mapped

Record-level (2/21)

DwC Term	Definition	Lexicon Field	Type	Status
accessRights	Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status.			missing
basisOfRecord gbif req	The specific nature of the data record.	basisOfRecord	string	mapped
bibliographicCitation	A bibliographic reference for the resource.			missing
collectionCode	The name, acronym, coden, or initialism identifying the collection or data set from which the record was derived.			missing
collectionID	An identifier for the collection or dataset from which the record was derived.			missing
dataGeneralizations	Actions taken to make the shared data less specific or complete than in its original form. Suggests that alternative data of higher quality may be available on request.			missing
datasetID	An identifier for the set of data. May be a global unique identifier or an identifier specific to a collection or institution.			missing
datasetName	The name identifying the data set from which the record was derived.			missing
discipline	The primary branch or branches of knowledge represented by the record.			missing
dynamicProperties	A list of additional measurements, facts, characteristics, or assertions about the record. Meant to provide a mechanism for structured content.			missing
feedbackURL	A uniform resource locator (URL) that points to a webpage on which a form may be submitted to gather feedback about the record.			missing
informationWithheld	Additional information that exists, but that has not been shared in the given record.			missing
institutionCode	The name (or acronym) in use by the institution having custody of the object(s) or information referred to in the record.			missing
institutionID	An identifier for the institution having custody of the object(s) or information referred to in the record.			missing
language	A language of the resource.			missing
license	A legal document giving official permission to do something with the resource.	license	string	mapped
modified	Date on which the resource was changed.			missing
ownerInstitutionCode	The name (or acronym) in use by the institution having ownership of the object(s) or information referred to in the record.			missing
references	A related resource that is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the described resource.			missing
rightsHolder	A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.			missing
type	The nature or genre of the resource.			missing