It sounds from this thread as though non-Darwin core attributes can be included as separate fields. In other discussions the emphasis has instead been to use the Darwin Core dynamicProperties ( http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/#dynamicProperties ) for other attributes.
Are these two approaches treated the same by the NBN or is there an advantage to using one or the other. I appreciate that use of dynamicProperties is technically more correct, but given that the content is suggested to be serialised as a JSON object, it's quite unfriendly for less technologically inclined data users.
If a series of JSON key-values pairs are sent, how would the NBN present the field (and would querying within it be possible), e.g. given:
{"vicecounty" : "VC83", "compiledBy" : "Fred Bloggs", "validatorsComment" : "some random chunk of text", "verbatimHabitat" : "some 'habitat' description that doesn't fit EUNIS"}
How will the end-user see this?
Would these attributes be present more clearly if sent as separate columns - even if that technically deviates from the Darwin Core standard?
The more I look at the Darwin Core specification the more I become disillusioned with it. Many useful concepts are missing and too many of those that are present are really poorly defined. I realise that's not the NBN's fault... :)
Tom Humphrey
Database Officer,
Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI)