Suggestion: Look into Darwin Core Data Packages

[mickley]

Darwin Core Archives are in the process of being phased out in favor of the very similar Darwin Core Data Package (dwc-dp). It's currently in public comment period, or perhaps that has just finished.

The new package is still a zipfile, but with a new datapackage.json that defines tables/fields, and allows for more of a relational database model.

More here:
https://gbif.github.io/dwc-dp/qrg/index.html#dwca
https://www.sanbi-gbif.org/post/2025/dc-data-package/
https://www.gbif.org/composition/3Be8w9RzbjHtK2brXxTtun/introducing-the-darwin-core-data-package

[kueda]

Thanks, I'm aware of it, but right now I'm waiting to see wider adoption. There would be some advantages, though, e.g. normalizing out taxonomic info into a separate file. Do we know if DwC-DP is really going to replace DwC-A?

[mickley]

Replacement is going to take a long while, but I believe that's the plan, yes. With GBIF and TDWG behind it, there will be a fair bit of push.