index.md

---
title: Standards
description: >
  From [Darwin Core](/standards/dwc/) to [WGSRPD](/standards/wgsrpd/) TDWG standards aid the exchange of biodiversity information.
background:
  img: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1515474594679-6a13c25afb99
  by: Milos Prelevic
  href: https://unsplash.com/photos/shoal-of-fish-65busv7PmzM
toc: true
---

TDWG standards have a [status and category](/standards/status-and-categories/). Current standards and those under consideration as Draft standards are governed by the [TDWG Process](/about/process/), which includes the appointment of a [Review Manager](/about/review-managers/) to oversee expert and public review of TDWG standards. Our standards are also available as a collection on [FAIRsharing](https://fairsharing.org/collection/TDWGBiodiversity), which places them in context with databases that implement them and data policies that endorse their use.

## Actively maintained

### ABCD

[Access to Biological Collection Data (ABCD) Schema](/standards/abcd/)

### Audiovisual Core

[Audiovisual Core Multimedia Resources Metadata Schema](/standards/ac/)

### Darwin Core

[Darwin Core](/standards/dwc/)

### GUID Applicability Statements

[GUID and Life Sciences Identifiers Applicability Statements](/standards/guid-as/)

### Latimer Core

[Latimer Core, a standard for describing collections](https://ltc.tdwg.org/)

### SDS

[TDWG Standards Documentation Standard (SDS)](/standards/sds/)

### TAPIR

[TDWG Access Protocol for Information Retrieval (TAPIR)](/standards/tapir/)

### TCS

[Taxon Concept Schema (TCS)](/standards/tcs/)

### VMS

[Vocabulary Maintenance Standard (VMS)](/standards/vms/)

### WGSRPD

[World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD)](/standards/wgsrpd/)

## Not under active maintenance

### Economic Botany

[Economic Botany Data Collection Standard](/standards/economic-botany/)

### Floristic Regions

[Floristic Regions of the World](/standards/floristic-regions/)

### HISPID3

[Herbarium Information Standards and Protocols for Interchange of Data (HISPID3)](/standards/hispid3/)

### ITF2

[International Transfer Format for Botanic Garden Plant Records (ITF2)](/standards/itf2/)

### Plant Names

[Plant Names in Botanical Databases](/standards/plant-names/)

### POSS

[Plant Occurrence and Status Scheme (POSS)](/standards/poss/)

### SDD

[Structured Descriptive Data (SDD)](/standards/sdd/)

### XDF

[XDF - A Language for the Definition and Exchange of Biological Data Sets](/standards/xdf/)

## Externally maintained

[See this page](/standards/external/)