Ongoing Support for TDWG Lee Belbin TDWG Infrastructure Project Manager

Documents 1.TDWG Existing Processes 2.Suggested Best Current Practice 3.TDWG Survey 4.Standards Group Funding 5.TDWG Ongoing Support 6.…many (continuing) discussions (1-5 on TDWG website)

Perceptions Inadequate management of TDWG subgroups (and therefore standards) –Overlaps between subgroups generating confusion to potential clients –Standards that are difficult to locate, overlap, are inconsistent, variously documented and (therefore) in many cases difficult to implement –Diverse development environments Improve internal and external communication –Executive Committee & members –Standards development environment –TDWG to clients

Executive Committee Promoting the new constitution and ‘process’ Develop a vision for TDWG (to help focus naming) Develop and maintain an effective subgroup structure Provide timely feedback to members Designated responsibilities (spread the load) Support for the TAG and its common development architecture & seek its advice on TDWG technical issues Pursue more formal links with OGC, OMG, OASIS and W3C Provide annual briefings to institutional members based on charter reviews Develop a policy that facilitates student project contributions to TDWG activities

Membership Support the new constitution and ‘process’! Standards development based on –Common architecture –Task Groups with current charter –Documentation specification –Meetings using the report template –Using (only!) the TDWG Online Environment Effective communication to clients and potential clients through an active web site Membership –Link to calendar year and registration through the TDWG Online Environment (not the annual meeting) –Increase cost of corporate membership to ~5 * individual membership

Then Develop an outreach strategy to build institutional and individual membership Just do it! Establish a part-time secretariat funded by (mainly institutional) membership fees

Observations (St Petersburg) Informality by comparison with other standards development organisations Need for a (strong) Steering / Coordinating Group Actual processes may differ from published processes Standards are documents. Documents are numbered, consistent, online and complete. Testing, pilots, case studies, reference software & associated documentation Effective processes that depend on the ‘collaborative environment’ Overlap with other standards development organisations TDWG constitution will probably need updating A name that better reflects the significance of TDWG’s activities!?