Public Review

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How to Participate in the MIDS Public Review

The draft Minimum Information about a Digital Specimen (MIDS) standard is open for TDWG public review from October 5th, 2026 to December 4th, 2026. The review is open for 60 days, exceeding the minimum of 30 days required by the TDWG process.

MIDS defines four cumulative levels of digitization (MIDS0 Bare, MIDS1 Basic, MIDS2 Intermediate, MIDS3 Extended) and the information elements required at each level for Biology, Paleontology, and Geology collections. The MIDS Task Group welcomes feedback from anyone who digitizes, manages, publishes, or uses natural science specimen data, in any discipline. Comments from people outside the Task Group are especially valuable, and confirming that an entry is correct is useful feedback too.

All comments will be public and archived following the review.

Review manager: Sharon Grant, Field Museum of Natural History — sgrant@fieldmuseum.org

What is under review

The review covers four resources, all published on the Information Elements page. Each resource has its own sheet in the MIDS Feedback Workbook.

Resource What it contains
Disciplines The three collection disciplines MIDS covers (Biology, Paleontology, Geology), with definitions and sources.
Levels The four cumulative MIDS levels (MIDS0 Bare, MIDS1 Basic, MIDS2 Intermediate, MIDS3 Extended), with definitions, notes, and purposes. Each level includes all information elements of the levels below it.
Information Elements All 21 MIDS information elements, with definitions, purposes, usage notes, examples, and the disciplines that require them (isRequiredBy).
Discipline Schema Which information element is required at which MIDS level for each discipline: one entry per discipline / level / information element combination.

Important Note!
Only these four resources are subject to review. Examples of information elements are non-normative. All other documentation, including the mappings and the resources page, is non-normative and, therefore, not under formal review. The purpose of the non-normative documentation is to improve understanding and clarify the normative documentation.

Two ways to comment

You can comment through GitHub or through the MIDS feedback workbook. Both count equally; choose whichever suits you.

GitHub issues MIDS feedback workbook
Link github.com/tdwg/mids/issues MIDS Feedback Workbook (Google Sheets)
You need A free GitHub account A Google account (to make a copy) or Excel/LibreOffice (to download)
Best for Open discussion of specific topics; replying to other reviewers Reviewing the whole standard in one place; commenting entry by entry without GitHub

Steps

  1. Read the draft standard. Start at the MIDS home page, then review:

    • Information Elements — the levels, every information element, and the Discipline Schemas showing which element is required at which level for each discipline.
    • Mappings — how MIDS elements map to Darwin Core and ABCD terms.
    • Resources — tools such as the MIDS Calculator. Testing MIDS against your own collection data is an excellent basis for feedback.

  2. Choose how you will comment: GitHub (step 3) or the feedback workbook (step 4).

  3. Option A — Comment on GitHub.

    1. Sign in to GitHub, or create a free account.
    2. Search the open MIDS issues to see whether your topic has already been raised. Issues labelled MIDS Element hold the working definitions of individual information elements.
    3. If an issue exists, add your comment to it. If not, open a New issue with a title naming the element, level, or discipline concerned (e.g., "StratigraphicContext – Geology MIDS2").
    4. Describe the change you propose and why, including use cases or references where possible.
    5. Watch the issue to follow replies and take part in the discussion.

  4. Option B — Use the MIDS feedback workbook.

    1. Open the MIDS Feedback Workbook. The shared file is view-only; please do not request edit access.
    2. Make your own copy, either:
      • Google Sheets: File → Make a copy (requires a Google account), or
      • Excel: File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
    3. On the About sheet, complete the Your details section so the review manager can follow up with you.
    4. Find the entries you want to comment on in the Disciplines, Levels, Information Elements, and Discipline Schema sheets. Use the filter arrows in the header row to narrow the list.
    5. Enter your feedback in the orange columns on the same row. Do not edit the blue MIDS content columns.
      • Feedback Type — choose from the dropdown (e.g., Agree – no change, Editorial, Change definition / usage / purpose, Change level assignment, Change discipline assignment, Add example, Question / needs clarification).
      • Field(s) Concerned — the column your comment is about, or Whole entry.
      • Proposed Change — your suggested wording or value.
      • Rationale / Comment — why the change is needed, with use cases or references.
      • Related GitHub Issue (optional) — a link if you know of one.
    6. To propose a new discipline, level, element, or schema assignment, use the grey rows at the bottom of the relevant sheet.
    7. Send your completed workbook to Sharon Grant at sgrant@fieldmuseum.org, either as an attached .xlsx file or by sharing your Google copy with her. Suggested subject line: MIDS public review feedback – [Your name].

  5. Ask questions or comment anonymously. Email the review manager at sgrant@fieldmuseum.org with any questions about the review. If you have trouble using GitHub, you can also email comments directly. If you wish to remain anonymous, say so explicitly in your email; your name and any identifying information will be removed before your comments are added to the public record.

  6. Submit by December 4th, 2026. The Task Group will aim to resolve all comments received by the close of the review before requesting ratification by the TDWG Executive Committee. Comments received later may be deferred and addressed through normal maintenance after ratification.

After the review

When the review closes, the review manager compiles every comment and records a recommended action for each. The MIDS Task Group then addresses the comments and revises the draft before the standard proceeds to the TDWG Executive Committee for ratification.

To stay informed about meetings and updates, join the MIDS Task Group mailing list.

TDWG Ratification Process

The MIDS public review is part of the TDWG process for developing and ratifying standards. The following documents describe that process and the specifications MIDS is expected to follow.

Last Modified: 2026-10-04