TDWG Economic Botany Subgroup

The TDWG Economic Botany Subgroup is a subgroup of the IUBS Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG). The subgroup is concerned with the application of data standards that relate to describing the social, cultural and economic use and value of plants. To date the following publication

has been adopted as a standard by the IUBS Taxonomic Databases Working Group. The system (in whole or in part) has been incorporated into many databases involved in describing uses of plants. The Economic Botany subgroup now needs to evaluate the extent to which this publication meets the needs of users and what revisions and additional data standards would be useful.

Membership of the Economic Botany subgroup is open to anyone concerned with databases describing use and value of plants. Any suggestions regarding data standards in relation to this are very welcome. I have prepared a questionnaire to help get discussions going, but this is not intended to be a straight-jacket. Any comments you have, in any format, should be sent to me as soon as possible. The TDWG Annual General Meeting is in October 1999, and a summary of your responses will be presented there together with any proposals.

I look forward to hearing from you and thank you very much in advance for your comments. Please feel free to pass this request to anyone who may be interested.

Frances Cook 28 May, 1999