Post on 13-Jan-2016
lee@tdwg.org
Ongoing Support for TDWG
Lee BelbinTDWG Infrastructure Project Manager
lee@tdwg.org
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)
lee@tdwg.org
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
lee@tdwg.org
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
lee@tdwg.org
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
lee@tdwg.org
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
lee@tdwg.org
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!?