Occurrence issues and flags

More than 60 issues and flags have been created to deal with common data quality problems. Data users may use these flags to exclude occurrences from their analysis, or to apply their own data quality checks.

Geospatial issues

Flag name	Definition	Terms	Example
Zero coordinate	Coordinates are exactly 0/0, often indicating an actual null coordinate.	dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude	example
Coordinate out of range	The supplied coordinates lie outside of the range for decimal lat/lon values (-90/90, -180/180).	dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:verbatimCoordinates, dwc:verbatimLatitude, dwc:verbatimLongitude	example
Country coordinate mismatch	The interpreted occurrence coordinates fall outside of the indicated country.	dwc:countryCode, dwc:country, dwc:decimalLatitude	example
Coordinate invalid	A coordinate value is given in some form, but GBIF is unable to interpret it. Possible reasons include, i.a., coordinates that fall out of range(larger/lower than 90/-90 or 180/-180, depending) or text values that cannot be interpreted.	dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:verbatimCoordinates, dwc:verbatimLatitude, dwc:verbatimLongitude	example
Geodetic datum assumed WGS84	If the datum is null, data interpretation assumes the record coordinates are in WGS84.	dwc:geodeticDatum	example
Geodetic datum invalid	The geodetic datum could not be interpreted, because the supplied term cannot be matched against the vocabulary of known values.	dwc:geodeticDatum	example
Footprint SRS invalid	The spatial reference system could not be interpreted, because the supplied term could not be matched against the vocabulary of known values.	dwc:footprintSRS	example
Footprint WKT mismatch	The footprint well-known text (point, line or polygon) conflicts with the given coordinates.	dwc:footprintWKT, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:verbatimCoordinates, dwc:verbatimLatitude, dwc:verbatimLongitude	example
Footprint WKT invalid	The footprint well-known text (point, line or polygon) could not be interpreted.	dwc:footprintWKT	example
Country mismatch	Interpreted Country and Country code contradict each other.	dwc:countryCode, dwc:country	example
Country derived from coordinates	If the country and country code are not supplied or cannot be matched to known values, data interpretation derives their content from the decimal coordinates through a lookup service.	dwc:countryCode, dwc:country, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude	example
Country invalid	The country or countryCode given cannot be matched to the vocabulary for country names.	dwc:country	example
Continent coordinate mismatch	The interpreted occurrence coordinates fall outside of the indicated continent.	dwc:continent, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude	example
Continent derived from country	The continent is based on the provided country, not the provided continent.	dwc:continent, dwc:country	example
Continent invalid	The continent given cannot be matched to the vocabulary for continent names.	dwc:continent	example
Coordinate rounded	In the data interpretation the original coordinates are rounded to 6 decimals (~1m precision).	dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude	example
Coordinate reprojected	The original coordinates were successfully reprojected from a different geodetic datum to WGS84.	dwc:geodeticDatum	example
Coordinate reprojection suspicious	Indicates successful coordinate reprojection according to provided datum, but which results in a datum shift larger than 0.1 decimal degrees.	dwc:geodeticDatum, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude	example
Coordinate reprojection failed	The given decimal latitude and longitude could not be reprojected to WGS84 based on the provided datum.	dwc:geodeticDatum, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude	example
Coordinate uncertainty meters invalid	The value given for Coordinate uncertainty in meters, indicating the radius of uncertainty around the given decimal coordinates, is not a valid number, or lies outside a plausible range.	dwc:coordinateUncertaintyInMeters	example
Coordinate precision invalid	Indicates an invalid or very unlikely coordinates precision. The value is not a decimal number as expected, or it has an unusually low or high for a margin of uncertainty.	dwc:coordinatePrecision	example
Presumed negated longitude	The supplied longitude value places the coordinates outside of the indicated country. Negating the longitude value would result in a country match.	dwc:decimalLongitude	example
Presumed negated latitude	The supplied latitude value places the coordinates outside of the indicated country. Negating the latitude value would result in a country match.	dwc:decimalLatitude	example
Presumed swapped coordinate	Coordinates seem to be swapped when testing against the interpreted country.	dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:country	example
Depth min max swapped	The values for minimum and maximum depth appear to the swapped.	dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters	example
Depth non numeric	The values for minimum and maximum depth are non-numeric values and cannot be interpreted.	dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters	example
Depth unlikely	The values for minimum and maximum depth are negative or higher than 11000 (Mariana Trench depth in meters).	dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters	example
Depth not metric	Set if supplied depth is not given in the metric system, for example using feet instead of meters.	dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters	example
Elevation non numeric	The values for minimum and maximum elevation are non-numeric values and cannot be interpreted.	dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationMeters	example
Elevation min max swapped	The values for minimum and maximum elevation appear to the swapped.	dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationInMeters	example
Elevation not metric	Set if supplied elevation is not given in the metric system, for example using feet instead of meters.	dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationInMeters	example
Elevation unlikely	The values for minimum and maximum elevation are above the troposphere (17000 m) or below Mariana Trench (11000 m).	dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationInMeters	example
Continent country mismatch	The interpreted continent and country do not match up.	dwc:continent, dwc:countryCode, dwc:country	example
Continent derived from coordinates	If no value is supplied for the continent or if the values cannot be matched against a known vocabulary, data interpretation derives the continent from the decimal coordinates.	dwc:continent, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimal Longitude	example

Flag name

Definition

Terms

Example

Zero coordinate

Coordinates are exactly 0/0, often indicating an actual null coordinate.

dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude

example

Coordinate out of range

The supplied coordinates lie outside of the range for decimal lat/lon values (-90/90, -180/180).

dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:verbatimCoordinates, dwc:verbatimLatitude, dwc:verbatimLongitude

example

Country coordinate mismatch

The interpreted occurrence coordinates fall outside of the indicated country.

dwc:countryCode, dwc:country, dwc:decimalLatitude

example

Coordinate invalid

A coordinate value is given in some form, but GBIF is unable to interpret it. Possible reasons include, i.a., coordinates that fall out of range(larger/lower than 90/-90 or 180/-180, depending) or text values that cannot be interpreted.

dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:verbatimCoordinates, dwc:verbatimLatitude, dwc:verbatimLongitude

example

Geodetic datum assumed WGS84

If the datum is null, data interpretation assumes the record coordinates are in WGS84.

dwc:geodeticDatum

example

Geodetic datum invalid

The geodetic datum could not be interpreted, because the supplied term cannot be matched against the vocabulary of known values.

dwc:geodeticDatum

example

Footprint SRS invalid

The spatial reference system could not be interpreted, because the supplied term could not be matched against the vocabulary of known values.

dwc:footprintSRS

example

Footprint WKT mismatch

The footprint well-known text (point, line or polygon) conflicts with the given coordinates.

dwc:footprintWKT, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:verbatimCoordinates, dwc:verbatimLatitude, dwc:verbatimLongitude

example

Footprint WKT invalid

The footprint well-known text (point, line or polygon) could not be interpreted.

dwc:footprintWKT

example

Country mismatch

Interpreted Country and Country code contradict each other.

dwc:countryCode, dwc:country

example

Country derived from coordinates

If the country and country code are not supplied or cannot be matched to known values, data interpretation derives their content from the decimal coordinates through a lookup service.

dwc:countryCode, dwc:country, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude

example

Country invalid

The country or countryCode given cannot be matched to the vocabulary for country names.

dwc:country

example

Continent coordinate mismatch

The interpreted occurrence coordinates fall outside of the indicated continent.

dwc:continent, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude

example

Continent derived from country

The continent is based on the provided country, not the provided continent.

dwc:continent, dwc:country

example

Continent invalid

The continent given cannot be matched to the vocabulary for continent names.

dwc:continent

example

Coordinate rounded

In the data interpretation the original coordinates are rounded to 6 decimals (~1m precision).

dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude

example

Coordinate reprojected

The original coordinates were successfully reprojected from a different geodetic datum to WGS84.

dwc:geodeticDatum

example

Coordinate reprojection suspicious

Indicates successful coordinate reprojection according to provided datum, but which results in a datum shift larger than 0.1 decimal degrees.

dwc:geodeticDatum, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude

example

Coordinate reprojection failed

The given decimal latitude and longitude could not be reprojected to WGS84 based on the provided datum.

dwc:geodeticDatum, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude

example

Coordinate uncertainty meters invalid

The value given for Coordinate uncertainty in meters, indicating the radius of uncertainty around the given decimal coordinates, is not a valid number, or lies outside a plausible range.

dwc:coordinateUncertaintyInMeters

example

Coordinate precision invalid

Indicates an invalid or very unlikely coordinates precision. The value is not a decimal number as expected, or it has an unusually low or high for a margin of uncertainty.

dwc:coordinatePrecision

example

Presumed negated longitude

The supplied longitude value places the coordinates outside of the indicated country. Negating the longitude value would result in a country match.

dwc:decimalLongitude

example

Presumed negated latitude

The supplied latitude value places the coordinates outside of the indicated country. Negating the latitude value would result in a country match.

dwc:decimalLatitude

example

Presumed swapped coordinate

Coordinates seem to be swapped when testing against the interpreted country.

dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimalLongitude, dwc:country

example

Depth min max swapped

The values for minimum and maximum depth appear to the swapped.

dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters

example

Depth non numeric

The values for minimum and maximum depth are non-numeric values and cannot be interpreted.

dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters

example

Depth unlikely

The values for minimum and maximum depth are negative or higher than 11000 (Mariana Trench depth in meters).

dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters

example

Depth not metric

Set if supplied depth is not given in the metric system, for example using feet instead of meters.

dwc:minimumDepthInMeters, dwc:maximumDepthInMeters

example

Elevation non numeric

The values for minimum and maximum elevation are non-numeric values and cannot be interpreted.

dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationMeters

example

Elevation min max swapped

The values for minimum and maximum elevation appear to the swapped.

dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationInMeters

example

Elevation not metric

Set if supplied elevation is not given in the metric system, for example using feet instead of meters.

dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationInMeters

example

Elevation unlikely

The values for minimum and maximum elevation are above the troposphere (17000 m) or below Mariana Trench (11000 m).

dwc:minimumElevationInMeters, dwc:maximumElevationInMeters

example

Continent country mismatch

The interpreted continent and country do not match up.

dwc:continent, dwc:countryCode, dwc:country

example

Continent derived from coordinates

If no value is supplied for the continent or if the values cannot be matched against a known vocabulary, data interpretation derives the continent from the decimal coordinates.

dwc:continent, dwc:decimalLatitude, dwc:decimal Longitude

example

Taxonomic issues

Flag name	Definition	Terms	Example
Taxon match higherrank	The record can be matched to the GBIF taxonomic backbone at a higher rank, but not with the scientific name given. Reasons include: The name is new, and not available in the taxonomic datasets yet The name is missing in the backbone’s taxonomic sources for others reasons Formatting or spelling of the scientific name caused interpretation errors	dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank	example
Taxon match none	Matching to the taxonomic backbone cannot be done cause there was no match at all or several matches with too little information to keep them apart(homonyms).	dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank	example
Taxon match fuzzy	Matching to the taxonomic backbone can only be done using a fuzzy, non exact match.	dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank	example
Taxon match aggregate	Matching to the taxonomic backbone can only be done on a species level, but the occurrence was considered a broader species aggregate or complex.	dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank	example
Scientific name and ID inconsistent	The scientificName provided in the occurrence record does not precisely match the name in the registered checklist when using the scientificNameID, taxonID or taxonConceptID to look it up. Publishers are advised to check the IDs are correct, or update the formatting of the names on their records.	dwc:scientificName, dwc:scientificNameID, dwc:taxonID, dwc:taxonConceptID	example
Taxon match name and ID ambiguous	The GBIF Backbone concept was found using the scientificNameID, taxonID or taxonConceptID, but it differs from what would have been found if the classification names on the record were used. This may indicate a gap in the GBIF backbone, a poor mapping between the checklist and the backbone, or a mismatch between the classification names and the declared IDs (scientificNameID or taxonConceptID) on the occurrence record itself.	dwc:scientificName, dwc:scientificNameID, dwc:taxonID, dwc:taxonConceptID	example
Scientific name ID not found	The scientificNameID matched a known pattern, but it was not found in the associated checklist. The backbone lookup was performed using either the names or a different ID field from the record. This may indicate a poorly formatted identifier or may be caused by a newly created ID that isn’t yet known in the version of the published checklist.	dwc:scientificNameID	example
Taxon concept ID not found	The taxonConceptID matched a known pattern, but it was not found in the associated checklist. The backbone lookup was performed using either the names or a different ID field from the record. This may indicate a poorly formatted identifier or may be caused by a newly created ID that isn’t yet known in the version of the published checklist.	dwc:taxonConceptID	example
Taxon ID not found	The taxonID found matched a known pattern, but it was not found in the associated checklist. The backbone lookup was performed using either the names or a different ID field from the record. This may indicate a poorly formatted identifier or may be caused by a newly created ID that isn’t yet known in the version of the published checklist.	dwc:taxonID	example
Taxon match scientific name ID ignored	The scientificNameID was not used when mapping the record to the GBIF backbone. This may indicate one of: The ID uses a pattern not configured for use by GBIF The ID did not uniquely identify a concept in the checklist The ID found a concept in the checklist that did not map to the backbone A different ID was used, or the record names were used, as no ID lookup successfully linked to the backbone.	dwc:scientificNameID	example
Taxon match taxon concept ID ignored	taxonConceptID was not used when mapping the record to the GBIF backbone. This may indicate one of: The ID uses a pattern not configured for use by GBIF The ID did not uniquely identify a concept in the checklist The ID found a concept in the checklist that did not map to the backbone A different ID was used, or the record names were used, as no ID lookup successfully linked to the backbone.	dwc:taxonConceptID	example
Taxon match taxon ID ignored	The taxonID was not used when mapping the record to the GBIF backbone. This may indicate one of: The ID uses a pattern not configured for use by GBIF The ID did not uniquely identify a concept in the checklist The ID found a concept in the checklist that did not map to the backbone A different ID was used, or the record names were used, as no ID lookup successfully linked to the backbone.	dwc:taxonID	example

Flag name

Definition

Terms

Example

Taxon match higherrank

The record can be matched to the GBIF taxonomic backbone at a higher rank, but not with the scientific name given.

Reasons include:

The name is new, and not available in the taxonomic datasets yet
The name is missing in the backbone’s taxonomic sources for others reasons
Formatting or spelling of the scientific name caused interpretation errors

dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank

example

Taxon match none

Matching to the taxonomic backbone cannot be done cause there was no match at all or several matches with too little information to keep them apart(homonyms).

dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank

example

Taxon match fuzzy

Matching to the taxonomic backbone can only be done using a fuzzy, non exact match.

dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank

example

Taxon match aggregate

Matching to the taxonomic backbone can only be done on a species level, but the occurrence was considered a broader species aggregate or complex.

dwc:scientificName, dwc:kingdom, dwc:phylum, dwc:class, dwc:order, dwc:family, dwc:genus, dwc:subgenus, dwc:specificEpithet, dwc:infraspecificEpithet, dwc:taxonRank

example

Scientific name and ID inconsistent

The scientificName provided in the occurrence record does not precisely match the name in the registered checklist when using the scientificNameID, taxonID or taxonConceptID to look it up. Publishers are advised to check the IDs are correct, or update the formatting of the names on their records.

dwc:scientificName, dwc:scientificNameID, dwc:taxonID, dwc:taxonConceptID

example

Taxon match name and ID ambiguous

The GBIF Backbone concept was found using the scientificNameID, taxonID or taxonConceptID, but it differs from what would have been found if the classification names on the record were used. This may indicate a gap in the GBIF backbone, a poor mapping between the checklist and the backbone, or a mismatch between the classification names and the declared IDs (scientificNameID or taxonConceptID) on the occurrence record itself.

dwc:scientificName, dwc:scientificNameID, dwc:taxonID, dwc:taxonConceptID

example

Scientific name ID not found

The scientificNameID matched a known pattern, but it was not found in the associated checklist. The backbone lookup was performed using either the names or a different ID field from the record. This may indicate a poorly formatted identifier or may be caused by a newly created ID that isn’t yet known in the version of the published checklist.

dwc:scientificNameID

example

Taxon concept ID not found

The taxonConceptID matched a known pattern, but it was not found in the associated checklist. The backbone lookup was performed using either the names or a different ID field from the record. This may indicate a poorly formatted identifier or may be caused by a newly created ID that isn’t yet known in the version of the published checklist.

dwc:taxonConceptID

example

Taxon ID not found

The taxonID found matched a known pattern, but it was not found in the associated checklist. The backbone lookup was performed using either the names or a different ID field from the record. This may indicate a poorly formatted identifier or may be caused by a newly created ID that isn’t yet known in the version of the published checklist.

dwc:taxonID

example

Taxon match scientific name ID ignored

The scientificNameID was not used when mapping the record to the GBIF backbone. This may indicate one of:

The ID uses a pattern not configured for use by GBIF
The ID did not uniquely identify a concept in the checklist
The ID found a concept in the checklist that did not map to the backbone
A different ID was used, or the record names were used, as no ID lookup successfully linked to the backbone.

dwc:scientificNameID

example

Taxon match taxon concept ID ignored

taxonConceptID was not used when mapping the record to the GBIF backbone. This may indicate one of:

The ID uses a pattern not configured for use by GBIF
The ID did not uniquely identify a concept in the checklist
The ID found a concept in the checklist that did not map to the backbone
A different ID was used, or the record names were used, as no ID lookup successfully linked to the backbone.

dwc:taxonConceptID

example

Taxon match taxon ID ignored

The taxonID was not used when mapping the record to the GBIF backbone. This may indicate one of:

The ID uses a pattern not configured for use by GBIF
The ID did not uniquely identify a concept in the checklist
The ID found a concept in the checklist that did not map to the backbone
A different ID was used, or the record names were used, as no ID lookup successfully linked to the backbone.

dwc:taxonID

example

Date issues

Flag name	Definition	Terms	Example
Recorded date invalid	The recording date given cannot be intrepreted because is invalid. Reasons include: A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34") Missing date parts (e.g. Event date without year). The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)	dwc:eventDate, dwc:year, dwc:month, dwc:day	example
Recorded date mismatch	The recording date specified as the eventDate string and the individual year, month, day are contradicting.	dwc:eventDate, dwc:year, dwc:month, dwc:day	example
Identified date unlikely	The identification date is in the future or before Linnean times (1700).	dwc:dateIdentified	example
Recorded Date Unlikely	The recording date is highly unlikely, falling either into the future or representing a very old date before 1600 that predates modern taxonomy.	dwc:eventDate, dwc:year, dwc:month, dwc:day	example
Multimedia date invalid	The creation date given cannot be intrepreted because is invalid. Reasons include: A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34") Missing date parts (e.g. Event date without year) The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)	dwc:created	example
Identified date invalid	The identification date given cannot be intrepreted because is invalid. Reasons include: A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34") Missing date parts (e.g. without year) The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)	dwc:dateIdentified	example
Modified date invalid	A (partial) invalid modified date is given. Reasons include: A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34") Missing date parts (e.g. without year) The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)	dc:modified	example
Modified date unlikely	The modified date given is in the future or predates unix time (1970).	dc:modified	example
Georeferenced date invalid (date)	The georeference date given cannot be interpreted because it is invalid. Reasons include: A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34") Missing date parts (e.g. without year) The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)	dwc:georeferencedDate	example
Georeferenced date unlikely	The georeference date given is in the future or before Linnean times (1700).	dwc:georeferencedDate	example

Flag name

Definition

Terms

Example

Recorded date invalid

The recording date given cannot be intrepreted because is invalid.

Reasons include:

A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34")
Missing date parts (e.g. Event date without year).
The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)

dwc:eventDate, dwc:year, dwc:month, dwc:day

example

Recorded date mismatch

The recording date specified as the eventDate string and the individual year, month, day are contradicting.

dwc:eventDate, dwc:year, dwc:month, dwc:day

example

Identified date unlikely

The identification date is in the future or before Linnean times (1700).

dwc:dateIdentified

example

Recorded Date Unlikely

The recording date is highly unlikely, falling either into the future or representing a very old date before 1600 that predates modern taxonomy.

dwc:eventDate, dwc:year, dwc:month, dwc:day

example

Multimedia date invalid

The creation date given cannot be intrepreted because is invalid.

Reasons include:

A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34")
Missing date parts (e.g. Event date without year)
The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)

dwc:created

example

Identified date invalid

The identification date given cannot be intrepreted because is invalid.

Reasons include:

A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34")
Missing date parts (e.g. without year)
The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)

dwc:dateIdentified

example

Modified date invalid

A (partial) invalid modified date is given.

Reasons include:

A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34")
Missing date parts (e.g. without year)
The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)

dc:modified

example

Modified date unlikely

The modified date given is in the future or predates unix time (1970).

dc:modified

example

Georeferenced date invalid (date)

The georeference date given cannot be interpreted because it is invalid.

Reasons include:

A non-existing date (e.g "1995-04-34")
Missing date parts (e.g. without year)
The date format does not follow the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD)

dwc:georeferencedDate

example

Georeferenced date unlikely

The georeference date given is in the future or before Linnean times (1700).

dwc:georeferencedDate

example

Vocabulary issues

Flag name	Definition	Terms	Example
Basis of record invalid	The given basis of record is impossible to interpret or very different from the recommended vocabulary: https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/dwc/basis_of_record	dwc:basisOfRecord	example
Type status invalid	The given type status is impossible to interpret or very different from the recommended vocabulary: https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/type_status	dwc:typeStatus	example
Occurrence status unparsable	The given occurenceStatus value cannot be interpreted; it does not match any of the known (vocabulary) values that indicate the presence or absence of a species at or observation event.	dwc:occurrenceStatus	example

Flag name

Definition

Terms

Example

Basis of record invalid

The given basis of record is impossible to interpret or very different from the recommended vocabulary: https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/dwc/basis_of_record

dwc:basisOfRecord

example

Type status invalid

The given type status is impossible to interpret or very different from the recommended vocabulary: https://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/type_status

dwc:typeStatus

example

Occurrence status unparsable

The given occurenceStatus value cannot be interpreted; it does not match any of the known (vocabulary) values that indicate the presence or absence of a species at or observation event.

dwc:occurrenceStatus

example

GRSciColl issues

Flag name	Definition	Terms	Example
Ambiguous institution	Multiple institutions were found in GRSciColl with the same level of confidence and it can’t be determined which one should be accepted. For example, there are several institutions with the same code and country. See this FAQ on how to avoid ambiguous matches.	dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID	example
Ambiguous collection	Multiple collections were found in GRSciColl with the same level of confidence and it can’t be determined which one should be accepted. For example, there are several collections belonging to the same institution with the same code. See this FAQ on how to avoid ambiguous matches.	dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID	example
Institution match none	No match was found in GRSciColl. Either the entry doesn’t exists in GRSciColl or it has a different code. Check GRSciColl and request update if needed.	dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID	example
Collection match none	No match was found in GRSciColl. Either the entry doesn’t exists in GRSciColl or it has a different code. Check GRSciColl and request update if needed.	dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID	example
Institution match fuzzy	A match was found in GRSciColl but it was matched fuzzily. To know more about why this has happened you can use the lookup API to see see the "reasons" returned in the response. A common case is when the name is used instead of the code or the identifier. To avoid fuzzy matches, publishers should use identifiers in additon to codes. More details available in this FAQ.	dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID	example
Collection match fuzzy	A match was found in GRSciColl but it was matched fuzzily. To know more about why this has happened you can use the lookup API to see the "reasons" returned in the response. A common case is when the name is used instead of the code or the identifier. To avoid fuzzy matches, publishers should use identifiers in additon to codes. More details available in this FAQ.	dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID	example
Institution collection mismatch	At least one possible collection match was found in GRSciColl but none of them belong to the institution matched.	dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID, dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID	example
Different owner institution	The institution doesn’t match the owner institution.	dwc:ownerInstitutionCode, dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID	example

Flag name

Definition

Terms

Example

Ambiguous institution

Multiple institutions were found in GRSciColl with the same level of confidence and it can’t be determined which one should be accepted. For example, there are several institutions with the same code and country. See this FAQ on how to avoid ambiguous matches.

dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID

example

Ambiguous collection

Multiple collections were found in GRSciColl with the same level of confidence and it can’t be determined which one should be accepted. For example, there are several collections belonging to the same institution with the same code. See this FAQ on how to avoid ambiguous matches.

dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID

example

Institution match none

No match was found in GRSciColl. Either the entry doesn’t exists in GRSciColl or it has a different code. Check GRSciColl and request update if needed.

dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID

example

Collection match none

No match was found in GRSciColl. Either the entry doesn’t exists in GRSciColl or it has a different code. Check GRSciColl and request update if needed.

dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID

example

Institution match fuzzy

A match was found in GRSciColl but it was matched fuzzily. To know more about why this has happened you can use the lookup API to see see the "reasons" returned in the response. A common case is when the name is used instead of the code or the identifier. To avoid fuzzy matches, publishers should use identifiers in additon to codes. More details available in this FAQ.

dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID

example

Collection match fuzzy

A match was found in GRSciColl but it was matched fuzzily. To know more about why this has happened you can use the lookup API to see the "reasons" returned in the response. A common case is when the name is used instead of the code or the identifier. To avoid fuzzy matches, publishers should use identifiers in additon to codes. More details available in this FAQ.

dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID

example

Institution collection mismatch

At least one possible collection match was found in GRSciColl but none of them belong to the institution matched.

dwc:collectionCode, dwc:collectionID, dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID

example

Different owner institution

The institution doesn’t match the owner institution.

dwc:ownerInstitutionCode, dwc:institutionCode, dwc:institutionID

example

Other issues

Flag name	Definition	Terms	Example
Individual count invalid	Individual count value not parsable into a positive integer.	dwc:individualCount	example
Individual count conflicts with occurrence status	The values given for the individual count and for the status of the occurrence (present/absent) contradict each other (e.g. the count is 0 but the status says "present").	dwc:individualCount, dwc:occurrenceStatus	example
Occurrence status inferred from individual count	The present/absent status of the occurrence was inferred from the individual count value because no status value was supplied explicitly. An individual count of 0 is interpreted as status="absent", a value > 0 as "present".	dwc:individualCount, dwc:occurrenceStatus	example
Occurrence status inferred from basis of record	The present/absent status of the occurrence was inferred from the basis of record value because no status value was supplied explicitly.	dwc:basisOfRecord, dwc:occurrenceStatus	example
References URI invalid	The references URL cannot be resolved, and may be malformed or contain invalid characters.	dc:references	example
Multimedia URI invalid	The multimedia URL cannot be resolved, and may be malformed or contain invalid characters.	dwc:associatedMedia	example
Interpretation error	An error occurred during interpretation, leaving the record interpretation incomplete.		example

Flag name

Definition

Terms

Example

Individual count invalid

Individual count value not parsable into a positive integer.

dwc:individualCount

example

Individual count conflicts with occurrence status

The values given for the individual count and for the status of the occurrence (present/absent) contradict each other (e.g. the count is 0 but the status says "present").

dwc:individualCount, dwc:occurrenceStatus

example

Occurrence status inferred from individual count

The present/absent status of the occurrence was inferred from the individual count value because no status value was supplied explicitly. An individual count of 0 is interpreted as status="absent", a value > 0 as "present".

dwc:individualCount, dwc:occurrenceStatus

example

Occurrence status inferred from basis of record

The present/absent status of the occurrence was inferred from the basis of record value because no status value was supplied explicitly.

dwc:basisOfRecord, dwc:occurrenceStatus

example

References URI invalid

The references URL cannot be resolved, and may be malformed or contain invalid characters.

dc:references

example

Multimedia URI invalid

The multimedia URL cannot be resolved, and may be malformed or contain invalid characters.

dwc:associatedMedia

example

Interpretation error

An error occurred during interpretation, leaving the record interpretation incomplete.

example