An Excel Template Generator for Darwin Core - Learnings from Nansen Legacy template generator

Sep 12, 2026

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Scientific data can include biotic and abiotic measurements, material samples, and DNA-derived data, making correct preparation challenging for researchers new to the Darwin Core standard. The article introduces the “Learnings from Nansen Legacy” template generator, a spreadsheet tool that simplifies creating Darwin Core Archives. Users generate one Microsoft Excel file via a graphical interface, creating one sheet per core or extension, selecting suitable Darwin Core terms as column headers with embedded descriptions, notes, and format restrictions. A configuration also supports CF-NetCDF files aligned with FAIR principles.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Template generator overview

User workflow and term selection

Built-in term descriptions, notes, and format restrictions

Support for CF-NetCDF and FAIR alignment

Availability and testing

Conference Abstract An Excel Template Generator for Darwin Core Luke H Marsden‡,§ , Olaf Schneider | ‡ The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands § Norwegian Meteorological In, Oslo, Norway | Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway Corresponding author: Luke H Marsden ([lukem@unis.no](lukem@unis.no)) Received: 30 Aug 2023 | Published: 31 Aug 2023 Citation: Marsden LH, Schneider O (2023) An Excel Template Generator for Darwin Core. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 7: e111907 . [https://doi.org/10.3897/biss.7.111907](https://doi.org/10.3897/biss.7.111907) Abstract Scientific data is diverse and can be complex, potentially including biotic or abiotic measurements, material samples, DNA derived data and more. Especially for researchers who are new to the Darwin Core standard ( Darwin Core Task Group 2009), it is not always obvious what the best practice is for creating a Darwin Core Archive (GBIF 2021) for their data. Which core and extensions should they select? Which Darwin Core terms* 1 should they include? We present the 'Learnings from Nansen Legacy template generator'(Marsden and Schneider 2023), a spreadsheet template generator to simplify the creation of Darwin Core Archives. It enables users to create a single Microsoft Excel file that includes one sheet per core or extension using a graphical user interface. The user can select from a complete list Darwin Core terms to use as column headers. There are requirements and recommendations for which terms are selected for each core and extension. Descriptions for all terms are displayed when one hovers over a Darwin Core term, and are stored as notes in the template when one select a relevant cell. The generated template includes cell restrictions to prevent one from inputting data in an incorrect format. A separate configuration is also available to aid researchers in creating CF-NetCDF*2 files for physical data, which are also compliant with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Resuable)*3 data management principles. The Learnings from Nansen Legacy template generator is published ( Marsden and Schneider 2023) and can be installed for use on your website or computer by following the instructions on the software's GitHub repository*4. The template generator can be tested © Marsden L, Schneider O. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4 .0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 2 Marsden L, Schneider O where it is currently hosted, by SIOS*5 (Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System) . One can also refer to a YouTube tutorial*6 on how the template generator works. Keywords spreadsheet, research data, Nansen Legacy, FAIR principles Presenting author Luke Marsden Presented at TDWG 2023 Conflicts of interest The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. References • Darwin Core Task Group (2009) Darwin Core. Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) . URL: [http://www.tdwg.org/standards/450](http://www.tdwg.org/standards/450) • GBIF (2021) Darwin Core Archives – How-to Guide, version 2.2. Copenhagen: GBIF Secretariat. URL: [https://ipt.gbif.org/manual/en/ipt/2.5/dwca-guide](https://ipt.gbif.org/manual/en/ipt/2.5/dwca-guide) • Marsden L, Schneider O (2023) Learnings from Nansen Legacy template generator. 1.0. Zenodo. Release date: 2023-6-01 . URL: [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7993323](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7993323) Endnotes *1 [https://dwc.tdwg.org/terms/](https://dwc.tdwg.org/terms/) *2 [https://cfconventions.org/](https://cfconventions.org/) *3 [https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/](https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/) *4 [https://github.com/SIOS-Svalbard/Learnings_from_AeN_template_generator](https://github.com/SIOS-Svalbard/Learnings_from_AeN

FAQs

What problem does the Excel template generator address for new Darwin Core users?

It helps researchers who are new to Darwin Core decide best practices and create correct Darwin Core Archives by guiding core/extension selection and required terms.

How does the template generator structure the output Excel file?

It creates a single Microsoft Excel file with one sheet per chosen core or extension, generated through a graphical user interface.

What features help ensure correct Darwin Core term usage in the template?

The tool provides selectable term lists as column headers, shows term descriptions on hover, stores descriptions as cell notes, and applies cell restrictions to prevent invalid data formats.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Aran