The tables below are intended as a summary of the entities and fields used in the Tree Ring Data Standard and are easiest if read in combination with the data model diagram. For a more detail technical view of the standard please see the XML Technical Documentation.
A table is presented for each entity and each primary field is shown as a row. Where a field is a composite (i.e. it is a container for other attributes), the extra attributes are shown in the final column. In the case of the composite field 'woodCompleteness' (used in the radius and measurementSeries entities), it contains a number additional composite fields so for clarity it is presented here as an additional table.
All the tables are autogenerated from the most recent TRiDaS XSD file, but the process of flattening a structured schema into flat tables means that inevitably a number of ambiguities are introduced. In which case please refer to the original XSD file and technical documentation for clarification.
If you prefer you can download this information as a PDF.
'Project' Fields
A project is defined by a laboratory and encompasses dendrochronological research of a particular object or group of objects. Examples include: the dating of a building; the research of forest dynamics in a stand of living trees; the dating of all Rembrandt paintings in a museum. What is considered a 'project' is up to the laboratory performing the research. It could be the dating of a group of objects, but the laboratory can also decide to define a separate project for each object. Therefore, a project can have one or more objects associated with it.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string |  |  | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| type | The type of entity this is. Preferrably derived from a controlled vocabulary. | controlledVoc | | | |
| description | General description of this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| file | Filename of a file associated with this entity. | composite field | | | |
| laboratory | The dendrochronological research laboratory where this work was done. | composite field | | | identifier - Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. name - Name of the laboratory. address - Address information about this location acronym - Acronym of the laboratory. |
| category | Category of research this project falls into. Preferably from a controlled vocabulary. | controlledVoc | | | |
| investigator | Principal investigator of this project. | xs:string | | | |
| period | When the dendrochronological project took place. Could consist of a start- and end-date. If unknown it should be estimated. | xs:string | | | |
| requestDate | Date of the request for dendrochronology. If unknown it should be estimated. | date | | | |
| commissioner | The person/organisation who commissioned the project. | xs:string | | | |
| reference | Citations of publications relating to this project. | xs:string | | | |
| research | National/International system in which the research project is registered. | composite field | | | identifier - Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. description - General description of this entity. |
| genericField | Generic field for storing key/value pairs for data not currently supported in the TRiDaS standard | composite field | | | name - Name of the field. type - The data type that this field contains. |
'Object' Fields
An object is the item to be investigated. Examples include: violin; excavation site; painting on a wooden panel; water well; church; carving; ship; forest. An object could also be more specific, for example: mast of a ship; roof of a church. Depending on the object type various descriptions are made possible. An object can have one or more elements and can also refer to another (sub) object. For instance a single file may contain three objects: an archaeological site object, within which there is a building object, within which there is a beam object. The list of possible object types is extensible and is thus flexible enough to incorporate the diversity of data required by the dendro community. Only information that is essential for dendrochronological research is recorded here. Other related data may be provided in the form of a link to an external database such as a museum catalogue.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string | | | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| type | The type of entity this is. Preferrably derived from a controlled vocabulary. | controlledVoc | | | |
| description | General description of this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| linkSeries | seriesLinksWithPreferred | | | ||
| file | Filename of a file associated with this entity. | composite field | | | |
| creator | Name of creator, place of the workshop/wharf etc. | xs:string | | | |
| owner | Name of the owner of the physical object. | xs:string | | | |
| coverage | Details on the time period this object covers. | composite field | | | coverageTemporal - If the date is already known in more or less detail: historical period (broad). Equivalent to Dublin Core term 'temporal'. coverageTemporalFoundation - Method of dating support (e.g. archive sources, inscriptions, stratigraphic context, associated finds, typology, stylistic aspects, carpenter marks, radiocarbon, OSL, other methods). |
| location | Details about the geographical location of this entity. | composite field | | | locationGeometry - GML representation of a location. Can be either a point to represent a particular location or a polygon to represent an area or a geographical extent / bounding box. locationType - The type of location that the geometry field represents taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary. locationPrecision - Stores potential difference; number of meters difference, so 0 is exact. locationComment - Additional information about the location, for example, point taken from center or corner of area, which corner address - Address information about this location |
| genericField | Generic field for storing key/value pairs for data not currently supported in the TRiDaS standard | composite field | | | name - Name of the field. type - The data type that this field contains. |
'Element' Fields
An element is a piece of wood originating from a single tree. Examples include: one plank of a water well; a single wooden panel in a painting; the left-hand back plate of a violin; one beam in a roof; a tree trunk preserved in the soil; a living tree. The element is a specific part of exactly one object or sub object. An object will often consist of more than one element, e.g., when dealing with the staves (elements) of a barrel (object). One or more samples can be taken from an element and an element may be dated using one or more derivedSeries.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string | | | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| type | The type of entity this is. Preferrably derived from a controlled vocabulary. | controlledVoc | | | |
| description | General description of this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| linkSeries | seriesLinksWithPreferred | | | ||
| file | Filename of a file associated with this entity. | composite field | | | |
| taxon | The most detailed taxonomic name known for this element (species, genus, family etc). Preferably from the Catalogue of Life (www.catalogueoflife.org) controlled vocabulary. | controlledVoc | | | |
| shape | The shape of this element, as a free text description, an entry from a specificed controlled vocabulary, or perferably from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary. | composite field | | | |
| dimensions | Physical dimensions of this element, either height and diameter, or height, width and depth. The units of these measurements must also be specified. | composite field | | | unit - Measurement units used for these value, preferrably taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary height - Height of this element. Should be used in combination with either diameter, or width and depth. diameter - Diameter of this element. Used in combination with height when the element is a tree. width - Width of the element. depth - Depth of the element. |
| authenticity | Whether this element is original, a repair or later addition etc. | xs:string | | | |
| location | Details about the geographical location of this entity. | composite field | | | locationGeometry - GML representation of a location. Can be either a point to represent a particular location or a polygon to represent an area or a geographical extent / bounding box. locationType - The type of location that the geometry field represents taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary. locationPrecision - Stores potential difference; number of meters difference, so 0 is exact. locationComment - Additional information about the location, for example, point taken from center or corner of area, which corner address - Address information about this location |
| processing | Processing (carved, sawn etc.) rafting marks etc. | xs:string | | | |
| marks | Carpenter marks, inscriptions etc | xs:string | | | |
| altitude | Altitude in metres if this element is a standing tree in situ. | xs:double | | | |
| slope | Only relevant if this element is a standing tree. Contains details about the slope this tree was growing on. | composite field | | | angle - Angle of slope from horizontal in degrees azimuth - Angle in degrees from north along which the slope lies |
| soil | Only relevant if this element is a standing tree. Contains details of the soil the tree was growing in. | composite field | | | description - General description of the soil type depth - Depth of soil in centimetres |
| bedrock | Only relevant if this element is a standing tree. Contains details of the bedrock below where the tree was growing. | composite field | | | description - General description of the underlying bedrock |
| genericField | Generic field for storing key/value pairs for data not currently supported in the TRiDaS standard | composite field | | | name - Name of the field. type - The data type that this field contains. |
'Sample' Fields
A sample is a physical specimen or non-physical representation of an element. Examples include: core from a living tree; core from a rafter in a church roof; piece of charcoal from an archaeological trench; slice from a pile used in a pile foundation; wax imprint of the outer end of a plank; photo of a back plate of a string instrument. Note that a sample always exists and that it can either be physical (e.g. a core) or representative (e.g. a picture). A sample is taken from exactly one element and can be represented by one or more radii.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string | | | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| type | The type of entity this is. Preferrably derived from a controlled vocabulary. | controlledVoc | | | |
| description | General description of this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| file | Filename of a file associated with this entity. | composite field | | | |
| samplingDate | Date the sample was taken | date | | | |
| position | Description of the position in the element where this sample was taken from | xs:string | | | |
| state | State of the material (dry/wet/conserved/burned, woodworm, rot, cracks) things that indicate the quality of the measurements. | xs:string | | | |
| knots | Are knots present in the sample? | xs:boolean | | | |
| genericField | Generic field for storing key/value pairs for data not currently supported in the TRiDaS standard | composite field | | | name - Name of the field. type - The data type that this field contains. |
'Radius' Fields
A radius is a line from pith to bark along which the measurements are taken. A radius is derived from exactly one sample. It can be measured more than once resulting in multiple measurementSeries.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string | | | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| woodCompleteness | Details of the pith, heartwood, sapwood and last ring under the bark. This is included under the radius or measurementSeries entities. If present in both, the measurementSeries details supercede those of the radius. | composite field | | | ringCount - Convenience field for recording the total number of rings measured. If there is a disparity between this field and the actual number of 'values' tags, then the number of 'values' tags should be taken as definitive. averageRingWidth - Convenience field for recording the average ring width of rings measured. If there is a disparity between this field and the actual 'values' tags, then the average of the 'values' tags should be taken as definitive. nrOfUnmeasuredInnerRings - Field for recording whether there are any rings at the inner (i.e. towards pith) edge of the sample that have not been measured. Typically used to note when rings are too damaged to measure. nrOfUnmeasuredOuterRings - Field for recording whether there are any rings at the outer (i.e. towards bark) edge of the sample that have not been measured. Typically used to note when rings are too damaged to measure. pith - Whether the pith is present or absent heartwood - This field records whether the outer (youngest) heartwood is present and if so whether it is complete. If the sample includes the last heartwood ring before the sapwood then it is 'complete' otherwise it is 'incomplete' or 'absent'. sapwood - Details about the sapwood bark - Bark is present or absent |
| azimuth | Angle in degrees from north along which the slope lies | xs:int | | | |
| genericField | Generic field for storing key/value pairs for data not currently supported in the TRiDaS standard | composite field | | | name - Name of the field. type - The data type that this field contains. |
'WoodCompleteness' Fields
Details of the pith, heartwood, sapwood and last ring under the bark. This is included under the radius or measurementSeries entities. If present in both, the measurementSeries details supercede those of the radius.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ringCount | Convenience field for recording the total number of rings measured. If there is a disparity between this field and the actual number of 'values' tags, then the number of 'values' tags should be taken as definitive. | xs:int | | | |
| averageRingWidth | Convenience field for recording the average ring width of rings measured. If there is a disparity between this field and the actual 'values' tags, then the average of the 'values' tags should be taken as definitive. | xs:double | | | |
| nrOfUnmeasuredInnerRings | Field for recording whether there are any rings at the inner (i.e. towards pith) edge of the sample that have not been measured. Typically used to note when rings are too damaged to measure. | xs:int | | | |
| nrOfUnmeasuredOuterRings | Field for recording whether there are any rings at the outer (i.e. towards bark) edge of the sample that have not been measured. Typically used to note when rings are too damaged to measure. | xs:int | | | |
| pith | Whether the pith is present or absent | composite field | | | |
| heartwood | This field records whether the outer (youngest) heartwood is present and if so whether it is complete. If the sample includes the last heartwood ring before the sapwood then it is 'complete' otherwise it is 'incomplete' or 'absent'. | composite field | | | missingHeartwoodRingsToPith - Estimated number of missing heartwood rings to the pith missingHeartwoodRingsToPithFoundation - Description of the way the estimation of how many heartwood rings are missing was made and what the certainty is. |
| sapwood | Details about the sapwood | composite field | | | nrOfSapwoodRings - Number of sapwood rings measured lastRingUnderBark - Information about the last rings under the bark. If the last ring is under the bark is present, include information about the completeness of this ring and/or season of felling. missingSapwoodRingsToBark - Estimated number of missing sapwood rings to the bark missingSapwoodRingsToBarkFoundation - Description of the way the estimation of how many sapwood rings are missing was made and what the certainty is. presence - Whether the sapwood is present or not |
| bark | Bark is present or absent | composite field | | |
'MeasurementSeries' Fields
A measurementSeries is a series of direct, raw measurements along a radius. A single measurementSeries can be standardised or a collection of measurementSeries can be combined into a derivedSeries. The measurements themselves are stored separately as values.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string | | | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| measuringDate | Date that the measurements where made. | date | | | |
| woodCompleteness | Details of the pith, heartwood, sapwood and last ring under the bark. This is included under the radius or measurementSeries entities. If present in both, the measurementSeries details supercede those of the radius. | composite field | | | ringCount - Convenience field for recording the total number of rings measured. If there is a disparity between this field and the actual number of 'values' tags, then the number of 'values' tags should be taken as definitive. averageRingWidth - Convenience field for recording the average ring width of rings measured. If there is a disparity between this field and the actual 'values' tags, then the average of the 'values' tags should be taken as definitive. nrOfUnmeasuredInnerRings - Field for recording whether there are any rings at the inner (i.e. towards pith) edge of the sample that have not been measured. Typically used to note when rings are too damaged to measure. nrOfUnmeasuredOuterRings - Field for recording whether there are any rings at the outer (i.e. towards bark) edge of the sample that have not been measured. Typically used to note when rings are too damaged to measure. pith - Whether the pith is present or absent heartwood - This field records whether the outer (youngest) heartwood is present and if so whether it is complete. If the sample includes the last heartwood ring before the sapwood then it is 'complete' otherwise it is 'incomplete' or 'absent'. sapwood - Details about the sapwood bark - Bark is present or absent |
| analyst | Name of the analyst that made the series | xs:string | | | |
| dendrochronologist | Name of the dendrochronologist that oversaw the analyst | xs:string | | | |
| measuringMethod | Method that was used to measure this measurementSeries, preferably from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary. | composite field | | | normalTridas - TRiDaS controlled vocabulary for the method of measuring. |
| genericField | Generic field for storing key/value pairs for data not currently supported in the TRiDaS standard | composite field | | | name - Name of the field. type - The data type that this field contains. |
| values |
This is a container for a group of actual measurement values. When appropriate this container
includes details on the variable being represented as well as the units used. If the values
are unitless, then the special | composite field | | | variable - Measured variable (ring width, earlywood, latewood etc) preferrably taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary unitless - Presence of this field denotes that hte associated values have no units. Not to be used to denote *unknown* units. unit - Measurement units used for these value, preferrably taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary value - A value is the result of a single ring measurement. The type of measurement this is along with the units used are recorded in the 'values' container in the associated measurement- or derviedSeries. |
| interpretation | Information interpreted from the series | composite field | | | dating - Information about dating firstYear - Year of the first measured ring. This is derived from the chronology that was used to date this series. It is not to be confused with sproutYear. lastYear - Year of the last measured ring. It is not to be confused with deathYear which might also include unmeasured or hypothetical rings datingReference - Chronology used to interpret the series statFoundation - Container for fields that describe the statistical method used for crossdating pithYear - Estimated year that the tree sprouted deathYear - Estimated year of death of the tree provenance - Estimated provenance derived from the matching chronology |
| interpretationUnsolved | composite field | | |
'DerivedSeries' Fields
A derivedSeries is a calculated series of values and is a minor modification of the 'v-series' concept proposed by Brewer et al (2009). Examples include: index; average of a collection of measurementSeries such as a chronology. A derivedSeries is derived from one or more measurementSeries and has multiple values associated with it.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string | | | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| derivationDate | The date that this derivedSeries was created. | date | | | |
| type | The type of entity this is. Preferrably derived from a controlled vocabulary. | controlledVoc | | | |
| linkSeries | seriesLinks | | | ||
| objective | The reason/rationale why this series was made | xs:string | | | |
| standardizingMethod | Numerical method used to standardise the series | xs:string | | | |
| author | Name of the person that created this derivedSeries | xs:string | | | |
| version | Version number of this derivedSeries | xs:string | | | |
| location | Details about the geographical location of this entity. | composite field | | | locationGeometry - GML representation of a location. Can be either a point to represent a particular location or a polygon to represent an area or a geographical extent / bounding box. locationType - The type of location that the geometry field represents taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary. locationPrecision - Stores potential difference; number of meters difference, so 0 is exact. locationComment - Additional information about the location, for example, point taken from center or corner of area, which corner address - Address information about this location |
| genericField | Generic field for storing key/value pairs for data not currently supported in the TRiDaS standard | composite field | | | name - Name of the field. type - The data type that this field contains. |
| values |
This is a container for a group of actual measurement values. When appropriate this container
includes details on the variable being represented as well as the units used. If the values
are unitless, then the special | composite field | | | variable - Measured variable (ring width, earlywood, latewood etc) preferrably taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary unitless - Presence of this field denotes that hte associated values have no units. Not to be used to denote *unknown* units. unit - Measurement units used for these value, preferrably taken from the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary value - A value is the result of a single ring measurement. The type of measurement this is along with the units used are recorded in the 'values' container in the associated measurement- or derviedSeries. |
| interpretation | Information interpreted from the series | composite field | | | dating - Information about dating firstYear - Year of the first measured ring. This is derived from the chronology that was used to date this series. It is not to be confused with sproutYear. lastYear - Year of the last measured ring. It is not to be confused with deathYear which might also include unmeasured or hypothetical rings datingReference - Chronology used to interpret the series statFoundation - Container for fields that describe the statistical method used for crossdating pithYear - Estimated year that the tree sprouted deathYear - Estimated year of death of the tree provenance - Estimated provenance derived from the matching chronology |
| interpretationUnsolved | composite field | | |
'Value' Fields
A value is the result of a single ring measurement. The type of measurement this is along with the units used are recorded in the 'values' container in the associated measurement- or derviedSeries.
| Name | Description | Data type | Mandatory | Repeatable | Additional Associated Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title | Title or name of this entity. This should be a 'human readable' name by which the entity is referred. | xs:string | | | |
| identifier | Identifier for this entity which in combination with the domain should be unique. This is typically a computer generated code such as a database primary key. | composite field | | | domain - The domain which this identifier is applicable to. Could be the URL of the organisation's server or the name of the organisation as long as it is not ambiguous. |
| createdTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this record was created. | dateTime | | | |
| lastModifiedTimestamp | Field containing date and time when this records was last updated. | dateTime | | | |
| comments | More information about this entity. | xs:string | | | |
| remark | Remark about this value. Remarks can be standardised to consistantly record important features like 'frost damage' - preferrably using the TRiDaS controlled vocabulary. | composite field | | | normalTridas - TRiDaS controlled vocabulary for specific remarks. inheritedCount - In derivedSeries this shows the number of constituent measurementSeries that this remark is found in. |