EDIT WP5 Platform for Cybertaxonomy

In January 2008 and in March 2009 the first two versions of the Common Data Model (CDM) were frozen and documented. The first version was primarily based on experiences using existing data models and formats and attempted to cover all data elements relevant for the taxonomic workflow, so that data coming from different applications could be stored and processed with a single database. Version 2 included additions and refinements that came up as requirements from CDM Users and developers of the JAVA-based programming library on top of the CDM. During the last year the CDM became increasingly stable because most of its parts have already been tested prior to the release of version 2. Therefore, both the number of model changes and the number of changes in the derived database schema decreased significantly over time. This represents an important step towards stable applications with well defined migration paths from older to newer versions.