[Esip-documentation] ACDD: creator, project, institution

[Bob Simons - NOAA Federal via Esip-documentation]

I'm sure I'm coming late to this discussion:

Why does ACDD 1.3 have creator, not creator_name, like 1.0?
Why does ACDD 1.3 have creator_project, not project, like 1.0?
Why does ACDD 1.3 have creator_institution, not institution (which is in 
CF!), like 1.0?
If you want to add creator_institution_info, why not just add 
institution_info?

It seems like these changes are just to change to names that the new 
ACDD group prefers, but at a HUGE cost.
I have 1000's of datasets that have creator_name, project, and 
institution attributes.
I have written software, ERDDAP, that strongly recommends creator_name 
and requires institution.
I have told numerous people and groups to follow the ACDD standard.
Now you are breaking your own standard.
The new ACDD group seems to think there are no consequences to changing 
attribute names and that it can be done just to suit the group's fancy.
It doesn't matter if you or I think the new names are better. That is 
not the issue.  If you are unhappy with the old system, change the 
definitions to clarify the attribute's usage, don't change the attribute 
names. Changes that break the old standard are wrong, wrong, wrong.
And no, saying that all attributes are optional doesn't make it okay to 
change the attribute's names. If ACDD says that the data creator's name 
is in an attribute called creator_name, then that is where it should be 
(last year, this year, next year, and in 50 years).

---
Standards should be backwards compatible.
Standards should be as stable as possible.
ACDD should be cleaning up the definitions of existing attributes and 
sparingly adding new attributes that provide a place for new pieces of 
information, NOT changing existing attribute names.


-- 
Sincerely,

Bob Simons
IT Specialist
Environmental Research Division
NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center
1352 Lighthouse Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950-2079
Phone: (831)333-9878 (Changed 2014-08-20)
Fax: (831)648-8440
Email: bob.simons at noaa.gov

The contents of this message are mine personally and
do not necessarily reflect any position of the
Government or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.lists.esipfed.org/pipermail/esip-documentation/attachments/20140925/b6829435/attachment.html>