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An IVOA Standard for Unified Content Descriptors
Version 1.10

IVOA Recommendation 19 August 2005

Interest/Working Group:
http://www.ivoa.net/twiki/bin/view/IVOA/IvoaUCD
Author(s):
Sébastien Derriere, Norman Gray, Robert Mann, Andrea Preite Martinez, Jonathan McDowell, Thomas Mc Glynn, François Ochsenbein, Pedro Osuna, Guy Rixon, Roy Williams
Editor(s):
Sébastien Derriere, Andrea Preite Martinez, Roy Williams

Abstract

This document describes the current understanding of the IVOA controlled vocabulary for describing astronomical data quantities, called Unified Content Descriptors (UCDs). The present document defines a new standard (named UCD1+) improving the first generation of UCDs (hereafter UCD1). The basic idea is to adopt a new syntax and vocabulary requiring little effort for people to adapt softwares already using UCD1. This document also addresses the questions of maintenance and evolution of the UCD1+. Examples of use cases within the VO, and tools for using UCD1+ are also described.

Status of this document

This document has been produced by the Unified Content Descriptors Working Group.
It has been reviewed by IVOA Members and other interested parties, and has been endorsed by the IVOA Executive Committee as an IVOA Recommendation. It is a stable document and may be used as reference material or cited as a normative reference from another document. IVOA's role in making the Recommendation is to draw attention to the specification and to promote its widespread deployment. This enhances the functionality and interoperability inside the Astronomical Community.



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