Slot: Standard Name (standard_name)
The standard-name identifier for the physical quantity, as a CURIE so the schema privileges no single naming authority. Use a CF Convention Standard Name where one exists (CF:air_temperature, CF:relative_humidity); for health-relevant quantities CF does not define (e.g. Heat Index, WBGT), mint a term in the project registry (ENVAR:heat_index) or reuse an ontology term (ECTO:...). The prefix carries the authority; the slot name does not. Mandatory.
Tier: core
Why this slot matters
This is the cross-agency identifier that makes the variable interoperable: without it, tmax from one product and tmmx from another cannot be recognised by machines as the same physical quantity, so records cannot be pooled or harmonised across studies.
In plain terms
Different tools use different nicknames for the same thing, so scientific communities maintain shared official names for physical quantities (like "air_temperature"). Tagging the record with the official name lets computers tell that two datasets measure the same thing, no matter what each dataset called it.
URI: dcterms:subject
Applicable Classes
| Name |
Description |
Modifies Slot |
| VariableIdentity |
The identity and semantics of an environmental exposure variable — what physi... |
yes |
Properties
Type and Range
Cardinality and Requirements
Examples
| Value |
| CF:air_temperature |
| CF:mass_concentration_of_pm2p5_ambient_aerosol_particles_in_air |
See Also
Annotations
| property |
value |
| tier |
core |
| justification |
This is the cross-agency identifier that makes the variable interoperable: without it, tmax from one product and tmmx from another cannot be recognised by machines as the same physical quantity, so records cannot be pooled or harmonised across studies. |
| explanation |
Different tools use different nicknames for the same thing, so scientific communities maintain shared official names for physical quantities (like "air_temperature"). Tagging the record with the official name lets computers tell that two datasets measure the same thing, no matter what each dataset called it. |
| covered_by |
None |
Schema Source
Mappings
| Mapping Type |
Mapped Value |
| self |
dcterms:subject |
| native |
envar:standard_name |
LinkML Source
name: standard_name
annotations:
tier:
tag: tier
value: core
justification:
tag: justification
value: 'This is the cross-agency identifier that makes the variable interoperable:
without it, `tmax` from one product and `tmmx` from another cannot be recognised
by machines as the same physical quantity, so records cannot be pooled or harmonised
across studies.'
explanation:
tag: explanation
value: Different tools use different nicknames for the same thing, so scientific
communities maintain shared official names for physical quantities (like "air_temperature").
Tagging the record with the official name lets computers tell that two datasets
measure the same thing, no matter what each dataset called it.
covered_by:
tag: covered_by
annotations:
omop_gaia:
tag: omop_gaia
annotations:
extent:
tag: extent
value: full
status:
tag: status
value: verified
where:
tag: where
value: gaia_db/variable_source.property_id and JSON-LD variableMeasured.propertyID
→ vocab.nerc.ac.uk/standard_name/air_temperature (NERC/CF mirror)
evidence:
tag: evidence
value: EnVar/examples/heat/COMPARISON.md §F (CF standard name — ✅ for
GAIA)
note:
tag: note
value: GAIA is the only stack carrying a real CF standard name, via the
hand-authored NERC propertyID in variable_source / JSON-LD.
degauss:
tag: degauss
annotations:
extent:
tag: extent
value: absent
status:
tag: status
value: asserted
where:
tag: where
value: no column
note:
tag: note
value: DeGAUSS carries no standard-name identifier — the quantity is implicit
in the `tmax` column name.
amadeus:
tag: amadeus
annotations:
extent:
tag: extent
value: partial
status:
tag: status
value: asserted
where:
tag: where
value: thredds_dataset.xml standard_name = "tmmx" (gridMET shortcode overloaded,
not a real CF term)
note:
tag: note
value: 'Amadeus populates a standard_name slot but with the gridMET shortcode
rather than a CF term, so a CF lookup fails. Conservative: partial.'
cher:
tag: cher
annotations:
extent:
tag: extent
value: partial
status:
tag: status
value: asserted
where:
tag: where
value: table_column_dictionary.column_tag_id (ontology tag planned §8)
note:
tag: note
value: 'C-HER''s column_tag / planned ontology encoding will tag columns
to its MORPH-built ontology, but no CF/standard-name binding exists
today. Conservative: partial.'
codata:
tag: codata
annotations:
extent:
tag: extent
value: partial
status:
tag: status
value: asserted
where:
tag: where
value: I-ADOPT Object + Property decomposition; DDI-CDI RepresentedVariable
(value domain + units)
note:
tag: note
value: Naming the physical quantity canonically is exactly CODATA's RepresentedVariable
/ I-ADOPT layer — its strongest zone — but it names the concept, not
this run's specific CURIE.
description: The standard-name identifier for the physical quantity, as a CURIE so
the schema privileges no single naming authority. Use a CF Convention Standard Name
where one exists (`CF:air_temperature`, `CF:relative_humidity`); for health-relevant
quantities CF does not define (e.g. Heat Index, WBGT), mint a term in the project
registry (`ENVAR:heat_index`) or reuse an ontology term (`ECTO:...`). The prefix
carries the authority; the slot name does not. Mandatory.
title: Standard Name
examples:
- value: CF:air_temperature
description: CF Standard Name for the Daymet daily Tmax scenario
- value: CF:mass_concentration_of_pm2p5_ambient_aerosol_particles_in_air
description: CF Standard Name for the ACAG PM2.5 scenario
from_schema: https://w3id.org/linkml/microschemas/envar
see_also:
- https://cfconventions.org/standard-names.html
- https://obofoundry.org/ontology/ecto.html
rank: 1000
slot_uri: dcterms:subject
domain_of:
- VariableIdentity
range: uriorcurie