[CF-metadata] standard names committee

[Nan Galbraith]

>  An update of the standard name table is planned to take place on
>  Tuesday 20th February.  Unless any objections are received the
>  following names will be added: ...

This is a very good way to give everyone a last chance to
comment on additions - thanks, Alison.

As one of the over-committed people Roy mentioned, it's actually
great to have a deadline of some kind - as long as it's not too quick.

Alison's plan for bi-monthly updates seems about right - if I can't
get through a thread in less time than that,  it's probably because
it's too far out of my area of expertise - and, in those cases, there's
really no point in my weighing in.

I agree with Roy that an extension should be provided in cases
where there are explicit requests - as long as this doesn't cause
people to stay out of the discussion until the last week before
a scheduled update.

Cheers - Nan

>  This is not an easy issue.  One the one hand Standard Name proposers
>  need rapid closure so they can get on with their work.  On the other
>  hand we need to be careful not to exclude 'the overcomitted' from the
>  process.  ...
>
>  ... include a guillotine date that can possibly be extended, but only
>  in response to explicit, finite, requests.  If there is still no
>  resolution at this stage then it's time for a committee decision
>  (vote?).
...

>Thank you for your informative and constructive comments on
>  the standard names committee. You are doing a very valuable job in
>  managing the standard names process.

>  With regard to the difficulty of making decisions, perhaps we need to
>  decide some time-limits. The terms of reference for the committees
>  allowed for this. It is something that we could discuss, especially
>  the standard names committee. I wonder what members of that committee
>  think about how the process of reaching decisions on standard names
>  should be conducted. Any views?