Practitioner guide · Reference adoption
Adopt the open standard
Adoption depends on accessible reference tooling and a mandated first deliverable per pilot. The sequence below — download the open pack, validate an example bundle, cite the registry in one brief or procurement clause — is the published starting point for practitioners, studios, and public procurement teams. Studios can start from the Studio Pilot Kit copy-paste brief.
Why open specifications remain unused
Open metadata specifications often stall when teams lack a mandated first use case, accessible validation tooling, and procurement-ready citation language. Governance documentation alone rarely changes day-to-day export workflows when BIM, GIS, and spreadsheet tools already define their own field vocabularies.
Practical adoption requires one concrete deliverable per pilot: cite the registry in a studio brief or procurement clause, paste the published procurement sentence, and document any mapping gap for draft consultation. Self-serve validators remain paused pending stewardship clarity.
- Tooling gap — no clear download, worked example, or citation path in the first session
- No mandate — nothing in the brief, rubric, or handover checklist requires structured metadata
- Vendor default — teams ship native Revit/IFC fields instead of a shared interchange grammar
- Abstract documentation — governance copy without a published adoption sequence
Reference adoption path
Follow three steps to reference the open specification. No account is required. Academic citation, studio briefs, and public-procurement reference language are free — the Foundation does not charge for the grammar. The Foundation operates under interim stewardship pending incorporation. Draft dictionary, registry, and schema documentation are available for citation; self-serve validators and package inspectors are paused.
- 1 · Open the draft dictionary
- Cite the free public grammar — https://schema.landscapearchive.org/dictionary
- 2 · Review the draft pack
- Schema manifest and JSON modules (draft) — https://schema.landscapearchive.org/schema/manifest.json
- 3 · Cite in one deliverable
- Add the procurement reference language below to a studio brief, RFQ, or methods section — one mandated deliverable per pilot.
Studio Pilot Kit
A copy-paste brief for landscape architectural studios and practices running a single pilot deliverable against the open specification — packaged for a studio handout. Full education path (dictionary → citation → consultation) lives on Industry & practice.
Open reference (draft). Empty or draft schema modules are acceptable for a pilot — document gaps and use published registry keys only. Self-serve validator and Evidence Checker tools are paused. New to the vocabulary? Start with dictionary & schema in plain language.
- Practice citation loop: cite dictionary → one procurement sentence in a deliverable → draft consultation for gaps
- Gaps in mapping or missing fields → draft consultation / review pack (prefer public feedback over private forks)
- Optional teaching fixtures (messy schedule excerpt + sample open bundle): /examples/before-after-conformance/ — draft examples
- In plain language
- Short Foundation explainer for practices and studios — what a term, the dictionary, and the schema pack are — https://landscapearchive.org/industry-practice#in-plain-language
- Open field dictionary
- Start with the free public grammar — https://schema.landscapearchive.org/dictionary — do not invent registry keys
- Schema manifest (draft)
- Download the draft schema manifest — https://schema.landscapearchive.org/schema/manifest.json
- Self-serve tools
- Validator and Evidence Checker are paused pending stewardship clarity
- Procurement sentence
- Cite the published procurement reference language in one brief, RFQ, or methods section
STUDIO PILOT KIT — open TLA-185 reference
The Landscape Archive Foundation (interim stewardship pending incorporation)
PURPOSE
Use the published open landscape metadata specification as a reference in one
studio or practice deliverable. This is open reference infrastructure available
for citation and conformance checking without purchase of a commercial product.
MANDATED DELIVERABLE (choose one)
1. Cite the open field dictionary URL in a studio brief, methods section, or RFQ.
2. Cite the procurement reference language in a studio brief, methods section, or RFQ.
3. Document one mapping gap against the draft registry (send to draft consultation).
NOTE
Self-serve validator and Evidence Checker tools are paused pending stewardship clarity.
Draft dictionary and registry remain available for citation.
CORE LINKS
• Open field dictionary (free grammar): https://schema.landscapearchive.org/dictionary
• Schema manifest (draft): https://schema.landscapearchive.org/schema/manifest.json
• Evidence Checker status (paused): https://landscapearchive.org/evidence-checker
• Licence & scope: https://landscapearchive.org/licence
• Procurement sentence: https://landscapearchive.org/adopt#procurement-sentence
• Industry & practice path: https://landscapearchive.org/industry-practice
• Dictionary & schema in plain language: https://landscapearchive.org/industry-practice#in-plain-language
• Procurement / RFQ checklist: https://landscapearchive.org/industry-practice#rfq-checklist
PRACTICE CITATION LOOP (honest path while validators are paused)
Cite the open field dictionary → paste one procurement sentence into a deliverable
→ document any mapping gap for draft consultation. Do not invent registry field keys.
When self-serve validators return, re-add structural check + Evidence Checker inspect.
PROCUREMENT REFERENCE LANGUAGE (verbatim or adapt)
Landscape metadata interchange shall use the open TLA-185 field registry and JSON Schema modules published at schema.landscapearchive.org. Vendor implementations may declare scope via published capability grant manifests. This is a non-commercial reference specification under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 and does not require purchase of a specific commercial product. Where the brief requires Landscape Archive–attested deliverables, submit a licensed Landscape Archive package from an authorised organisation (see landscapearchive.com.au/authorised); Archive Seal marks may be required for pack attestation. Commercial Library, Hub, Studio+™, populated datasets, and software remain separately licensed.
PILOT NOTES
• Empty or draft JSON Schema modules are acceptable for a pilot — document gaps;
do not invent registry field keys.
• Mapping gaps → draft consultation / review pack (prefer public feedback over private forks).
• Optional teaching artefacts (messy schedule excerpt + sample open bundle):
https://landscapearchive.org/examples/before-after-conformance/
Conformance examples only (not Field Notes essays).
Studio Pilot Kit page: https://landscapearchive.org/adopt#studio-pilot
Studio Pilot outreach pack
Founder / director pack for inviting 3–5 named studios (and optionally one university teaching contact) to run one mandated Studio Pilot deliverable. Reuses the live Kit brief.
Focus: open reference and citation. Keep commercial product conversations on a separate thread after the pilot artefact exists.
- Prefer practices already teaching planting schedules / disclosure appendices
- One uni contact is enough for the first teaching cohort — focus on the mandated deliverable
- Keep Archive commercial follow-ups on a separate thread after the pilot artefact exists
- Cohort size
- Name 3–5 practices locally in the tracker (not stored on this site) — measurable citation without commercial soft-sell
- Invite email
- Copy-paste template below; link the Studio Pilot Kit and dictionary; ask for one deliverable only
- Success signal
- Cited procurement sentence or registry URL in a real deliverable — then gaps → draft consultation
STUDIO PILOT OUTREACH PACK — Foundation (interim stewardship pending incorporation)
HOW TO USE
1. Name 3–5 studios / one uni contact in the cohort tracker below.
2. Paste the invite email (edit [brackets]). Attach or link the Studio Pilot Kit brief.
3. Ask for one mandated deliverable only. Keep commercial product follow-ups for a later thread.
COHORT TRACKER (fill locally — not stored by this page)
☐ 1. Studio / practice: ____________________ Contact: ____________________ Status: invited / brief sent / deliverable done / declined
☐ 2. Studio / practice: ____________________ Contact: ____________________ Status: …
☐ 3. Studio / practice: ____________________ Contact: ____________________ Status: …
☐ 4. Studio / practice: ____________________ Contact: ____________________ Status: …
☐ 5. University / teaching studio: __________ Contact: ____________________ Status: …
--- INVITE EMAIL (copy below this line) ---
Subject: Open landscape metadata pilot — one deliverable (TLA-185 reference)
Hello [Name],
I am writing from The Landscape Archive Foundation (interim stewardship pending
incorporation). We publish an open field dictionary for landscape metadata interchange
(TLA-185). This is free public grammar for citation — available without purchase of a
commercial product. Self-serve validators are paused for now.
Would [Studio / University] run a single Studio Pilot deliverable this term?
Choose one:
(1) Cite the open field dictionary URL in a brief / methods section / RFQ, or
(2) Cite the published procurement reference language in a brief / methods section / RFQ, or
(3) Document one mapping gap against the draft registry (draft consultation).
Starter pack:
• Studio Pilot Kit: https://landscapearchive.org/adopt#studio-pilot
• Open field dictionary: https://schema.landscapearchive.org/dictionary
• Licence & scope: https://landscapearchive.org/licence
• Industry & practice path: https://landscapearchive.org/industry-practice
• RFQ checklist: https://landscapearchive.org/industry-practice#rfq-checklist
Empty or draft schema modules are fine for a pilot — document gaps; please do not invent
registry field keys. Happy to answer mapping questions via draft consultation.
Thank you,
[Your name]
--- end invite ---
Outreach pack page: https://landscapearchive.org/adopt#studio-pilot-outreach
Full brief: https://landscapearchive.org/adopt#studio-pilot
Procurement reference language
Use verbatim or adapt for your jurisdiction. The sentence references the open specification and draft public grammar.
- Landscape metadata interchange shall use the open TLA-185 field registry and JSON Schema modules published at schema.landscapearchive.org. Vendor implementations may declare scope via published capability grant manifests. This is a non-commercial reference specification under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 and does not require purchase of a specific commercial product. Where the brief requires Landscape Archive–attested deliverables, submit a licensed Landscape Archive package from an authorised organisation (see landscapearchive.com.au/authorised); Archive Seal marks may be required for pack attestation. Commercial Library, Hub, Studio+™, populated datasets, and software remain separately licensed.
Adoption ladder
Move one rung at a time. Each step should yield a durable artefact — a cited brief, dictionary URL, or documented mapping gap — suitable for methods sections, studio assessment, or procurement files. Self-serve validators are paused.
- Read
- Skim the field registry and one crosswalk relevant to your disclosure or procurement context
- Cite dictionary
- Include the open field dictionary URL in one brief or methods note
- Cite in one deliverable
- Studio brief, methods chapter, RFQ clause, or climate appendix — one sentence plus registry URL
- Pilot
- One project documents interchange metadata for handover or disclosure; note what mapped cleanly and what did not
- Founding member
- After a pilot, review the draft constitution and nominate an organisational representative — consultation only until incorporation
Year-one reference support
The Foundation publishes free, low-friction reference materials focused on specification citation rather than commercial licensing. Commercial Archive products remain optional implementation layers and are not under Creative Commons.
- Draft schema portal dictionary, field registry, and example bundles — no login
- Self-serve validators and Evidence Checker — paused until licence clarity improves
- Jurisdiction crosswalks (Australia AASB S2, UK IFRS S2, EU CSRD, US SEC climate) mapping disclosure concepts to field slots
- Briefing call for university studios and public procurement teams — clear status on draft governance
- Pilot feedback channel into RFC comment periods — mapping gaps become specification issues for public review
Founding alliance — outreach summary
Plain-language context for charter consultation — problem framing, published reference infrastructure, consultation ask, and conflict rules. Draft only; no alliance exists today and the Foundation is not yet incorporated.
FOUNDING ALLIANCE — OUTREACH SUMMARY (DRAFT / NOT INCORPORATED) CONTEXT Landscape projects often ship with implicit claims — "native planting," "climate resilient," "sustainable" — while BIM and GIS tools export incompatible vocabularies. Open metadata specifications stall when teams lack a mandated first use case, accessible validation tooling, and procurement-ready citation language. Governance documentation alone rarely changes day-to-day export workflows. OFFER The Foundation publishes TLA-185 as open reference infrastructure: field registry, JSON Schema modules, browser validator, worked examples, and jurisdiction crosswalks (UK, EU, US, Australia) at https://schema.landscapearchive.org. Year-one reference materials are free to use — validate an example bundle, cite the registry in one brief or RFQ, run a single pilot export. Capability grant manifests let vendors declare integration scope without implying Council membership. CONSULTATION ASK Organisations interested in the founding alliance model may review the draft constitution (consultation only — the Foundation is not yet incorporated) and nominate one organisational representative if they wish to be listed as a founding supporter when the standard launches publicly. Optional: commit to one pilot — validate the example bundle and add the procurement sentence to an upcoming studio brief or tender. Charter consultation: https://landscapearchive.com.au/contact?topic=foundation-support&intent=founding-alliance WHAT THE CONSULTATION DOES NOT REQUEST • Binding membership in an entity that does not yet exist • Adoption of commercial Archive products or subscriptions • Transfer of proprietary project IP or client data • Joint liability with other participants • Endorsement that TLA-185 is an ISO or government standard • Logo placement without a documented pilot or validator run CONFLICT RULES • The Landscape Archive Pty Ltd is a founding implementation partner — no default Council vote • The Landscape Vault Pty Ltd holds specification copyright until assignment to the incorporated Foundation • Affiliate partner programme (commercial referrals) is unrelated to founding alliance consultation • Cultural-context field rules require Indigenous advisory sign-off before adoption — not overrideable by majority vote • RFC changes are public; vendor roadmaps do not control the field dictionary LINKS • Adoption quickstart: https://landscapearchive.org/adopt • Draft constitution: https://landscapearchive.org/founding-charter • Schema portal: https://schema.landscapearchive.org • Charter consultation: https://landscapearchive.com.au/contact?topic=foundation-support&intent=founding-alliance PROCUREMENT REFERENCE LANGUAGE Landscape metadata interchange shall use the open TLA-185 field registry and JSON Schema modules published at schema.landscapearchive.org. Vendor implementations may declare scope via published capability grant manifests. This is a non-commercial reference specification under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 and does not require purchase of a specific commercial product. Where the brief requires Landscape Archive–attested deliverables, submit a licensed Landscape Archive package from an authorised organisation (see landscapearchive.com.au/authorised); Archive Seal marks may be required for pack attestation. Commercial Library, Hub, Studio+™, populated datasets, and software remain separately licensed.