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TIDES Standards Development Working Group Charter

Charter for the Transit Integrated Data Exchange Specification (TIDES) Standards Development Working Group (SDWG)

1. Purpose

The Standards Development Working Group (SDWG) is a standing Working Group chartered by the TIDES Board of Directors. It is responsible for the ongoing technical development of the TIDES specification and its documentation: advancing proposed changes through the change management process, maintaining the quality and consistency of the specification, and coordinating TIDES with related open standards.

2. Scope of work

  • Triage, review, and merge proposed changes to the specification per the TIDES Change Management Policy, including merges into the develop branch.
  • Maintain and improve the specification’s documentation.
  • Maintain terminology consistency across the specification.
  • Coordinate alignment between TIDES and related specifications, including GTFS and TODS.
  • Surface prioritized issues and, where warranted, convene Issue Resolution Groups as defined in the Change Management Policy.
  • Prepare releases of the specification for Board review and approval.

Out of scope: final release approval (retained by the TIDES Board); the governance-compliance review at the version-release gate (retained by the TIDES Manager); hosting and administration of the TIDES platforms and repositories (performed by the TIDES Manager).

3. Relationship to TIDES governance

The SDWG operates under the structures and processes defined in the TIDES Governance document and the TIDES Change Management Policy. Normative changes to the specification and its version-controlled documentation are coordinated with the TIDES Manager and approved by the TIDES Board as those documents require. Within its scope, the SDWG may manage Issues, Pull Requests, and Discussions independently. The SDWG’s chairs act as authorized Working Group Chairs under the Change Management Policy for merges into the develop branch.

4. Chairs

The SDWG’s Chair and Deputy Chair are appointed by the TIDES Board, sign written chair agreements with the Board defining their rights and responsibilities, and may be removed or replaced by the Board at any time, as provided for all Working Group chairs in the TIDES Governance document. The Chair is the group’s primary lead and point of contact, responsible for reporting to the Board and the TIDES Manager. The Deputy Chair supports the Chair across all of the group’s duties and acts fully for the Chair when the Chair is unavailable.

Current chair appointments are listed in the TIDES Working Groups registry.

Responsibilities of the chairs

  • Call and run the group’s regular meetings, set agendas, and publish notes of decisions and outcomes.
  • Maintain the group’s membership list and share it with the Board and the TIDES Manager.
  • Report on the group’s work at the quarterly meetings of the TIDES Board and TIDES Manager.
  • Coordinate the group’s work with the TIDES Manager and the TIDES Board.

Rights of the chairs

SDWG Chairs receive Repository Write access on the TIDES specification repository, including authorization to merge approved changes into the develop branch under the Change Management Policy. Chair rights are defined in the chair agreement approved by the Board. Chair rights do not include organization ownership or repository administration, which remain with the TIDES Board and TIDES Manager as defined by the TIDES Governance document.

5. Membership and participation

The SDWG carries forward the work of the TIDES Contributors Group: its recurring meeting continues as the SDWG’s regular meeting, and existing Contributors Group participants become members of the SDWG at chartering unless they opt out.

Membership in the SDWG is open to anyone. Members must register as TIDES Contributors, which carries agreement to the TIDES Code of Conduct. Information on becoming a TIDES Contributor and a member of a working group is included in the Contributing to TIDES documentation.

Anyone may observe the group’s public working sessions and review the group’s notes without registering as a Contributor or joining the SDWG.

Members and chairs of the SDWG are volunteers. They are not staff of the TIDES Board or the TIDES Manager. Members and chairs may have their time sponsored by their employers. Members may only be removed due to a violation of the TIDES Code of Conduct; violations will be addressed through the process defined in that document.

6. Ways of working

  • The SDWG shall generally meet monthly by video call, with schedule and connection details announced through TIDES community channels. The Chair may adjust meeting timing and cadence as needed.
  • The group works in the open: agendas, decisions, and outcomes are recorded through public channels such as GitHub Issues and Discussions. Formal meeting minutes are not required.
  • The group maintains no non-public working spaces. If that changes, this charter will be amended to disclose the space and how to opt in.

7. Decision-making

The SDWG works by consensus. In order to reach consensus, there must be no members “blocking” the decision. Where consensus on a normative change cannot be reached, the matter is escalated per the Change Management Policy. Nothing in this charter overrides the TIDES Board’s approval authority over prioritized changes and releases.

8. Term and review

The SDWG is a standing Working Group. This charter is reviewed annually by the TIDES Board, which may amend or revoke it, or change the group’s chairs, at any time.

Adopted by the TIDES Board of Directors on August 27, 2026.

Charter version 1.0