The document discusses the need for globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) for natural history specimens to address current problems with specimens having multiple identifiers. It provides examples of identifier systems used in other domains and challenges implementing identifiers for specimens. The solution proposed is an international system for persistent identifiers for all biological specimens maintained by the museum community. Best practices for GUIDs include making them globally unique, persistent, assigned at the source, and attached meaningfully to semantic services.

1. {
Entomology specimens
develop dissociative
identity disorder
Jennifer Thomas – Assistant Collection Manager
Division of Entomology
University of Kansas

3. Synopsis
 Current common problems with digital specimen
records
 Common issues with disparate data, data integration
 General types of unique identifiers and how they
function
 Specific digital ID’s for Natural History objects and
the need for a global solution
 What to do until we have a solution – best practices

4. Current common problems for
Entomology collection object records
 Multiple barcodes for single
specimen/collection object

5. This happens when…
 Specimens are gifted to another institution
 Specimens are retained by another institution
as a result of a revisionary work
 Specimens are returned to an institution in
accordance with permitting requirements for that
particular country.
 The digital records rarely accompany any of these
specimen transactions.

6. Current problems for all Natural History
specimens

7. Example from Briefings in Bioinformatics: Roderic Page 2008. vol. 9 (5):
345-354. Biodiversity Informatics: The challenge of linking data and the role
of shared identifiers.
Melissotarsus sp.
BLF ml.

8. The discussion continues
Lot’s of literature out there.
 The Dr. Page blog is great.
http://iphylo.blogspot.com/
The NHColl listserve recently
hosted a long discussion on
identifiers

9. Euglossa embera
Hinojosa-Diaz, Nemesio, Engel 2012

10. We’ll only ever have more
specimens, more associated data, more
data portals, and more ways to share
that data…
Natural History Specimens need Globally
Unique Identifiers that really work!

11. Familiar Unique ID’s
 ISBN = International Standard Book Number.
 ISSN: International Standard Serial Number.
 SSN: Social Security Number.
1st 3 numbers = area code
2nd 2 numbers = group number
Last 4 numbers = serial number

12. Where did Gooooids come
from?
 GUID 1 = Globally Unique Identifier (/Gooooid/). Unique
reference number used as an identifier in computer
hardware/software and based on the UUID standard.
[128-bit values displayed as 32 hexadecimal digits separated
by hyphens] Ex: 3F2504E0-4F89-11D3-9A0C-0305E82C3301
 UUID = Universally Unique Identifier. An identifier standard
used in software construction standardized by the Open
Software Foundation.
 GUID 2 = RSS definition still Globally Unique ID. The <guid>
element defines a unique identifier for the item. Aggregators
must view the guid as a string. No rules for syntax. Up to the
creator of the RSS document to establish uniqueness.

13. Persistent identifiers…
 DOI = Digital Object Identifier. A character string used
to uniquely identify an object. Used mostly by
publishers (CrossRef, DataCite). A URN commonly
assigned to scientific articles in their electronic form.
 Managed by the International DOI Foundation
(IDF), the governance body of the DOI system.
 Appoints registration agencies that provide services to
DOI registrants like allocating DOI prefixes, registering
DOI names, etc.
 resolution using the Handle System

14. More…
 ARK = Archival Resource Key. ARK’s are URL’s
(Uniform Resource Locator) designed to support long-
term access to information objects. Used extensively
by University digital Libraries/digital archives and
Google!  Also requires a registry maintained by the California
Digital Library. NAA = name assigning authority NAAN =
name assigning authority number!

15. Everyone and everything
wants a unique ID!
 ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number, a
proprietary product identifier)
 CODEN (serial publication identifier currently used by
libraries; replaced by the ISSN for new works)
 DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
 ETTN (Electronic Textbook Track Number)
 ISAN (International Standard Audiovisual Number)
 ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
 ISMN (International Standard Music Number)
 ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)
 ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code)
 LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)
 OCLC (Online Computer Library Center)

16. Has the world gone
identifier crazy?
YES!

17. Natural History Collections
implementations
 LSID = Life Science Identifiers (no funny
pronunciation). It is a URN. Ex: Applied to species
names in Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life
Project.
 Again, requires a registry. The governing body here
is TDWG “Biodiveristy Information Standards”
(formerly The International Working Group on
Taxonomic Databases).

18. John Deck, University of California, Berkeley
Brian Stucky, University of Colorado, Boulder
Lukasz Ziemba, University of Florida, Gaineseville
Nico Cellinese, University of Florida, Gainesville
Rob Guralnick, University of Colorado, Boulder
BiSciCol Team
Reed Beaman, Nico Cellinese, Jonathan
Coddington, Neil Davies, John Deck,
Rob Guralnick, Bryan P. Heidorn, Chris Meyer,
Tom Orrell, Rich Pyle, Kate Rachwal, Brian
Stucky, Rob Whitton, Lukasz Ziemba
Natural History Collections
implementations

19. The Solution
 The Museum community should
implement an international system for
distribution and maintenance of
persistent unique identifiers for all of
our biological objects.

20. Best Practices
BiSciCol Blog: http://biscicol.blogspot.com/
 GUID’s must be globally unique. The “Darwin
Core Triplet” might not be good enough.
 GUID’s must be persistent.
 GUID’s must be assigned as close to the source
as possible.
 GUID’s propagate downstream to other systems.
 Don’t conflate GUID’s for physical material with
GUID’s for metadata about the physical object.
 GUID’s need to be attached in a meaningful way
to semantic services.

21. Acknowledgements
 KU Bioinformatics
Andy Bentley
Rod Spears
Theresa Lammer
 KU Division of Entomology
Zack Falin
Michael Engel - PI
NSF DBI – 1057366: A specimen-
level database of the world’s bees
(Apoidea) at the University of
Kansas