GUID Technologies

The group is evaluating the following GUID technologies:

• Life Science Identifiers (LSIDs)
• Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)
• Handle
• PersistentURL?

See a comparison of these technologies in the context of biodiversity informatics.

This review is however also open to considering any suitable alternative. As far as is appropriate, the aim is to establish a common identifier framework for use throughout biodiversity informatics, but a flexible approach may be adopted if some classes of data (e.g. publications) are already supported by suitable models.

The following additional technologies have been suggested during the course of this review:

• Archival Resource Key (ARKs)
• Persistent Unique Resource Locators (PURLs)?

Recently, the TDWG Technical Architecture Group (TAG) has raised the question of WhyWeShouldNotUseLSIDs and arguments about the UsePURLsAsGUIDs.

I have transferred the relevant pages to this wiki as it is the most appropriate place to discuss the issue.

The original posts to the TDWG TAG Wiki can be found at:

• http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/TAG/WhyWeShouldNotUseLSIDs
• http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/TAG/UsePURLsAsGUIDs

RicardoScachettiPereira - 04 May 2006