Topic 2: GUIDs for Collections and Specimens

[Dave Vieglais]

Hi Rod,
I was just pointing out that if you include CollectionCode in your
example then you would not have the duplication of records that occurs
in the example.  The combination of InstitutionCode, CollectionCode, and
CatalogNumber should provide a GUID to a specimen record.  So to
slightly modify your example

DiGIR provider URL : resource : CollectionCode : specimen code

will generally be sufficient, but in some cases, a single server
resource may offer records from several intitutions, hence:

DiGIR provider URL : resource : InstitutionCode : CollectionCode :
specimen code

would be unique.  It would be a simple matter to extend DiGIR slightly
to support direct resolution of such an identifier.  Perhaps something like:

http://some.server/digir.php?id=resource/InstitutionCode/CollectionCode/CatalogNumber

would be sufficient to identify a single record and retrieve its digital
representation as well.

regards,
  Dave V.

Roderic Page wrote:
> My point is that it isn't always done (and the MVZ example concerns
> totally different specimens, rather than preparations of the same
> specimen). My aim is not to criticise DiGIR and Darwin Core
> specifically (although the absence of a GUID is a major weakness), but
> simply to provide a concrete example where digital records for totally
> different specimens are not clearly distinguished. In the MVZ example,
> one could retrieve the record for the desired specimen if one searched
> on the taxonomic name, but this is cumbersome -- ideally I want a GUID
> that can be resolved to the appropriate specimen independent of any
> other information. DiGIR can do this, so long as DiGIR providers using
> different resource names for different collections.
>
> Regards
>
> Rod
>
>
>
> On 20 Oct 2005, at 23:11, Dave Vieglais wrote:
>
>> Hi Roderic,
>> In general, for records retrieved from data sources exposed using the
>> Darwin Core one should be able to combine InstitutionCode,
>> CollectionCode and CatalogNumber to provide unique identifiers for
>> those
>> records.  This is not always the case however, the most common example
>> of which is probably the presence of records for different preparations
>> of the same specimen.
>>
>> regards,
>>   Dave V.
>>
>> Roderic Page wrote:
>>
>>> As a consumer of specimen GUIDs, I've found specimens to be
>>> frustrating
>>> to deal with as individual collections don't guarantee uniqueness of
>>> identifiers (Donald's point 2 below). For example, in the absence of
>>> specimen GUIDs (such as LSIDs) I'd hoped to use a three part
>>> identifier
>>> based on the DiGIR provider, e.g.
>>>
>>> DiGIR provider URL : resource : specimen code
>>>
>>> Hence,
>>>
>>> digir.fieldmuseum.org/digir/DiGIR.php:MammalsDwC2:FMNH158106
>>> \-----------------------------------/ \---------/ \--------/
>>> provider resource specimen
>>>
>>> identifies specimen FMNH 158106 of Tatera robusta at the Field Museum
>>> in
>>> Chicago. The idea behind this crude hack is that the identifier can be
>>> resolved (there's enough information in the identifier to retrieve the
>>> record, see for example
>>> http://darwin.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rpage/hacks/2/index.html ).
>>>
>>> To my horror, if I do this for MVZ 148946, I get three specimens back,
>>> one each for Chaetodipus baileyi baileyi, Calidris mauri, and Rana
>>> cascadae. This is an instance where the same specimen code is being
>>> used
>>> in three different collections (mammals, birds, and herps). I guess
>>> MVZ
>>> could have avoided this by using a different name for the 'resource'
>>> field for each collection.
>>>
>>> I offer this as an example of where GUIDs are vital if we are to avoid
>>> linking to the wrong information, and also where individual providers
>>> need to ensure that the identifiers they generate are unique.
>>>
>>> Regards
>>>
>>> Rod
>>>
>>>
>>> Professor Roderic D. M. Page
>>> Editor, Systematic Biology
>>> DEEB, IBLS
>>> Graham Kerr Building
>>> University of Glasgow
>>> Glasgow G12 8QP
>>> United Kingdom
>>>
>>> Phone: +44 141 330 4778
>>> Fax: +44 141 330 2792
>>> email: r.page at bio.gla.ac.uk
>>> web: http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/rod.html
>>> reprints: http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/pubs.html
>>>
>>> Subscribe to Systematic Biology through the Society of Systematic
>>> Biologists Website: http://systematicbiology.org
>>> Search for taxon names at
>>> http://darwin.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rpage/portal/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
> Professor Roderic D. M. Page
> Editor, Systematic Biology
> DEEB, IBLS
> Graham Kerr Building
> University of Glasgow
> Glasgow G12 8QP
> United Kingdom
>
> Phone:    +44 141 330 4778
> Fax:      +44 141 330 2792
> email:    r.page at bio.gla.ac.uk
> web:      http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/rod.html
> reprints: http://taxonomy.zoology.gla.ac.uk/rod/pubs.html
>
> Subscribe to Systematic Biology through the Society of Systematic
> Biologists Website:  http://systematicbiology.org
> Search for taxon names at http://darwin.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rpage/portal/
>