Dear GUID and TAG members,

We would like to update you about the GUID/LSID work. Since the 2nd GUID workshop in Edinburgh, the GUID group have been working on documents targeted at different audiences interested in LSIDs-

* An LSID primer for biologists (http://www.tdwg.gbif.org/uploads/media/LSIDs_for_Biologists.pdf)

* An executive summary on LSID (for 'Managers') (http://www.tdwg.gbif.org/uploads/media/LSIDs_for_Managers.pdf)

* An annotated summary of LSID resources on the Internet for software developers (http://www.tdwg.gbif.org/uploads/media/LSID_Resources.pdf)

* An LSID Applicability Statement (in prep). This is planed to serve as guideline for implementation of LSID resolvers in biodiversity information applications. This specification will summarize all agreed decisions by the GUID group.

* An LSID 'Roadmap' (in prep). This roadmap describes our priorities for the next ~6 months for LSID work.

The list containing all these documents can be found at this temporary URL: http://www.tdwg.gbif.org/subgroups/guid/documents-reports/

During the TDWG 2006 Annual Meeting, several presentations will address GUIDs and LSIDs. Kevin Richards with help from Ricardo Pereira will be running a hands-on LSID tutorial/workshop that will demonstrate various aspects of a running LSID resolver and help interested parties to set up their own resolvers. Hopefully, end-users will get an idea on how LSIDs can help them.

As the TDWG 2006 Annual Meeting approaches, we will be spending more time establishing the basic infrastructure to support a more integrated data sharing environment for biodiversity information applications and will be encouraging the deployment of LSID clients and resolvers in our community.

We will keep you posted on any new developments.

Best regards,

The TDWG Infrastructure Team (TIP)