Apologies if this has been done already, but do we need to nail down (some of) the problems before we get too detailed a handle on the solution? I looked on the wiki & Donald has put a few use cases up plus some people have contributed examples of ID use in their organisation (and I'm gathering reponses for all the relevant systems at Kew). However it's pretty patchy and I would like to get some more concrete examples up if we can

Just off the top of my head this morning I came up with a number of cases where GUIDs might be used both for specimens and for taxon-type- things. They might not all be strictly relevant but in all those cases I would say that whatever GUID system we come up with, GUIDs are either going to have to make these cases easier for people to deal with, or not significantly harder, if they are going to be any use and/or accepted by the community. I'm not sure that these are 'use cases' as such in any technical sense but hopefully they will be a start I haven't gone beyond the titles yet but I thought I'd get them out in circulation to be added to or expanded & I am happy to fill in with some more details as & when I get time. Meanwhile if anyone else wants to put flesh on these bones, or provide more and different bones, then feel free:

Potential situations where name or taxon guids could be used:

1. Maintaining onward links from one database to another 2. Including names in databases - (whether taxonomic, specimen, value added taxon, oe other databases); maintaining a local 'lookup' table for names in such a database. 3. publishing nomenclatural novelties 4. Maintaining a Nomenclator or other database that aggregates taxon concepts coming from other sources. 5. searching for information about a taxon 6. naming (determining) specimens 7. submitting research related to a taxon or taxa to a journal, or publishing it on a website 8. creating a monograph or otherwise publishing new concepts 9. putting together a flora (excuse botanical bias) 10. Referencing existing concepts in new publications.

Potential situations where specimen guids could be used: 1. Collecting a new specimen in the field (or curating a newly collected specimen once it arrives in a museum). 2. Databasing a legacy specimen 3. Converting a set of already databased specimens to use GUIDs 4. Porting data from one collection database to another 5. Sending out catalogue data along with gifts and loans of specimens (a la HISPID) 6. Tracking CBD requirements through the life of a specimen - or lives (for example seed is collected for the seedbank under a restrictive use agreement, seed is grown, plant is vouchered, voucher subsequently used in medical research ...) 7. Taking a voucher for another piece of research - e.g. a sequence deposited in GenBank 8. One specimen generates another (e.g. taking DNA from a living specimen, making slides, growing plants from seed and then vouchering them) 9. Imaging a specimen - whether once or many times 10. sending out duplicates of collections to multiple institutions 11. merging two collections, splitting a collection in two 12. specimen database aggregators - whether virtual like GBIF or actual, where data is physically ported into a duplicate system and potentially new ids give. 13. Creating a type (by publishing a name based on a specimen), or identifying a type specimen as being a type. 14. Publishing a monograph that cites additional non-type specimens, or a flora 15. Fulfilling CITES paperwork for transfer of specimens abroad. 16. Discarding a specimen or noting that it has been destroyed 17. Removing a specimen from the public gaze or some classes of user (e.g. removing it from GBIF)

Some of these overlap, some may not be relevant & I'm sure I've missed some out but ... Sally *** Sally Hinchcliffe *** Computer section, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew *** tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5708 *** S.Hinchcliffe@rbgkew.org.uk