GUIDs in EMu

Ian TurnbullKE Software

GUID? UUID?

• A Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) is a persistent unique reference number used as an identifier.

• A Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) is a particular implementation of GUID.

• Some other GUID implementations are LSID, EZID, DOI, Darwin Core Triples.

• Opaque GUIDs?

• Resolvability?

Background

• For US institutions the National Science Foundation (NSF) digitisation grants require recipients to provide a copy of their biodiversity data to the NSF iDigBio repository with a GUID identifier.

• Draft proposal prepared by Larry Gall of YPMNH with contributions from a number of other EMu customers.

• KE proposal released for review and comment via EMu Users forum in September 2013.

Four Phases Proposed

• Phase 1Storing GUIDs in EMu

• Phase 2GUID generation on EMu record save

• Phase 3Local IMu web service for local resolution of EMu GUIDs

• Phase 4Global IMu web service portal for global resolution of EMu GUIDs

Phase 1 - Storing GUIDs in EMu

• Available in most EMu modules

• Catalogue, Collection Events, Multimedia, Parties, and Taxonomy likely candidates for GUIDs

• GUID fields on Admin tab

• Multiple GUID values can be stored per record

Phase 1 - Storing GUIDs in EMu

Phase 1 - Storing GUIDs in EMu

Phase 2 – GUID Generation

• On record save GUID(s) can be generated

• Configurable per module (off by default)

• UUID Version 4 identifier generated

• Extensible for support of other GUID schemes

Phase 2 – UUID Version 4

• A randomly generated GUID with infinitesimal probability of a duplicate 84b567d5-dbbd-468a-be12-770747ebc397

• Can be quickly generated locally without referring to a central naming authority; or pre-generating identifiers

• Can be represented as a URNurn:uuid:84b567d5-dbbd-468a-be12-770747ebc397

• Opaque

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uuidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_resource_name

Phase 3 – Local Resolution of EMu GUIDs

• Without a resolving service a GUID is simply an identifier without means of obtaining metadata

• A GUID is “actionable” with a resolving service

• Local IMu web service (no presentation logic)

• Receives web requests and returns match status and associated metadata

Phase 4 – Global Resolution of EMu GUIDs

• EMu community GUID resolution service

• Receives web requests; polls registered providers for GUID match; returns metadata

• Initial intention is for global resolver to be lightweight. It will not aggregate from institutions, each institution simply runs the Local web service.

• KE can initially host but expectation is that an EMu customer will become the host

Time frame?

• Phase 1 - Storing GUIDsLate 2013

• Phase 2 - GUID generationEarly 2014

• Phase 3 - Local IMu web serviceMid 2014

• Phase 4 - Global IMu web serviceLate 2014

Questions?