Implementation Issues to be addressed

From Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)

Operational / Implementation Questions to be asked

From DS&P cluster:

  • Technical, i.e., how sound is the technology underlying the identifier scheme (including, but not limited to scalability of creation / maintenance of IDs, e.g., API or web-based service, ease of transformation to citable / resolvable URLs, acceptance / support by standardization bodies, framework for name authority, algorithms for establishing / ensuring uniqueness);
  • User Value: i.e., what value does the scheme provide to end users – are end user’s lives made easier or more difficult by using the scheme, especially for purposes of bibliographic citation;
  • Archive Value, i.e., what value does the scheme provide to the archive or archives that are managing data using these identifiers – is the job of data management made easier or more complicated.
  • Operational, i.e., what are the organizational commitments required or desirable for the data creator / provider / broker associated with use of the identification scheme (including but not limited to the short-term and long-term costs, if any, of the benefits / services received, the business model / strategy underlying and/or supporting the service / organization providing the persistence of the identifiers).
  • What is the capability of the ID scheme to uniquely identify data objects at needed levels of granularity
  • What mechanisms are applicable to locate, i.e., resolve to a location as part of a citation
  • What support services are available from external organizations, if any, e.g.,:
    • Maintaining the persistence and uniqueness of identification of data object
    • Reliance upon descriptive MD to aid unique ID of data object
    • Incorporation & ongoing maintenance of descriptive MD used within various citation formats
    • Mechanisms & efficacy of same for:
      • Establishing & maintaining relationships among related objects (subsets, supersets/collections, hierarchies & webbed (non-hierarchical) links
      • Noting, managing changes in data object (versioning, obsolescence)

From the ESIP Fed Executive Committee:

  • Are there activities / responsibilities associated with the EZID user groups of which the ESIP Federation should be aware?
  • What are the advantages of joining the developing EZID service users community that would benefit the ESIP Federation’s efforts to broaden the network of organizations with which it communicates on issues of interest to Federation members?
  • What is the relationship of the EZID user groups to the DataCite Consortium, if any?
  • What is the feasibility of the ESIP Federation using the EZID service for assignment of permanent identifiers to ESIP created projects, such as course modules, etc.? What would be the ongoing costs for using the service?