Data Stewardship Testbed Activity

The preservation and Stewardship Cluster and the NASA Technology Infusion Working Group have been considering permanent identifier schemes for data products (http://wiki.esipfed.org/index.php/Preservation_and_Stewardship). These identifiers can serve as references in journal articles as well as inventory nodes in data archives and must include representations for versions of the entity being identified. Many identifier options have been proposed for different kinds of data, but the best choices for Earth science data require careful examination. For example, two datasets may differ only in format, byte order, data type, access method, etc., creating distinctions between them that may not be addressed adequately by identifier schemes used for typical “published” items such as books and journals. Previous Testbed activity in this area included a recommendation on identifier schemes to use for Earth Science data, but did not address the implementation issues that arise with the identifier schemes considered. The proposed Task for this work is to examine several different kinds of datasets, assign identifiers form up to nine identifier schemes considered in the previously mentioned paper, evaluate and compare the implementation implications and other practical considerations associated with the use of each identifier scheme applied, and develop recommendations. Practical considerations may include the need to integrate with other metadata schemes such ISO, and application to data citation formats and practices.
ESIP Community Benefits: Permanent, unique names for Federation data products and recommendations for practice based on Tested experience.