Unique identifiers & barcodes
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 19:53:52 -0400
To: sackley@compuserve.com, ashe@falcon.cc.ukans.edu, ksem@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu,
brianb@mizar.usc.edu, colwell@uconnvm.uconn.edu,
Gladys_Cotter@usgs.gov, christine.deal@intermec.com,
faulzeitler@ascoll.org, mark_fornwall@usgs.gov,
Furth.David@NMNH.SI.EDU, whallwac@sas.upenn.edu, djanzen@sas.upenn.edu,
Johnson.2@osu.edu, mkaspari@ou.edu, longinoj@elwha.evergreen.edu,
scottm@bishop.bishop.hawaii.org, becky_nichols@nps.gov,
Chuck_Parker@nps.gov, msharkey@byron.ca.uky.edu, ctemple@intermec.com,
cthompso@sel.barc.usda.gov, jugalde@inbio.ac.cr,
pin93001@uconnvm.uconn.edu, windsord@tivoli.si.edu, dl@pick.uga.edu
From: pick@pick.uga.edu (John Pickering)
Subject: Unique identifiers & barcodes
Jack and others,
The key to what we are trying to accomplish is to develop the ability to
associate every event/object with a unique identifier that we can use to
share information between databases. Rather than worrying about how we
read these identifiers -- barcodes, alpha-numerics, whatever -- we should
first focus on developing and adopting a system that keeps us from using
each others possibly not-so-unique identifiers. In short, it's time to
adopt a way that will assure that scientists in Back-of-beyond-istan do not
use KU123456 to label their insects, re-using Steve Ashe's similar "unique"
barcode in Kansas. I'll try to get the Association of Systematic
Collections (ASC) to take an active role in this. I also suggest that we
learn more about the Universal Code Council, a group that is developing
standards and plans to sell truely unique identifiers. They're an industry
sponsored group that will ultimately distribute unique numbers so that the
serial numbers on TV sets, for instance, will be globally unique from
labels identifying milk cartons with particular expiration dates.
My Monday meeting with Sprague Ackley lasted all afternoon and went
extremely well. Things are starting to look better for Code 49 and the use
of unique identifiers in general.
Sprague is sending me a 1470 Imager and wedge reader I can test, hopefully
before I go to Costa Rica in August. I'll evaluate it on one of my old IBM
computers. If I can get it working in time, I'll take it with me to demo
in Central America in August.
Regarding Mac computers, there are two options. One is to purcharse a
serial-to-USB converter immediately and see how that works. The other is
to wait 4 months until Intermec has a USB interface for the 1470 Imager.
I'll make a decision after I see how efficient the 1470 is.
Sprague has asked Colleen Temple, Intermec's webmaster, to help me build
webpages outlining our needs, possible technological options that we should
consider, solutions from Intermec and other vendors, our correspondence,
etc.
He has also asked Cathy Anderson of Intermec's PR department to write up an
"Application Note" about our needs and possible solutions. This will be
distributed to Intermec's sales force. Hence, we shouldn't have the
problem of them telling folks that Code 49 is dead -- it simply isn't.
Intermec is not likely to go under either. They had sales of $800 million
last year.
Sprague is willing to give a general presentation on unique identifiers and
barcode technology. I'll try to arrange for him to give a presentation at
the next Entomology Collections Network (ECN) meeting, which is 11-12
December in Athens, Georgia. He will give an industry-wide perspective and
not a sales pitch for Intermec.
I'll seek additional input from ECN and ASC members after we get a URL
going where we can share ideas and information. I send this URL address
out later this week after we populate the pages with some information.
Cheers,
Pick
>Hey Pick,
>
>Any news from your Monday meeting? I'm going to LACM tomorrow, and
>will be there through Saturday. If you don't get a reply out today,
>you might send an email to Brian Brown about it. I will be talking
>barcodes with him during my visit.
>
>cheers,
>Jack
>******************************************************
>John T. Longino
>Lab I, The Evergreen State College
>Olympia WA 98505 USA
>longinoj@evergreen.edu
>Ants of Costa Rica on the Web at http://www.evergreen.edu/ants
>Project ALAS at http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu/ALAS/ALAS.html
>******************************************************
| Discover Life in America | Science | Unique Identifiers & Barcodes | Correspondence | John Pickering - 13 July, 1999 |