Survey for web registry of unique identifiers
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 13:05:58 -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, idg@nhm.ac.uk, KPerry@intermec.com, pick@pick.uga.edu, mzumbado@inbio.ac.cr From: pick@pick.uga.edu (John Pickering) Subject: Survey for web registry of unique identifiers Folks with uniquely identified specimens -- Given the extremely positive responses and ideas that we're getting about standardizing unique identifiers and barcode labels (see recent correspondence form Brian, Chris, Dan, Don, Jack, Rob... at <www.discoverlife.org/sc/ui>), I propose that we start the process of putting general information about all specimens with unique identifiers at this URL. The primary purposes of this registry will include: 1) assuring identifiers across projects/museums and taxa are unique by avoiding over-lapping institutional/project codes 2) specifying who (or what URL) we should contact for information about a particular labelled specimen 3) help us share data about uniquely identified specimens 4) facilitate adoption of machine readable technology such as barcodes 5) allow us to order bulk label stock and potentially print labels collectively. Below is an 11 question survey that I would like each of you who use (or plan to use) unique identifiers to fill in and return to me. View this survey as a prototype for one that we will ultimately distribute to all herbaria, museums, ecologists, etc. Hence, please make comments on what I've left out and how it might be improved. Send your responses to me and distribute the survey to selected colleagues as you see fit. My immediate goal is to have you help figure what information we want to share, whether we need 4 letter acronyms or longer, etc. Then we'll design an automated survey and seek help maintaining the database that it creates. Before we make corrections and automate the data entry using HTML forms, I hope this won't snowball into a giant chain letter that overwelms me with responses. Hence, all secondary and tertiary contacts should respond using the planned automated survey after 1 September. Ultimately, as Chris suggested, I hope some international organization, ASC, BRD, or whomever will take over this task as it grows. I'm simply happy to get the process moving. Furthermore, I think that we should pursue Rob's suggestion of seeking help from Apple or other government or industry folks on how best to design the process. Bobbie, Gladys, Mark, are you interested in volunteering your organizations? For now, I want to avoid the issue raised by Dan regarding also listing database fields are linked to each unique identifier. One step at a time. Once we build a unique identifier registry, we can deal with that next. In short, let's build a registry that merges the institutional identifiers in the following three references, associated databases, and currently unregistered projects into a database that provides unique identifiers for all. Herbaria (database maintained by New York Botanical Garden)-- P. K. Holmgren, N. H. Holmgren and L. C. Barnett. 1990. Index Herbariorum. Part I. The Herbaria of the World. 8th Edition. Regnum Vegetabile 120: 1-693. Entomology acronyms-- R. H. Arnett and G. A. Samuelson. 1986. Insect and Spider Collections of the World. E. J. Brill: Gainesville, FL, pp. 220. Herpetologists/ichthyologists acronyms-- Leviton, A. R., R. H. Gibbs, Jr., E. Heal and C. E. Dawson. 1985. Standards in Herpetology and Ichthyology: Part I. Standard symbolic codes for instructional resource collections in herpetology and ichthyology. Copeia 1985: 802-832. ____________________________________________________________________ SURVEY -- Version 1.0 If you have or plan to use uniquely identified specimens (not necessarily just barcoded specimens), please answer the following 11 questions. [I've put my own response in square brackets, as examples, thus.] 1) What is your collections "official" full name -- the one appearing on your letterhead or website? [Insect Diversity Project] 2) What taxa are in this collection? (be as general as possible) [Insects, largely Hymenoptera] 3) What is your collection's acronym that you use in your database? (Put it in quotes to help identify any spaces, e. g., "LACM ENT") ["UGCA"] 4) Is your collection's acronym published somewhere, such as in Arnett & Samuelson's publication on "Insect & Spider Collections of the World?" If so, give publication and any details. [Yes. "UGCA" is "University of Georgia Collection of Arthropods" in Arnett & Samuelson] 5) Who is primarily responsible for your database records on uniquely identified specimens (include name and email address)? [John Pickering <pick@discoverlife.org>] 6) Are records from this database available through the WWW? If so, what is the URL where information can be obtained? [Yes. Information can be obtained about uniquely identified barcoded individuals through <http://dial.pick.uga.edu/DATABASES/UGCA>] 7) What HUMAN READABLE text do you put on your labels that contain the unique identifier? ["UGCA 123456" --note space in human readable.] 8) What is the institutional identifier encoded in your barcode symbol and how many digits do you currently use? (give example) ["UGCA123456" --4 letters and 6 digits encoded] 9) Which barcode symbology are you using (code 39, 49, 128, DataMatrix, PDF417, ...)? [Code 49] 10) What are the dimensions of your label with the unique identifier? [0.56 x 0.315 inch] 11) So far, what is the range of identifiers that you have printed and used? [Including labels ordered by Mike Sharkey at University of Kentucky, who is also using "UGCA", we have printed barcodes "UGCA000001" to "UGCA420000". To date the Insect Diversity Project has collectively used over 267,000 of these.] Cheers, Pick _________________________________________________________ John Pickering Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2602 Office: 706-542-1115 Messages: 706-542-3379 Laboratory: 706-542-1388 FAX: 706-542-3344 e-mail: pick@pick.uga.edu Home: 706-353-7076 Web sites: <www.discoverlife.org> <http://dial.pick.uga.edu> _________________________________________________________
Discover Life in America | Science | Unique Identifiers & Barcodes | Correspondence | John Pickering - 29 July, 1999 |