Registry of Unique Identifiers

Discover Life | All Living Things | Planning | Labels, Unique Identifiers & Barcodes | Registry
Overview

Here we propose to maintain a registry of identifiers that are used to identify specimens, hopefully uniquely. The registry's three primary purposes are to:

As we develop rapid means to share data across international borders and disciplines, it becomes increasingly important to use unique identifiers to reference specimens and exchange data records about them. While it is in everyones best interest to label their material uniquely, there is currently no common clearing house to assign and maintain unique identifiers. Caveat emptor. This registry makes no assurance that the identifiers listed here are actually unique. There may be someone, somewhere using the same identifiers. As an "unofficial" site, we rely on the good will and self interest of everyone to make their best effort not to duplicate any identifier already in use.

We are not a judicature of claims to particular series of identifiers. Simply, use common sense. If a unique identifier already exists on a label, don't use it. If an identifier is listed in a publication as associated with an existing institution or project, avoid using it. Register your identifiers here to help others not use them.

In general, we recommend that unique identifiers start with letters that identify an institution or project and end with a number that is unique to a particular specimen or event. Before choosing an institution identifier, please avoid those list in:

Index
Survey

The following table is the beginning of a registy of unique identifiers used in collection management. It was started on 29 July, 1999, with a preliminary survey sent primarily to entomologists using unique barcodes to identify pinned insects and slide-mounted mites. Ultimately, we plan to include information on all collections so that we can use unique identifiers to help track specimens and share data across collections. In the near future, we plan to develop a web-based form that allows individuals to add to this registy. In the mean time, questions, additions, and corrections should be sent to John Pickering <pick@discoverlife.org>.

Index
Registered Identifiers

Identifier Encoded
range		 Collection Database URL Database manager
Email address		 Type of
specimens		 Label type
& text		 Record
date
UMSP UMSP000000001
UMSP000228000		 University of Minnesota Insect Collection
University of Minnesota, Saint Paul
Aysha Prather
prath003@tc.umn.edu		 Insects Code 49
UMSP		 19 December
2000
SM SM000001
SM0350000		 Snow Entomological Collection
University of Kansas
James Ashe
ashe@falcon.cc.ukans.edu		 Insects, mites,
some spiders		 Code 128
KUNHM-ENT		 29 July
1999
UGCA UGCA000001
UGCA420000		 Insect Diversity Project http://dial.pick.uga.edu/
DATABASES/UGCA		 John Pickering
pick@discoverlife.org		 Insects,
mainly Hymenoptera		 Code 49 29 July
1999
USNM ENT USNM ENT 000001
USNM ENT 150000		 National Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
F. Christian Thompson
cthompso@sel.barc.usda.gov		 All
organisms		 Code 49 30 July
1999

Discover Life | All Living Things | Planning | Labels, Unique Identifiers & Barcodes | Registry

Last updated: 06 January, 2005