An Online Registry for Unique Sample Identification in the Earth Sciences

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lehnert (0552153) This project develops a web-based registry that generates and administers globally unique identifiers for Geoscience samples: the International Geo Sample Number (IGSN). This permits the geoscience community to overcome the problem of ambiguous naming of samples, which has limited the ability to share, link, and integrate geological sample-based data. The motivation for the work allows geological samples to be easily accessed and studied by different researchers who produce diverse types of data at different times, the results of which are published in different papers and stored in different databases. Allied geoscience data management and cyberinfrastructure projects (e.g. GEON, CHRONOS, EarthChem, PaleoStrat, the Marine Geoscience Data Management System, Janus/ODP) are poised to build integrated systems in which components interoperate by exchanging information and integrating disparate data sets. For full implementation, however, this sample registry Is required. Most of the work to be done focuses on developing an IGSN, which will be recorded along with all sample-subsample relationships (e.g. metadata). Broader impacts allow repository curators and scientists to link and integrate data for individual samples, fostering new cross-disciplinary approaches in science. Unique sample identification aids the preservation and curation of samples, as well as facilitates sharing of samples and sample-based data. The IGSN as a persistent unique ID allows the building of comprehensive data sets for collected geological materials.