We are delighted to announce the launch of IGSN ID registration using DataCite services. This is the culmination of almost one year of work after the signing of a partnership agreement between DataCite and the IGSN e.V. in October 2021. The ability to register material samples with IGSN IDs is now available to all DataCite Members and Consortium Organizations.
Since new IGSN IDs are functionally DOIs, IGSN IDs can be easily registered using Fabrica, DataCite APIs, and other systems that integrate DataCite DOI registration. Moreover, we will support you throughout, assisting you directly as you set up your IGSN ID repository and mint your first IGSN IDs. We have also added specific IGSN ID documentation on our Support website, which contains information about using IGSN IDs in material samples workflows. Included are best practices for populating properties in the DataCite Metadata Schema and other recommendations.
Historically, the IGSN ID grew out of the Geological Sciences. However, all material samples under any research discipline can be registered with an IGSN ID, as reflected in the change of the acronym ‘IGSN’ to International Generic Sample Number (from ‘Geo Sample’) as announced by the IGSN e.V. earlier this year. The ID can also be applied to sample collections or aggregates, collections sites (so called ‘features-of-interest’ in the Geosciences), and even destroyed or discarded samples.
IGSN IDs can be applied at any/all parts of the sample management workflow, and enable multiple advantages for material samples and related digital information:
While the DataCite Metadata Schema has already been used to register DOIs for physical objects, we realize the schema may lack provisions for material samples. Additionally, developed practices are at present more specifically suited to samples from the Earth, Space, and Environmental Sciences. With your help, and that of the wider samples community, we will continue to improve the DataCite Metadata Schema for material samples, and best practices for IGSN IDs will continue to be expanded and refined.
So, do you or your user community collect/curate material samples? If so, then how about registering them with a persistent identifier that has been used over ten million times thus far by major research centers, universities, and government geological surveys, and that has been endorsed by scientific publishers? Just create a new repository for IGSN IDs and contact us to get started.
We will also be reaching out to DataCite Members and Consortium Organizations who have already registered DOIs for physical objects and others who may benefit from a globally unique material samples PID.
Rorie Edmunds
