24 lines
2.5 KiB
Plaintext
24 lines
2.5 KiB
Plaintext
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---++ Use PURLs as GUIDs
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From the [[http://wiki.tdwg.org/twiki/bin/view/TAG/UsePURLsAsGUIDs][TDWG TAG Wiki]] by GregorHagedorn.
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If using LSIDs causes problems with automated reasoning using semantic web technologies (see WhyWeShouldNotUseLSIDs), what arguments do we really have to not use PURLs? Roger Hyam mentioned at TAG-1 that he proposed PURLs at the GUID meeting, but that this was rejected. Why?
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Do we need to use purl.org or can we set up our own purl resolver? I would not mind a purl.gbif.net, but we may need to reserve an appropriate DNS name, which would be independent enough to survive name changes both of TDWG or GBIF.
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One advantage of LSIDs is their separation between data and metadata. However, it seems to me that this can also be achieved by content negotiation. With an accept: xml-tdgwmetadata we may configure the resolver to return metadata instead of the data.
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The issue that purls in practice seem to be not very stable is truly a management problem, not a technical problem. Using different technology like LSIDs helps management to separate the issue of low management normal URLs and managed persistent purls, but I believe going through an agreed purl yields very similar results in documenting management decisions. The real problem with Purls as it appears to me, it that most institutions decide: well if it is simply URL forwarding and rewriting, then we simply do this ourself - but then do not follow this decision by allocating enough resources to truly hold the promise.
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If we can agree on a URL-pattern that signifies the decision to keep a URL persistent, the GBIF could offer a service of notifying providers that they do not keep the contract. This seems to be a natural extension of the GBIF indexing service.
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GregorHagedorn - 28 Apr 2006
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Funny, today we were discussing about this approach in the TAPIR group. I would like just to add an example to Gregor's comments so that people not aware of what a PURL is can get an idea. I registered today an specimen:
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http://purl.oclc.org/NET/BGBM/training/Specimen/1352
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This URL is redirected to a BioCASe wrapper with a search by Specimen ID embed as a GET parameter. I do not paste the real URL because in the case of BioCASe it looks very ugly (just XML URL encoded). The wrapper is also returning the specimen described in ABCD 1.2 + the BioCASe protocol envelope, what is ugle, but the BioCASe was not created with this idea in mind (in TAPIR you can disable the protocol envelope).
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JavierTorre - 28 Apr 2006
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