igsn: the international geo sample number (dfg roundtable)

DFG Rundgespräch Geochemical Databases

IGSN: International Geo Sample Number

Unambiguous Citation of Physical Samples

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www.igsn.org

February 25, 2016


2Relevance of Samples

Samples are the source of observational data and measurements across disciplines.

Samples provide irreplaceable evidence of long-term historical trends.

Samples serve as standards or references. Samples record unique events in history and/or

unique opportunities to collect specimens (e.g. moon rocks).

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3Scientific Collections: Policy

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“Improving the Management of and Access to Scientific Collections”


4Geosamples Status : Preservation

Many samples are not archived and curated due to lack of funds, space, & required effort.

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5Geosamples Status: Access

Many samples and collections are not ‘online’. Repositories lack resources & expertise to develop &

maintain digital collection catalogs. Samples often only described in publications.

Existing online catalogs are not connected or federated. No easy way to search for samples.

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6Geosamples Status: Non-unique ID’s

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The EarthChem Portal shows 75 publications with geochemical data referenced to a sample with the name M1 (or M-1). (www.earthchem.org)

Names of dredge sample 3 of the Amphitrite cruise

(PetDB database, www.petdb.org)

“The key measurement was the one backarc basalt called "PPTUW”...Subsequent efforts to confirm the observation ran into problems. The apparently-same sample was variously called PPTU, PPTUW/5, PPTUW-1, and TVZ19 in four other papers. None of those papers gave its latitude and longitude…!”(J. Gill and E. Todd, personal communication 2013, related to IEDA data rescue effort)


7Geosamples: New Opportunities in CI

Online sample catalogs can dramatically improve discovery and access of collections for broad audiences.

Software tools can support and streamline collection management.

Interoperability provides unprecedented capabilities to Link data, samples, and publications Link all data acquired on a single sample & subsamples Integrate sample-based data with other data types

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8Imagine the Possibilities …

Find all publications that mention a specific sample Find all data for that sample in easily usable,

electronic format Find other samples with similar properties

geospatial temporal compositional

Find the sample and contact its owner

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9What is happening: IGSN (International GeoSample Number)

Registry of unique sample identifiers Distributed system of metadata catalogs

iSamples (EarthCube Research Coordination Network) Community initiative to build the Internet of Samples in the Earth Sciences

DESC (Digital Environment for Sample Curation) Shared cyberinfrastructure for collections management Planning effort funded by NSF/OCI

GRSciColl International effort to build registry of collections hosted by the Smithsonian Institution (D. Schindel, E. Graham)

CODATA Task Group Physical Objects in Cyberinfrastructure

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IGSN: International GeoSample Number

provide identifiers that are guaranteed to be unique via a centralized control mechanism

catalog and preserve sample metadata through user-based registration

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11Why we need PIDs for samples?

Discovery & Access for Re-use and Reproducibility Unambiguously reference a sample when reporting data. Locate and link to a sample’s ‘virtual representation’.

Sample Citation Give credit to sample collectors for the intellectual effort and resources

they put into collection, preparation, and curation of the sample.

Data Integration Link data that are acquired on a single sample in different labs and over

long periods of time and published in different articles.

Sample Management Track samples & sub-samples through their life cycle (from field to lab

to repository)

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12IGSN History

Developed at LDEO/CIESIN NSF grants in 2004 and 2006 System for Earth Sample Registration International governance established in 2011

15 members in USA, Australia, Europe, Asia Central Catalog of registration metadata at GFZ Potsdam (Handle

service) Central Catalog of descriptive metadata at LDEO (Managing Office)

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13IGSN Adoption: Sample Repositories

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14IGSN Adoption: Agencies

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15IGSN Adoption: Publishers

COPDESS Statement of Commitment

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16IGSN Adoption: Publishers“… AGU Publications also strongly encourages use of other identifiers in our journal papers. International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSNs) uniquely identify items, such as a rock sample, a piece of coral, or a vial of water taken from the natural environment, and provide important, consistent information about these samples. Registering samples and including the IGSN in papers helps secure provenance information but most importantly connects common samples across multiple studies in the literature. IGSNs also will help you keep track of your samples. These identifiers can be reserved before a field season or assigned afterward.”

Hanson, B. (2016), AGU opens its journals to author identifiers, Eos, 97, doi:10.1029/2016EO043183.

Published on 7 January 2016. February 25, 2016


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IGSN: Linking Samples, Data, & Publications

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IGSN Registration Workflow

Allocating Agent

• Sample Name• Location• Sample type• ….

IGSN:XYZ08H7JG

IGSN eVRegistry

Sample Label

1. User submits metadata

2. Allocating Agent creates IGSN, stores metadata

3. AA registers IGSN

5. Send to user

6. Use IGSN

4. Confirm uniqueness

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19IGSN Roles

SESAR

USGS

GFZCSIRO RPI

WHOI

MARUM

IGSNRegistry

IGSN users• Make decisions what specimens to register• Registers samples through one of the higher level

namespaces• Maintain physical collections

IGSN Registry

IGSN Allocating Agents

• Register name spaces• Validate identifier registration• Maintain IGSN handle system

• Establish specimen description schema• Validate metadata content for

specimens• Handle interaction with specimen

collectors and curators to register specimens

Global Metadata

Store

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20What objects get an IGSN?

Individual specimens Categorized by material (rock, mineral, soil, fluid, etc.)

Subsamples (linked to ‘parent sample’) Thin section, grain size fraction, mineral/fossil separate, etc.

‘Parent objects’ such as cores, dredges, CTDs Individual samples of these are ‘children’

Locations such as drill-holes, wells, soil pits, sections (‘sampling features’)

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21IGSN: Metadata Identification

Sample name(s), registrant Description

Material, classification, age, size, comments Geospatial information

Geographical names, coordinates Collection

Expedition/cruise, platform, date, collector, technique

Archiving/access Physical location of sample (repository),

contact Relationship to other (sub-)samples

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22IGSN: Sample Geneology

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23User Tools: www.geosamples.org

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24MySESAR

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25SESAR (System for Earth Sample Registration)

Originally only IGSN allocating agent Now IEDA’s Allocating Agent in the IGSN e.V. Provides tools for investigators and institutions to

register samples and manage sample metadata Create metadata templates Submit batches of samples (spreadsheet upload & review) Edit metadata Transfer ownership of samples (= sample metadata) Print customized labels with QR codes

Web services for programmatic registration of samples from client systems

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Geosamples: Unraveling Past Climate

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27Geosamples: Assessing Natural Resources

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Geosamples: Accessing the Inaccessible

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29IGSN Applications

Sample management Preservation and access of sample metadata Tracking samples (QR code labels) Tracking subsamples Transfer of metadata to new owners

Data Management Find & access data for a specific sample in distributed

systems (interoperability) Link data, samples, and publications

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30IGSN: Interoperability

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Index to Marine & Lacustrine Geological Samples http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/curator/curator.html orhttp://seabedsamples.org