Version History

Authority Metadata for the PILIN Project

To cite the latest version of this work use http://resolver.net.au/hdl/102.100.272/8RBZF0DQH

To cite this version of this work, use http://resolver.net.au/hdl/102.100.272/X4NDP2JQH

Purpose/Issue

This policy specifies what authority metadata shall be associated with any identifier created by the PILIN project.

Background

Authority metadata is information about an identifier which establish the identifier’s accountability, provenance, and reliability. Examples of authority metadata include identifiers for the previous managers of the object, the current manager, the time the object was last updated, and who vetted the object for accuracy. Authority metadata is used by identifier managers to better manage identifiers, and by identifier consumers to determine the trustworthiness of the identifier, and to seek redress for any failings in trustworthiness.

The PILIN project recommends that identifiers be created with authority metadata about the identifier.

Scope

This policy applies to any identifier created by the PILIN project.

This policy applies only to authority metadata specific to identifiers, and does not encompass authority metadata describing content objects or identifier management systems (i.e. namespaces).

Policy Statement

1. Authority metadata shall be publicly exposed, with the same access privileges as for the resolution of the identifier.

2. The PILIN project shall take reasonable steps to guarantee the persistent availability of authority metadata.

   • This may be done by storing and retrieved authority metadata in the same data store as the identifier record itself. (In the case of Handle, this means the Handle record for the identifier.) However this is an implementation decision.

3. Any identifier created by the PILIN project shall have the authority metadata listed below associated with it:

   • Date of creation of identifier: defined as date of first association of identifier name with the thing being identified. ISO 8601 with UTC time shall be used as the format for dates.

   • Date of last update of identifier: defined as date of most recent change to any values of the association data or the authority metadata in the identifier object. ISO 8601 with UTC time shall be used as the format for dates.

   • Identifier creator: defined as the party that first created the identifier. The identifier creator shall be specified by an actionable identifier for the PILIN project that resolves to information about the PILIN project as a corporate author.

   • Identifier owner(s): defined as the contact assuming responsibility for the identifier, as distinct from the identifier manager, which is any party authorised to change the identifier. Identifier owners shall be specified using actionable identifiers that resolve to information about the owners. Identifier owners shall be specified only if they are distinct from the identifier creator.

4. The following potential authority metadata will not be created or recorded:

   • Identifier managers

   • Date of creation of name

   • Namespace of authority (out of scope, being specified at the identifier registry level)

   • Resource type

Example

The following illustrates the provision of authority metadata for an identifier created in the PILIN project:

This authority metadata may be realised in a Handle record as follows:

Handle: 102.100.272/2RDV0T0QH

The date of last update for a Handle identifier is defined as the most recent timestamp for any field in the Handle identifier record. As of this writing, no DATE or CREATOR type has been registered by CNRI. The PILIN project shall use its own types, registered on the PILIN Handle Type registry as Handles.

Copyright © Monash University

This work was created as part of the PILIN project. The PILIN project is funded by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, (DEST) under the Systemic Infrastructure Initiative (SII) as part of the Commonwealth Government’s Backing Australia’s Ability – An Innovation Action Plan for the Future (BAA) under the ARROW Project.