GEO_12 Rationale - Recommend PIDs / DOIs

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p. 32 The use of persistent identifieres (PIDs), e.g., DOIs should be encouraged

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Regarding DOIs, you may have a look at the DOI Foundation https://www.doi.org/

I’m recommending DOIs since they are a ISO standard for identifying objects. They are commonly used for scientific papers but also for datasets, e.g. when we upload data to repos such as Zenodo https://zenodo.org/record/7581454

“A DOI name is a digital identifier of an object, any object — physical, digital, or abstract. DOIs solve a common problem: keeping track of things. Things can be matter, material, content, or activities. Designed to be used by humans as well as machines, DOIs identify objects persistently. They allow things to be uniquely identified and accessed reliably. You know what you have, where it is, and others can track it too.”

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DOI membership comes with a yearly fee of a few k€/year. These should be considered infrastructure costs that ensure that the identifiers are maintained and stable for long-term archiving.

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Other persistent identifier systems include: Handle, URN, ARK, ...

Note that "the DOI system uses the Handle System. Handles by themselves are necessary but not sufficient for the function of the DOI system" (source: https://www.doi.org/the-identifier/resources/factsheets/doi-system-and-the-handle-system)

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Also related to #54