GISid

GISid, short for Geospatial Information System Identifier, is a concept describing a persistent, globally unique identifier assigned to geospatial resources such as datasets, map services, raster layers, and related metadata. The aim is to enable stable citation, precise referencing, and interoperability across GIS tools, data catalogs, and spatial data infrastructures.

There is no single universally adopted GISid standard. The idea is discussed within data-citation initiatives and in some national or institutional spatial data infrastructures. Core principles emphasize a unique namespace, a resource type, a local identifier, and an optional version or edition.

A typical GISid would be composed of components that may be separated by colons or other delimiters, for example a prefix indicating GISid, followed by authority, repository, resource-id, and version. An example string used for illustration might be GISid:urn:gisid:example:dataset:global-temp-2020:1.0. The exact syntax would be defined by a governance body and registry.

Implementation would rely on registries that manage the namespace and assign new identifiers, and on resolvers that can translate a GISid into machine-readable metadata or a URL to access the resource. Adoption would be coordinated with metadata standards such as ISO 19115 and with catalog services compliant with the Open Geospatial Consortium.

Benefits include improved data citation, provenance tracking, and interoperability across platforms. Challenges involve governance, namespace fragmentation, versioning, and ensuring long-term resolvability.

See also: DOI, UUID, URN, DataCite, ISO 19115, OGC.