celIDs

celIDs are unique identifiers assigned to individual cells or cell-like regions within a data system, enabling stable tracking of provenance, observations, and relationships across experiments and analyses. The term is used in multiple domains, and its exact format can vary by project, but the core purpose is consistent: to provide a persistent, distinct reference to a single cell or cell unit.

In biological data, particularly single-cell sequencing workflows, a celID often combines components such as a sample identifier, a cellular barcode, and sometimes a replicate or modality tag. An example might look like sampleA_rep1_cell123. These identifiers are designed to be stable through data processing and to remain unique within a dataset. They are typically stored alongside gene expression measurements and cell annotations. celIDs are related to, but distinct from, global UUIDs or DOIs in that they may encode domain-specific information while still enabling cross-step traceability.

In computational and spatial contexts, celIDs can denote a discretized cell in a grid or partitioned space, used for indexing, queries, and spatial analyses. Such identifiers aid in neighbor finding, aggregation, and data partitioning, especially in large-scale simulations or geospatial databases.

Best practices for managing celIDs include clear documentation of the naming convention, consistent generation rules, and version-controlled mappings to ensure reproducibility. Care should be taken to separate domain information from sensitive data when sharing celIDs publicly. See also: cell barcode, unique identifier, UUID, data provenance.

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