The IGSN ID has gone through a few changes as a result of partnership between the International Generic Sample Number (IGSN) e.V. and DataCite. As of January 2023, IGSN IDs now follow the DataCite DOI format which includes the addition of a prefix to the existing IGSN structure. SESAR²’s shared prefix for sample registrations is 10.58052.

New IGSN ID structure/syntax

Each IGSN allocating agent has their own unique DOI prefix and is responsible for the suffix portion. As a result, an IGSN ID suffix may not be unique across allocating agents. SESAR² will continue to assign user codes to maintain the uniqueness of the IGSN ID suffix across all DOI prefixes used within SESAR², including the ‘Shared Prefix’ 10.58052.

The Transition to the New IGSN ID is Complete

All IGSN IDs registered with SESAR² before January 2023 have been re-registered with DataCite as of March 31, 2023, and have a DOI counterpart. This means they will continue to resolve long term and any pre-existing IGSN.org links or sample QR codes will continue to function as expected.

IGSN IDs registered with SESAR² from January 2023 on have the SESAR² Shared Prefix 10.58052. Organizations and repositories have the option to request their own prefix. Please contact an administrator to learn more at info@geosamples.org.

Displaying IGSN IDs

When you cite your IGSN ID in a dataset or article, please follow the guidelines of DataCite.

The DataCite guidelines can be found here: https://support.datacite.org/docs/displaying-igsn-ids

IGSN ID Registration

Registration services and processes for individual, batch and web services will continue to stay the same, and existing registration processes will continue to function. We have made an effort to keep the process backwards compatible and to incorporate new system side functions to help users prepend the correct DOI prefix to their IGSN IDs.

DataCite Metadata Schema Mapping

The following table contains the mapping between SESAR² fields and the DataCite Metadata Schema for Samples. To learn more about DataCite’s Metadata Schema, visit their IGSN ID Metadata Recommendations here: https://support.datacite.org/docs/igsn-id-metadata-recommendations

DataCiteSESAR²
IdentifierIGSN ID
CreatorCollector*
TitleSample Name
Publisher"SESAR²"**
Publication YearPublish Date
ResourceTypeSample Type
resourceTypeGeneral"PhysicalObject"**

* If the necessary collector information is missing, the original registrant will be used instead.
** These values will always be the same.