[GRASS-PSC] Introducing DOI for software, documentation and data in the GRASS project

[Jeff McKenna]

On 2016-11-17 7:04 AM, Markus Neteler wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I take liberty to split Peter's email
> (https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/grass-psc/2016-November/001606.html)
> into two, separating out the DOI part for an "unmixed" discussion:
>
> On Tue, Nov 1, 2016 at 7:41 PM, "Peter Löwe" <peter.loewe at gmx.de> wrote:
> [...]
>> b) Option to use persistent identifiers (Digital Object Identifiers (DOI)) for software, documentation and data in the GRASS project. DOI are currently mostly known to reference and cite scientific articles ("like a ISBN number for books"). DOI can also be assigned to scientific data, including software. The benefit in doing this is providing scientific citability, which implies scientific credit and recognition for the authors of the software or data. DOI for software/data are provided/minted by the DataCite non profit organisation (https://www.datacite.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DataCite). OSGeo, being a non profit organisation itself with significant IT infrastructure, could apply to DataCite to receive DOI (has already been positively checked by the DataCite folks). However, this requires a need within the OSGeo projects to use DOI. I believe this could be a great driver to foster the authoring and publication of add-on modules for GRASS, for which the authors could be credited via a DOI upon "publication" within the GRASS community. FWIW, DOI are already assigned to all OSGeo (and GRASS!)-related FOSS4G conference videos in the TIB AV-Portal. Example: http://dx.doi.org/10.5446/20425 (DOI also serve as "unbreakable" weblinks.)
>
> Like others I think that this proposal is very interesting.
>
> The question for me is: what do we need to do for that? Since a DOI
> refers to a state in time, GRASS GIS module DOIs might be attached to
> releases since they evolve over time. How would that practically work?
>

I also see the huge value in this, for promoting the use of OSGeo 
projects in research.  Small world, yesterday I sat in a long meeting 
with local researchers (Acadia University) and they spoke of the need 
for DOI for data etc.  So I know and value the use of this.  I think 
this could be an important addition to all OSGeo projects; but maybe the 
GRASS PSC leads the way for others :)

So, I'm watching ;)  But I also have the same questions.

-jeff

-- 
Jeff McKenna
President Emeritus, OSGeo Foundation
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Jeff_McKenna