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Policies

Governance

pid4cat is governed by a two-tiered structure:

  1. pid4cat Core Organization: Responsible for the overall governance, technical operation, and sustainability of the pid4cat service
  2. Sub-Name Assigning Authorities (SNAAs): Partner organizations responsible for managing identifiers within their assigned sub-namespaces

Governance Principles

  1. Transparency: All policies, procedures, and decisions are documented and publicly available
  2. Inclusivity: The governance process includes input from all stakeholders
  3. Sustainability: Governance structures are designed to ensure the long-term viability of the service
  4. Accountability: Clear responsibilities and reporting mechanisms are established
  5. Community-driven: Governance is responsive to community needs and priorities

Registration as SNAA

To become a Sub-Name Assigning Authority (SNAA), an organization must:

  1. Submit an application to the Core Organization (HLRS)
  2. Demonstrate the capability to maintain identified resources
  3. Agree to the pid4cat policies
  4. Designate technical and administrative contacts

Identifier Persistence

pid4cat is committed to the persistence of identifiers. Once created, an identifier should remain resolvable indefinitely. This implies:

  1. No deletion: Identifiers must not be deleted, even if the identified resource is no longer available
  2. Tombstones: If a resource becomes unavailable, a tombstone page should be provided with information about the resource and its status
  3. Responsibility: SNAAs are responsible for maintaining the resolution of identifiers they create

In exceptional circumstances, identifiers may be deleted or transferred, but only with the approval of the pid4cat Core Organization.

Metadata

Metadata associated with identifiers can be updated to reflect changes in the resource or to correct errors.

  1. Metadata Quality: SNAAs must provide accurate and complete metadata
  2. Metadata Updates: Metadata may be updated to correct errors or reflect changes in the resource
  3. Core Organization Rights: The Core Organization reserves the right to update metadata to ensure policy compliance
  4. Provenance: All metadata updates are recorded with provenance information
  5. Metadata License: All metadata is made available under CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

Access Policy

  1. Landing Pages: All identifiers must resolve to a landing page or point directly to the resource.
  2. Resource Access: If a resource has access restrictions, a landing page must provide clear information about how to access the resource.
  3. Metadata Access: Metadata associated with identifiers should be openly accessible.

Resource Access

pid4cat does not require identified resources to be openly accessible. However:

  1. Landing page requirement: All identifiers must resolve to a landing page with basic metadata about the resource or point directly to the resource.
  2. Access information: If access to the resource is restricted, the landing page must provide information about the restrictions and if/how access can be obtained.
  3. Metadata accessibility: Metadata associated with identifiers should be openly accessible, even if the resource itself is not

SNAA Responsibilities

Each SNAA is responsible for:

  1. Identifier Management: Creating and maintaining identifiers within their sub-namespace
  2. Resource Maintenance: Ensuring identified resources remain accessible or providing appropriate tombstone pages
  3. Metadata Accuracy: Providing and maintaining accurate metadata
  4. Policy Compliance: Adhering to all pid4cat policies
  5. Contact Information: Maintaining up-to-date technical and administrative contacts
  6. Sustainability: Contributing to the long-term sustainability of pid4cat

Resource Access

pid4cat does not mandate that identified resources be openly accessible. However:

  1. Landing page requirement: All identifiers must resolve to a landing page with basic metadata about the resource
  2. Access information: If access to the resource is restricted, the landing page must provide clear information about the restrictions and how access can be obtained
  3. Metadata accessibility: Metadata associated with identifiers should be openly accessible, even if the resource itself is not.

Licensing

pid4cat adopts the following licensing policies:

  1. Service licensing: The pid4cat service is operated under [specific license]
  2. Metadata licensing:
  3. Metadata submitted to pid4cat is made available under the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
  4. This allows for unrestricted reuse of metadata, promoting interoperability and discovery
  5. Resource licensing:
  6. pid4cat does not mandate specific licenses for identified resources
  7. SNAAs should include clear license information in the metadata
  8. Recommended licenses include Creative Commons licenses, Open Data Commons licenses, and other open licenses

Sustainability

To ensure the long-term sustainability of the pid4cat service:

  1. Succession planning: The pid4cat Core Organization has established succession plans to ensure continuity of service
  2. SNAA succession: SNAAs must designate a successor organization or return control of their sub-namespace to the Core Organization if they can no longer fulfill their responsibilities
  3. Financial model: [Details about the financial model supporting pid4cat]
  4. Data preservation: All identifier metadata is regularly backed up and preserved in multiple locations