Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for Data Citation and User Interface Updates

May 14, 2012

We are pleased to announce the release of version 3.7 of the OpenTopography system. This update includes improvements to the data selection interface, and dataset metadata pages.

Digital Object Identifiers:
A noteworthy component of this release is the introduction of a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for each OpenTopography hosted dataset. DOIs are persistent identifiers that were originally developed for publications, but are increasingly being used for scientific datatsets. DOIs are managed through time and will not change even if the object is moved or renamed; this means that OpenTopography data can be reliably referenced for future access by humans and software. DOIs also facilitate data citation, enable data reuse, verification, and tracking, and provide a means to recognize and reward data producers. OpenTopography's DOIs are issued and maintained by the University of California's Digital Libraries EZID program.

The OpenTopography DOI for each dataset is located on the dataset's "full metadata" page. When referencing an OpenTopography dataset in a publication, the dataset DOI should be included, allowing readers to directly link back to the data products, metadata, and other information.


User Interface, Metadata and Data Access Updates:

  • More accurate estimations of number of points for a given classifications in user defined query areas. Previously, OpenTopography provided an estimate of the total number of points that would be returned for a given query. However, that estimate ignored the classification of the points (ground, vegetation, etc) and thus could be inaccurate. As of this v. 3.7 OpenTopography release, estimates of the number of points returned for a given query dynamically adjust as a function of the point classification selected.
  • Added additional properties to the ISO 19139 format metadata available for each dataset.
  • Numerous minor updates and bug fixes to map and user interfaces.