Data Access Bundle

This paged is used to discuss recommendations in the field of accessing digital objects (data, metadata, knowledge, software, configurations, etc.). It includes a number of steps to be differentiated and access step differ dependent on the type of DO. This page is limited to accessing typical experimental or observational data:

• a PID is found in metadata or in another DO
• a request resolves the PID into DO properties (path, checksum, metadata PID, etc.)
• a content request is issued to a repository via a standard API (incl. path, PID, user credentials, ...)
• path information is used to request access to the DO
• the repository will first authenticate the user and then check authorisation
• given access permissions and validity of the requested DO the repository will issue a file request, a databse query, etc.
• the requested bit sequence will be returned

It should be noted that Metadata is open and will be harvested to create searchable indexes by service providers and that knowledge for example in form of (augmented) RDF triples are stored in specialised searchable triple databases.

We distinguish 4 statements:

1. Suggestions which come from RDA WG outputs (RDA WG)
2. Suggestions which emerge from RDA discussions (RDA)
3. Suggestions from other initiatives
4. Suggestions for RDA Recommendations (RDA REC) which will be the result of RDA interactions

If there are more statements that relate to this bundle that come from other initiatives we should add them.

ACC1. RDA: Trustworthy repositories need to support a standard API that includes path information, PID, user credentials, checksum and other important information)

ACC2. RDA: Secure and standardized mechanisms (SAML) are supported to interact with an authentication system checking user's identity.

ACC3. RDA: Secure and standardized mechanisms (??) are supported to interact with an authorisation system checking access permissions.

ACC4. RDA: A metadata description contains the PID of the corresponding object. The PID record contains the metadata PID to ensure at all times that DO's context can be retrieved. (this can be compared with the reverse DNS mechanism)

(to be done)