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* UPC barcodes (those that we find in all products that we buy), ISBN barcodes (found in books/journals) are globally unique because there is an international authority that assigns those numbers and there is an infrastructure/process that everyone is expected to follow. Such authority does not exist for biodiversity collections. | * UPC barcodes (those that we find in all products that we buy), ISBN barcodes (found in books/journals) are globally unique because there is an international authority that assigns those numbers and there is an infrastructure/process that everyone is expected to follow. Such authority does not exist for biodiversity collections. | ||
* a specimen record GUID is what identifies the specimen (part of an individual, an individual, a set of individuals) in the digital world, while a barcode identifies the specimen in the physical world. | * a specimen record GUID is what identifies the specimen (part of an individual, an individual, a set of individuals) in the digital world, while a barcode identifies the specimen in the physical world. | ||
* a specimen GUID does not need to be physically attached to the specimen as long as some other type of identification (e.g., a barcode) can be used to locate/link the digital record to the physical specimen. | * a specimen record GUID does not need to be physically attached to the specimen as long as some other type of identification (e.g., a barcode) can be used to locate/link the digital record to the physical specimen. | ||
* Neither a barcode or a GUID are meant for human consumption. They are intended to be compared/read by machines and readers. | * Neither a barcode or a GUID are meant for human consumption. They are intended to be compared/read by machines and readers. | ||
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