From Local Resource to Global Tool: Next Steps for Canada's PID Matrix

Since 2021, the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) have championed a collaborative national strategy for persistent identifiers (PIDs) to support the widespread adoption of PIDs across the Canadian research ecosystem. As part of this work, together with the MoreBrains Cooperative team, they developed the PID Matrix – a tool to help Canadian organizations choose the right PID for the right problem. The matrix covers nine broad categories for each PID included – from coverage to sustainability. In particular, it enables comparisons between gold standard open and public options (like ORCID and DOIs) to proprietary options that do not meet criteria associated with the principles guiding the National PID Strategy. Although it was originally developed for the Canadian research community, it quickly became clear that it could also be of value to the wider global community; this was confirmed at a well-attended unconference session at PIDfest 2024. This workshop, therefore, is an opportunity for participants from that wider community to share their thoughts on whether the PID matrix should be expanded for global use and, if so, how. After providing a brief history of why and how the matrix was developed, and an overview of the current version, the workshop facilitators will take participants through a series of exercises and interactive group work to evaluate the current iteration of the matrix. This will include the global value of the core elements, and whether any new categories or elements are needed. The group will then brainstorm next steps for making the matrix into a truly global tool, including issues like who needs to be involved in future discussions, who should “own” the global version, what format(s) it should be available in, where it should live, how it will be kept updated, whether it needs to be formally standardized, and more.