As we approach our 10th year, the Identify Database has exceeded 400,000 records: we now have the most complete hierarchical database of institutions relevant to the scholarly supply chain.
As we approach our 10th year, the Identify Database has exceeded 400,000 records: we now have the most complete hierarchical database of institutions relevant to the scholarly supply chain. This milestone represents a turning point: comprehensive databases grow quickly at inception; afterwards they require vigilance to ensure data is current, standards compliant, and accessible. In 2014 we devoted significant resources to database maintenance and infrastructure, which we will continue into 2015. Read on for the latest service enhancements, data maintenance efforts, and planned releases:
New feature available now – Consortia Penetration Report
Many publishers spend a great deal of time reconciling existing subscription business within a consortium, as part of the negotiation process. Now, clients of the Identify Database & Identify Audit service have a way to rapidly get at this data via Identify Online. Contact us for a demonstration.
Database maintenance
Standards compliance
In our ongoing effort to adhere to international standards, Ringgold is pleased to announce that the Identify database is now fully compliant with the ISO 3166-alpha 2 standard for country codes.
Athens IDs
We are currently conducting a review of the Athens Identifiers held against Identify records. We anticipate completing this review early in 2015; we will then review these on a monthly basis to ensure the identifiers we hold continue to be as up-to-date as possible. Identify now contains in excess of 2,000 Athens IDs, which are a key authentication method for scholarly content.
Hierarchies & More
Ringgold continually uses select authoritative data sources as references to ensure the accuracy of the data we hold within our Identify database. We have just completed a review of over 3,000 UK Higher Education Institution records using data provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). This review allowed us to ensure that the hierarchical view of institutions we provide remains as accurate and up-to-date as possible; for example we were able to update our Leeds Becket University record (Ringgold ID 4467) and all of its child records on the day the University changed its name!
Additional plans for 2015 include a new Identify Online interface, which will accommodate the display and analysis of the new Identify Facets, as well as more robust reporting features.
New Identify Facets to be Released in March 2015
As many of you know, we have been working to expand institutional metadata in Identify via our Types Project. This new taxonomy is called the Identify Facets, and will be fully integrated with all records in the academic sector. Alpha and beta testing will be conducted over the next two months, and the new data will be released to Identify data feed and API clients in March 2015.
Once released, the Identify Facets will allow you to explore the universe of academia with greater precision. New data elements will include granular subject classifications, educational levels taught, and more. After a period of time, we will evaluate the utility in applying the Facets to other, smaller sectors of the database.
Identify clients will all be notified prior to the official release of the Academic sector Identify Facets. Please do contact us in advance if you have any questions or to request the full schema supporting the new Identify Facets.