Identity Domains

Identity domains are structured systems or namespaces that govern how unique identifiers are assigned, managed, validated, and recognized across organizations, industries, or governments.

What Identity Domains Define?

Identity Domains define:

  • ✅ Scope – what type of entity is being identified (e.g. person, product, country, organization, etc.)

  • 🏛️ Authority / Policy – who issues and maintains the ID (e.g. government, standards body, global registry)

  • 🔄 Interoperability – how those IDs are used and trusted across systems

🤔Think of them like “realms” where IDs are meaningful

Examples

a passport number is valid within the government-issued identity domain, while a GTIN is valid within the global product trade domain.

Below is a short summary of Identity Domains with their scope, who manages them, and their uses:

Identity Domain
Scope
Managed By
Example Use

Notice of Birth Serial

Person (birth record)

Government registry

Issuing legal documents

National ID

Person (citizens/residents)

National government

Social services, identification

LMIS Item Code

Product (health commodities)

Supply chain systems

Inventory & logistics

ISO 3166

Country / Territory

ISO

Country codes in databases

GS1 GLN

Location (site/organization)

GS1

Shipment & transaction info

GS1 GTIN

Product (trade item)

GS1

Barcodes, retail systems

Pacific Data Hub Unit ID

Dataset / organization

Pacific Data Hub

Regional data integration

👶Notice of Birth Serial Number

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A unique number assigned to a birth registration record (often part of a civil registry system).

  • ℹ️Vital records / civil registration – managed by government authorities.

  • 🔗Officially links a person’s legal identity to a 🤰birth record (often used for issuing 📃birth certificates, 📓passports, or #️⃣national IDs).

  • 💼Example:

    • 🍁(In Canada) Ontario’s #️⃣Notice of Live Birth record number

      • used by the ��Office of the Registrar General.

🌐National ID

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A government-issued identifier uniquely assigned to a citizen or resident.

  • ℹ️National identity systems / population registries.

  • 🔗Enables access to government services, social security, healthcare, voting, taxation, etc.

  • 💼Examples:

    • 🍁SIN (Social Insurance Number) – Canada

    • 🗽SSN (Social Security Number) – USA

    • #️⃣Aadhaar Number – India

    • 💳National Identity Card Number – EU member states

🚛LMIS Item Code ID (Logistics Management Information System)

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A code that uniquely identifies items (often health commodities) in a logistics or supply chain database.

  • ℹ️Supply chain / inventory management systems.

  • 🔗Tracks products across procurement, storage, and distribution systems (like medicines, vaccines, or supplies).

  • 💼Example

    • 💊MED-000123 as an LMIS code for a specific malaria medication in a public health database.

🌍ISO 3166 Country Identifiers

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A standardized set of codes assigned to 🗺️countries and 🗾territories (e.g. alpha-2, alpha-3, numeric).

  • 🌍Geopolitical / location standards.

  • 🔗Provides a globally recognized, unambiguous way to identify countries and regions in systems (like passports, shipping, data reporting, and trade).

  • 💼Examples:

    • 🍁CA – Canada

    • 🗽US – United States

    • 🌄ID – Indonesia

    • 👑GB – United Kingdom

🗺️GS1 Global Location Number (GLN)

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A globally unique identifier assigned to a legal, physical, or functional location (like a warehouse, hospital, or company head quarters).

  • 🌐Global trade and logistics.

  • 🔗Enables standardized communication between organizations by identifying the exact location involved in transactions or logistics.

  • 💼Example

    • 🏭A manufacturer’s distribution center might have GLN 1234567890001.

🏬GS1 Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A unique identifier for trade items (products or services) used in retail and supply chain management.

  • 🛒Product identity and commerce.

  • 🔗Enables universal product recognition (like UPC/EAN barcodes) for scanning, inventory control, and e-commerce.

  • 💼Examples

    • 🫙00012345600012 – GTIN for a specific bottle of Tylenol®

    • 🎮00889842805119 – GTIN for a PlayStation 5 console

🆔Pacific Data Hub Unit ID

Brief Explanation

  • 🆔A unique identifier for datasets, organizations, or units within the Pacific Data Hub

    • Pacific Data Hub — a regional data-sharing platform.

  • ℹ️Regional data governance and integration.

  • 🔗Ensures consistent referencing of entities across Pacific Island countries for development, research, and policy-making.

  • 💼Example

    • 🐟A dataset on fisheries might be registered as PDH-ORG-1234.

Working with Identity Domains

In regards to Identity Domains, here is a list of available operations that can be done:

PreviousReference DataNextSearching and Viewing Identity Domains

Last updated